Intern for Online Communications

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

Background

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. We work with partners to integrate qualified, highly motivated and well supported UN Volunteers into development programming and promote the value and global recognition of volunteerism. UNV is active in around 130 countries every year. With Field Presences in over 80 countries, UNV is represented worldwide. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 130 staff positions – with some positions in six of its Regional Offices and in different Field Units around the world, and in other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo).

The External Relations and Communications Section builds and nurtures corporate donor relations, strategically leads the donor resource mobilization platform and conducts coherent communications efforts to highlight the value of volunteerism for peace and development and the contributions of UNV and UN Volunteers.

The intern (Online Communications) will have the opportunity to learn about the work carried out by UN Volunteers with UN agencies in the field to advance peace and development, and to contribute to publicize and promote their work through the creation of online communications materials to publish on UNV’s platforms.

This internship is a perfect fit for a student/graduate of communications, journalism, public relations, marketing, political science or international development, looking to expand her/his career in the field of corporate communications.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direction of the Communications Specialist/Web Manager, External Relations and Communications Section, the incumbent is expected to contribute to:

• Writing content on UNV results and partnerships, and the experiences of UN Volunteers;
• Supporting marketing of UN Volunteer assignments and outreach to talent;
• Updating and uploading content to corporate web pages;
• Generating infographics or animations to illustrate UNV processes and data;
• Supporting the sourcing, assessment and planning of editorial content.

Learning opportunities for the intern

• General understanding of the work and mission of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, and of the contribution of volunteerism to peace and development effectiveness;
• Hands-on experience with the preparation, research and production of communications materials and case studies, including corporate editorial and outreach processes and training on our content management system (Drupal);
• Insight into issues of modern corporate and partnership communications;
• Experience working in an international organization and in a multicultural environment.

Competencies

• Excellent oral and written communications skills in English;
• Research abilities and strong interest and knowledge of global events;
• Creative open-minded team player with strong initiative and a willingness to learn;
• In addition to an excellent knowledge of English, fluency in another official United Nations language, particularly French and/or Spanish, is an asset.

Learning opportunities for the intern

• General understanding of the work and mission of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, and the contribution of volunteerism to peace and development;
• Hands-on experience with the preparation and implementation of multimedia materials for an international organization, as well as with its editorial and outreach processes;
• Insight into issues of modern corporate communications;
• Experience working in an international organization and in a multicultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

• Excellent oral and written communications and research skills in English;
• Writing and/or editing experience for online and/or print publications;
• Experience of web and social media development especially as related to placing video;
• Previous experience using design and multimedia software such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and/or Animate;
• Previous experience using Photoshop or other photo editing software;
• Research abilities and strong interest in and knowledge of global events;
• Creative open-minded team player with strong initiative and a willingness to learn;
• In addition to an excellent knowledge of English, fluency in another official United Nations language is an asset.

Interns are selected on a competitive basis. Applicants to UNV internships must at the time of application meet one of the following academic requirements:

(a) Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);

(b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);

(c) Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

General Terms and Conditions

• UNDP Conditions of Service for interns apply for interns working at UNV Headquarters.
• Where an intern is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme, a stipend intended to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station, will be paid by UNV.
• The monthly amount of the stipend will be determined based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit. The stipend will be paid on a monthly basis and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.
• The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNV but to complement an intern's studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
• UNV accepts no responsibility for the intern's medical insurance or for costs arising from illness during the internship. Interns are required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage.
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Short-listed candidates may be requested to take a short written test and/or interview.