Internal Communications Internship

Background

The Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) is responsible for positioning UNDP as the world’s leading global development network, promoting its global authority and thought leadership on sustainable development and the interconnected issues of poverty, inequality, and climate change. BERA leads and supports UNDP in building and nurturing strategic relationships and alliances essential to achieving its mission.

The Advocacy, Marketing and Communications Group (AMCG) in BERA leads on strategic communications for UNDP, covering digital communications, brand and marketing, campaigns and advocacy, media strategy and outreach, Internal Communications and innovative and digital partnerships. The group works to:

• position UNDP with a wide variety of audiences through multiple channels using creative and innovative content.
• support and guide Country Offices, through regional communications presence, to produce compelling and relevant content for their audiences.
• lead on UNDP’s corporate External Engagement Plan focused on engagement and positioning of UNDP in global debates through compelling products and messaging.

The Internal Communications function within AMCG supports continuous improvement in UNDP’s Internal Communications tools, channels and practices and provides guidance and support to internal campaigns and initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the Internal Communications Specialist, the Internal Communications Intern will provide support to a wide range of internal campaigns and activations. The intern will help promote the use of best practices across the organization. The intern will also help to prepare and manage content for UNDP’s intranet homepage and monthly newsletter. This will involve writing and editing, as well as working with content contributors to provide training, promote best practices and ensure the quality of submissions. By supporting campaigns across the organization, the intern will gain broad exposure to the work of UNDP and to the responsibilities of an Internal Communications practitioner in the UN system.

The interested candidate will:

• Support the development and publishing of internal news stories by liaising with content contributors and providing training, editing and quality control, where needed;
• Edit and/or create assets for a wide range of communications products;
• Champion and model best practices in Internal Communications;
• Provide input and support in the development of Internal Communications campaigns;
• Support strategic Internal Communications planning.

Competencies

Core competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent English-language writing, editing and communication skills: able to communicate clearly and concisely and to translate complex topics into simple language for a general audience;
• Proficiency with standard office applications; proficiency with content management systems, SharePoint or design software would all be assets.
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills: able to listen and collaborate with a wide range of colleagues; able to work independently, be proactive and take initiative;

• Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications :
Bachelor’s degree in a field related to communications, knowledge management, journalism, design, behaviour change or public relations. Qualifications or training in Internal Communications would be a distinct advantage.

Education: Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

(a) Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);

(b) Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent);

(c) Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

• Demonstrated experience and skill in writing and editing in English;
• Experience in Internal Communications would be a distinct advantage.
• Experience and skill in one or more of the following areas would be an advantage: storytelling, training, graphic design, event planning, creating learning objects, social media campaigns, photography, videography and behaviour change campaigns.

Languages:

• Fluent in written and spoken English;
• Knowledge of French or Spanish an asset

Availability:

Must be available to work primarily during NY Eastern standard time zone working hours (though the precise work hours are negotiable)

Application procedure:

The application should contain:

Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;

Current and complete CV in English, with link to the candidate’s digital portfolio, if available;

Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Upon evaluation/review of the candidates, the candidate who is selected must submit the following documents:

Letter from his/her university confirming current enrollment and graduation date;

Letter of recommendation from a professor;

Copy of his/her most recent school transcript;

Copy of passport;

Completed UNDP internship application form;

Signed UNDP Internship Agreement;

Medical Certificate of Good Health;

Proof of medical insurance and life insurance.

Conditions:

UNDP will not pay for the internship but will provide a monthly stipend in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP Internship policy. All other expenses connected with it will be borne by the intern or sponsoring Government or institution;

Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend;

Except for the stipend, all other expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring government or institutions;

Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship with UNDP and must provide a medical certificate of good health prior to starting the internship;

There is no expectation of employment following the internship;

The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed (if required)