Internship - Climate Change Innovation Portfolio, Two positions, Office of Innovation, Remote - Stockholm, Six (6) months REQ

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, innovation.

UNICEF’s innovation portfolio approach focuses our innovation efforts on the most challenging problems UNICEF is trying to solve for and with children and young people. There are 9 innovation portfolios, with each portfolio containing innovative solutions (sourced from across UNICEF and beyond) that have potential to scale and significantly accelerate results for children, including the Climate Change Innovation Portfolio. Read more here and here.

Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact. The worsening effects of climate change mean that children face both the immediate impacts of climate-exacerbated humanitarian emergencies and the slower-onset impacts such as water scarcity and disease burden. For children who are already disadvantaged, the risks of climate change are even higher: as crises become more common, poorer families will face even greater difficulties recovering from these increasingly frequent shocks. Read more here.

The climate crisis is a child rights crisis, and time is running out to make the transformations necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Innovation can and must play a central role in finding solutions to this crisis and accelerating the impact of our work in protecting children from the effects of climate change, placing their needs at the center of environmental strategies, and empowering them as agents of change. The UNICEF Climate Innovation portfolio consist of digital innovations, social innovations, data innovations and frugal innovations to tackle the most pressing climate challenges facing children and young people. Example of climate solutions part of the UNICEF’s portfolio can be found here.

About the Emerging Climate Innovators Initiative

Young people are key stakeholders in shaping climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. They bring fresh perspectives, creativity, and innovative ideas to address the climate challenges affecting their communities. In the last decade, there has been a growing global recognition of youth innovators, and a plethora of scalable innovative solutions abound.

While UNICEF and other UN agencies have already climate programs in place with member states, there remains a disconnect between climate innovations, including youth-led innovations, and government adoption in the trajectory of scale.

The UNICEF Emerging Climate Innovators Shaping the Future Initiative aims to develop a pipeline of proven youth-led interventions (developed by under 30) with the ambition to scale globally through UNICEF's network of over 190 countries. These solutions will be made available to the public on the UNICEF website as well as to UNICEF colleagues on INVENT - the UNICEF global marketplace for innovation. This will enable UNICEF Country Offices to identify proven climate innovation solutions that respond to their programme needs and priorities.

The first global cohort of young, certified climate innovators will be showcased at COP28.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF Office of Innovation is recruiting two full-time interns to provide overall coordination and support to the Climate Change Innovation Portfolio. The specific responsibilities of each position will be determined by UNICEF based on the candidate’s interest and background, but may include:

• Conducting analytical research in one or more of the following climate innovation fields: innovation in waste management (e.g., payment services and blockchain solutions in e-waste); innovation in air pollution predictive analytics; innovative ways young people can influence climate policy agenda setting; energy credits (P-RECs).
• Supporting the portfolio review process. This process is designed to evaluate innovation solutions within the Climate Change portfolio to ensure alignment with current priorities.
• Analyzing performance of current innovation solutions and identifying new opportunities to scale innovation solutions.
• Monitoring engagement of UNICEF Country Offices with Climate innovation solutions.
• Supporting the process of scoping and scaling Climate solutions in the areas of air pollution and waste management.
• Support Portfolio Manager with organizing training webinars for UNICEF Country Offices
• Provide coordination support to the Portfolio Manager in the implementation of the Emerging Climate Innovators initiative by keeping track of selection process, drafting draft communication for the shortlisted innovators, drafting of intake forms and analysing submissions received
• Provide coordination support to organizing events in the lead up to COP28

Expected Deliverables

• Monthly report summarizing work and achievements
• Completion of research pieces, scope of works for joint partnerships, presentations for partners as requested
• Maintenance of portfolio data on UNICEF innovation portal
• Development of summary specifications on new innovative solutions
• Project evaluation summaries

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or Ph.D. degree programme or have graduated within the past two years, in the area that the internship will cover
• The candidate shall be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or Ph.D. degree programme, or have graduated within the past two years in at least one of the following areas or in a relevant field: • Environmental Science • Sustainability Studies • Innovation and/or Technology • International Relations (with major / minor /or course work in climate related discipline - desired) • Development Studies (with major / minor /or course work in climate related discipline - desired) • Peace and Conflict Studies (with major / minor /or course work in climate related discipline - desired)
• Be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
• Experience in conducting and presenting research findings in an easy to digest visual way
• Strong project coordination skills
• Experience in organizing events (considered an asset)
• Experience with data analysis (especially through the use of a specialist software)
• Experience with using Microsoft Office package (word, excel, power point, notes, teams)
• The candidate must have good interpersonal skills (liaising with people of many different nationalities) and organizations skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Proficiency in any other UN languages is considered an asset (French, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese).

Salary/Payment:

Interns will receive a stipend based on their location. USD 1,700 per month in the following offices: New York, Geneva, and Copenhagen; or​​​​​​​ 70% of the monthly salary of the General Service (GS) level 3 step 1 in all other duty stations.

Visa: Interns are responsible for obtaining their visas before traveling. UNICEF will only issue guidance and a Note Verbale to respective Consulates, to support the application of Visas.

Insurance: The selected candidate must provide proof of health/accident insurance plan that covers them in the country of the assignment and for the entire duration of the assignment. UNICEF will not be responsible for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during on or off UNICEF premises

Living and Working Conditions:

The internship is full-time (35 hrs). Working hours are flexible and set up in mutual discussion with the supervisor considering existing study/work commitments. Interns may take up to 2.5 days per month off work for any reason, including for medical reasons. The stipend will be reduced for any absence beyond this quota.

Expected starting date: June 2023.

Preferred duration: maximum of 6 months; (26 weeks). An internship may be terminated by either party, with a notice period of at least two weeks.

Deadline for applications: 28 May 2023 at midnight Sweden time. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are... (1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for supervisory role]

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to selected candidates who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.