Political Affairs Intern: Leadership Support and Outreach

Contract

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

Work Location

Remote, or Hybrid (remote and in-person) in New York, USA

Expected duration

3 months. The desired start date is 4th March 2024, or sooner.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duration of the internship is for three (3) months and a maximum of six (6) months. The internship is UNPAID and full-time. It should be noted that full-time internship working hours are 35 hours per week. The internship will be undertaken either remotely outside the duty station or in a hybrid working arrangement at the UN Premise, New York, United States.

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 senior positions. Our purpose is to support the Secretary-General on the leadership agenda in the field and to empower values-driven leaders to fulfil their mandates in pursuit of bringing and sustaining peace, stability, and prosperity to and for the people they serve.

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

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

• Conduct online research to update the database of potential candidates for senior leadership positions, including creating new profiles and conducting due diligence checks using open sources. 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.

• Support outreach initiatives by assisting with the preparation of meeting documents (data reports and PowerPoint presentations), creating communications materials and content for social media outreach activities, including for the Global Call for Nominations for potential senior level candidates.

• Help organize outreach meetings and assist with researching women’s groups, contacts in regional and international organizations, and other entities as needed, including for the Global Call.

• Monitor and provide weekly reports 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.

• Provide support to other ongoing projects administered by the Section upon request, such as leadership support initiatives, strengthening of assessment processes, onboarding processes, and end-of-assignment processes.

Qualifications/special skills

The basic education required is a High School Diploma.

Applicants 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 degree or equivalent).

Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study that is closely related to the type of internship that you are applying for is required.

Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PH.D. Programme. Do you meet any of the above criteria? If yes, please indicate which one and attach proof to the application. Please note that you will have to provide an official certificate at a later stage.

Demonstrated interest in the work of the United Nations, most specifically in the peace and security field and a personal commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter is required.

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

Knowledge of managing data using excel, Power BI or other software (for example Salesforce or other CRM software) to collate and present data effectively is highly desired.

Knowledge of graphic/visual editing software (e.g. Canva) is desired.

Knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 is desired.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Additional Information

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Applicants who have previously served six months, in total, as an intern in one or more UN Common Systems cannot be engaged as an intern.

Applicants who are children, siblings, and sons or daughters-in-law (including stepchildren, half-siblings, or stepsiblings) of an active staff member in a UN Common System cannot be engaged as an intern.

In your Motivational Statement, please indicate when you would like to start your internship. Please note that the start and end dates are flexible. A complete online application is required.

reviewed. The Motivational Statement must also include:

• Title of degree you are currently pursuing. • Graduation Date (When will you be graduating/have graduated from the programme?) • Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship • Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme

In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three references.

Intern Specific text

Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not citizens or permanent residents of the country where the internship is undertaken, may be required to obtain the appropriate visa and work/employment authorization. Successful candidates should discuss their specific visa requirements before accepting the internship offer.

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.