INTERN - Leadership Support Section

Contract

This is a I-1 contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about I-1 contracts.

Org. Setting and Reporting The Leadership Support Section (LSS) is mandated to support the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and of Peace Operations in the UN Secretariat with the identification and appointment of senior leadership in UN Field Missions including the positions of Special Representatives of the Secretary-General, Deputy Representative of the Secretary-General across all peacekeeping and special political missions. The Section is focused on sourcing senior talent, vacancy management and recruitment processes, as well as offering support to serving leaders. The Section is also responsible for outreach and partnership-building initiatives designed to expand the pool of potential candidates for these high-level positions.

The intern works in LSS, remote or based in New York, and is expected to support the different areas of work, including a focus on identification of senior profiles, outreach, human resources and database management.

The envisioned start date is flexible, the Section maintains a rolling internship programme and is looking for interns available to start throughout the year. The duration of the internship is three to six months. The intern will work five days per week under the supervision of a staff member of the Section. The internship is unpaid and full-time (40 hours a week).

Responsibilities Under the supervision of the Programme Officer, the intern will carry out the following duties:

• Assist in the various activities part of the 2021 Global Call outreach campaign including the support of the review process of applications received.
• Manage and update the database of potential candidates for senior leadership positions, including creating new profiles and conducting due diligence checks using open source. Information contained in this database must be treated with the utmost level of confidentiality.
• Prepare mission and country profiles with background documentation and mapping of key stakeholders in support of high-level recruitment processes.
• Monitor and report on global leadership news within the UN, regional organizations and Member States.
• Collect data on leadership trends in the field and support the preparation of internal progress and data reports.
• Attend webinars and other information sessions within the United Nations at the request of the Section Chief or Supervisor and produce short summaries of content.

• Provide support to other ongoing projects administered by the Section upon request.

  Competencies Professionalism: Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; possesses strong research skills and is detail-oriented; has some existing knowledge and an understanding of international relations, UN architecture, peacekeeping and/or peacebuilding; appreciates the sensitivities of handling confidential information.

Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, the following conditions must be met:

1. Applicants at the time of application must meet one of the following requirements: (a) be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent); or (c) have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.

2. Knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 is desired.

3. Knowledge in managing data using excel, PowerBI or other software (for example Salesforce or other CRM software) to manage, collate and present data effectively is highly desirable.

4. Have demonstrated interest in the work of the United Nations, most specifically in peace and security field and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the United Nations Charter.

5. Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which include willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

Work Experience No working experience is required to apply for the United Nations Internship Programme. Your training, education, advance course work or skills should benefit the United Nations during your internship.

Experience and/or knowledge in international organisations, human resources and database management system and/or in online research is desirable.

Languages Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish).

Assessment The recruitment process includes a written assessment followed by a virtual interview and reference checks.

Special Notice In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants, who are offered the position, are likely to undertake the internship remotely in view of current circumstances impacting international travel and access to UN premises. Applicants must be willing and prepared to undertake the internship remotely for potentially the entirety of the internship. Kindly note that depending on where you are based, certain visa requirements could still apply.

The duration of the internship is initially for three months, with the possibility of extension up to six months.

A completed online application is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Only candidates who meet the requirements as defined in this vacancy will be contacted to undergo the written assessment.

The cover note is mandatory and must include: - Degree Programme (title of the degree you are pursuing); - Graduation Date (expected completion of graduation from the programme); - Explain how your interests, skills and knowledge match the United Nations Internship Programme, in particular, in the Leadership Support Section. - Explain your motivation and why you are the best candidate for this specific internship, highlighting any experience you may have in human resources, conducting research, working with database management systems and handling confidential information; - Elaborate what you wish to learn, develop or gain from this internship within the Leadership Support Section; - Indicate your availability: when you could start, how long you are available for (in months or seasons) and a confirmation that you are available full-time during that period. Please note that interns are hired on a rolling basis throughout the year, therefore start and end dates are flexible.

United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.