Internship in Information Management, United Nations (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
Org. Setting and Reporting
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the UN Secretariat department responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. OCHA also ensures that there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.
This job opening announcement broadcasts three internship opportunities within the Information Management Branch (IMB) in Geneva. The work will be done through direct support to the Global Information Management Functional Team (GIFT).
The GIFT is a mechanism that brings together expertise from across OCHA, with the aim of improving functional excellence in information management and analysis. It defines priorities for the function, develops policies and guidance, collects best practices, builds capacity, communicates organizational direction and ensures joint accountability for the performance of information management work at HQ and the field.
This internship will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the intern will be under the general guidance and direct supervision of OCHA-Geneva supervisor. The internship is being offered for a minimum period of three (3) months, with a possibility of extension up to a maximum period of six (6) months, beginning at a mutually agreed time.
Responsibilities
This internship will directly support efforts towards evidence-based and contextualized situational awareness that informs decisions on humanitarian action. These efforts also seek to ensure that OCHA and the humanitarian system benefit from streamlined data and analysis to inform a rapid, effective and principled response.
The intern will support a multi-disciplinary GIFT team in:
1)Creating a structured organizational approach to Situational Awareness. This work will define the role situational awareness plays for OCHA, given its coordination mandate in a changing humanitarian landscape, identify good field practices from within and outside of the organization, establish suggested best practices, and elaborate options for OCHA to operationalize them.
For this group, the intern will benefit from an academic focus on Political Science / International Affairs / History / Anthropology / Sociology majors with strong analytical / research / editing skills.
2)Set out an organizational vision for information management, assessments, and analysis in support of enhanced situational awareness. This work should outline what role information management, assessments, and analysis should play in support of enhanced situational awareness, given OCHA’s coordination mandate in a changing humanitarian landscape. The work will involve the identification of good field practices from within and outside of the organization, establish suggested best practices, and elaborate options for OCHA to operationalize them.
For this group, the intern will benefit from an academic focus on Information Management or similar majors with strong technical understanding. The ability to see the added value of information management to a humanitarian operation when coupled with analysis is of importance here.
3)Supporting the role of a Governance model in various disciplines of platform management within the OCHA framework. This work will strengthen the follow-up and design mechanism of various work related to Digital governance. The responsibility covers to communicate with best field practices, collect the existing data structure, work closely with Product managers, learn from previous setup of guidelines and provide prompt support in documenting each stage of the processes.
For this group, the intern will benefit from an academic focus on Information Management or similar majors with strong technical understanding. The ability to see the added value of digitalization and the use of web platforms to a humanitarian operation is of importance here.
For this team, research, coordination, and drafting will be important aspects of the work as will be the design of training materials for each area.Competencies
CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.
TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
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, applicants must meet one of the following requirements:
– Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or
– Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s level or equivalent);
Interested candidates must be pursuing or pursued their degree in areas related to this Job Opening (pls. indicate here the field of education required for this internship).
In addition, interested candidates must:
• Be computer literate in standard software applications including MS Suite (Word, Excel, Power Point);
• Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter; and,
• 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
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. Please explain below how your experience meets this criterion using examples.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this internship fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian Spanish) is an advantage.
Assessment
Candidates will be assessed based on their Personal History Profile (PHP). Individual interviews may be conducted by the Hiring Manager directly for further consideration. A complete online application (e.g. cover note and PHP) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The cover Note must include:
-Title of degree you are currently pursuing;
-Graduation date (when will you be graduating from the programme);
-Software in which you are proficient;
-Explanation why you are the best candidate for the internship position.
In your PHP, be sure to include all past work experience, if any; IT skills and three (3) references. Due to high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.Special Notice
Applicants are encouraged to apply for internships which relate directly to their studies and/or skills and expertise. Applicants are asked to please indicate preferences which best match her/his suitability and do so carefully to enhance the value of the internship for both the intern and the receiving United Nations (UN) Secretariat department/ office.
A person who is the child or sibling of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply for an internship at the UN Secretariat. An applicant who bears to a staff member any other family relationship may be engaged as an intern, provided that he or she shall not be assigned to the same work unit of the staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of the staff member. For purposes of this advertisement, “child” means (i) the child of a staff member; (ii) the child of the spouse of a staff member (e.g. stepchild); and (iii) the spouse of a child of a staff member or a staff member’s spouse (e.g. son- or daughter-in-law). “Sibling” includes the child of both or either parent of a staff member and the child.
In line with the UN Internship programme, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-(OCHA) internship provides a framework by which students from diverse academic backgrounds gain exposure to the work of the UN through assignment to offices within the Secretariat. The Programme endeavours to attract qualified students, offering them an opportunity to enrich their educational experience through exposure to the work of the Organization. Equally, it provides the Office with the assistance of students specialized in various professional fields. The internship is an unpaid and full-time opportunity and the intern must adhere to the established official weekly working hours of the duty station where it is based with one hour for a lunch break.
Qualified individuals may apply directly to this and other opportunities with the UN Secretariat at https://careers.un.org
For more information on the Programme, please visit https://www.unog.ch
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.
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.
Full information on careers.un.org