Communications and Social Media Intern

WFP Canada Office in Ottawa

The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

We are currently seeking to fill a Communications and Social Media intern position, initially working remotely, but available to work in the downtown Ottawa Office when open.

An internship at WFP is a great opportunity to acquire practical work experience while contributing to the goal of reaching Zero Hunger. Interns at WFP Canada gain profound insight into highly relevant political processes in the UN and in government entities. The assignment allows gaining a deep understanding of how humanitarian assistance in emergency contexts is implemented and how it is interconnected with long-term development cooperation. As WFP is solely financed through voluntary contributions and Canada is currently one of the largest government donors, the work of the WFP Canada office is critical for the organisation. An internship provides the opportunity to shape public opinion as well as influence policy makers, supporters and donors in Canada to sustain funding for humanitarian assistance as well as for longer-term development activities.

General Information

• ****Title of Post:** Communications and Social Media Intern**
• ****Supervisor:** Communications Officer**
• ****Unit:** CAM**
• Country: Canada
• Duty Station: Ottawa
• Duration of internship: 6 months
• Expected Start Date: May 2021

****Duties and responsibilities****

Under the direct supervision of the Communications Officer, the candidate will perform the following duties:

• Daily press and media monitoring
• Manage social media accounts in both French and English, translate, publish, edit and create content to share over social media channels and monitor statistics
• Support the organization of WFP events
• Assist in drafting statements, op-eds, press releases, reports, magazine and newspaper articles for publication
• Support donor visibility efforts
• Work on brand building campaigns for the Canadian market
• Translate documents from French to English and vice versa
• Manage a contact list of journalists and media outlets and ensure a regular flow of news/information about WFP’s work is distributed to the media
• Perform other related duties as required

Qualifications and experience

• Currently enrolled, with coursework completed, or recently graduated (within the past two years) from a master’s degree in a relevant field; for example; Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, International Development or other fields related to the mandate of WFP
• Excellent command of both French and English
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook)

Required soft skills/WFP Competencies:

• Ability to produce high-quality written materials, write clearly and concisely and work within tight deadlines;
• Experience in the fields of social media management, image processing such as Canva, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, content management systems and writing for the web would be an asset;
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in French and English are required;
• Understanding of Canadian values and bilingualism.

Working Languages

Working knowledge of English and French (proficiency/level C) is required.

Supervision (Level/Methods of Supervision)

Under the direct supervision of the Communications Officer, the incumbent will be provided with close mentoring, guidance and technical supervision. Performance planning and reviews as well as learning and development discussions will be a part of the supervision. The Director will provide second-level supervision. With the support of a comprehensive induction package and assignment of a buddy/mentor, the intern will rapidly become a productive member of the team.

Training components

Throughout their assignment WFP interns have access to an industry leading learning platform, WeLearn, including language learning. Depending on opportunities and availability of funds, he/she may participate in WFP workshops or seminars, as appropriate.

Learning Elements

At the end of the assignment, the Intern should:

• Have a greater understanding of the World Food Programme’s work and its role within the wider humanitarian system;
• Experience of the use of social media in brand building;
• Understand how to contextualize communications materials for Canada, considering Canadian bilingualism and values;

Other relevant information

Due to COVID-19; the chosen candidate will be required to work remotely from home until the WFP Canada office is opened. The successful candidate will be provided with the necessary support and onboarding material remotely. Once the WFP Canada office is opened, the candidate will be required to work from the office in Ottawa, Ontario. The office will fully adhere to all Public Health Safety recommendations.

VA Reference no: 141849

Closing Date: 4 May 2021

Terms and Conditions:

• Interns receive a monthly stipend from WFP up to the maximum amount of US$1000 per month
• WFP will recognize candidates’ educational credentials from recognized institutions that have been certified by competent international or national authorities such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or Ministries of Education.
• Candidates who bear any of the following relations to WFP staff members are not eligible to apply: sons, daughters, brothers or sisters.

Female and Indigenous applicants are especially encouraged to apply. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.