Work Location

In-Person; Remote; Hybrid

Expected duration

3 to 6 months

Duties and Responsibilities

We seek motivated interns to support the work of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG). You will take up assignments with the Strategic Planning and Monitoring Unit (SPMU) to support the Secretary-General with strategic analysis, priority-setting, forward planning, and alignment of plans and resources. Our interns report to full-time professional staff and will be assigned to at least one SPMU workstream. SPMU leads and supports products across four key workstreams: 1) strategic coordination and senior decision-making, 2) UN 2.0 / data, digital, innovation, foresight and behavioural science capabilities in the UN System, 3) risk, fragility, and crisis management across the UN System, and 4) management and analytics support. Interns can work with us in-person, fully remote, or hybrid; part-time or full-time; and for up to six months. We encourage candidates who can ideally commit to a full-time schedule for a minimum duration of three months. In your application, you should indicate your period of availability and the workstream you are interested in. Our interns work as key members of our team, pursue projects that are designed to make a permanent difference, and have opportunities to learn about the work of the entire UN System. We offer internship opportunities in the following workstreams: WORKSTREAM 1: STRATEGIC COORDINATION AND DECISION-MAKING • Assist in the preparation of UN System-wide senior-level management meetings, conferences, and retreats. • Contribute to the creation of analytics, slide decks and background papers. • Support the tracking and analysis of decisions and their implementation. WORKSTREAM 2: UN 2.0 CAPABILITIES (Data, Digital, Innovation, Foresight, Behavioural Science) • Contribute to the planning, design, and implementation of the UN 2.0 Accelerator change management programme, including preparation of high-quality analysis, reviews, scorecards, and playbooks. • Support UN 2.0 community and campaign management, including UN System-wide events. • Assist in developing digital solutions and providing technical support for existing tools and platforms. WORKSTREAM 3: RISK, FRAGILITY, AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT • Monitor, identify, and analyze political, geographical, and thematic global trends. • Contribute to the coordination and development of the Secretary-General’s Global Risk Report. • Assist in analysis and planning activities related to UN Integration in fragile and crisis settings. WORKSTREAM 4: MANAGEMENT SUPPORT • Support analytics on UN system-wide / cross-cutting needs, priorities, resources, risks, and performance. • Support resource mobilization through donor research, contact management, and drafting meeting notes. • Assist in organizing meetings and events, handling logistical preparation and coordination. • Develop dashboards and visualizations for senior managers to support data-driven decision-making.

Qualifications/special skills

Applicants to the United Nations Internship Programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: 1) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent or higher such as Master's degree or equivalent, Ph.D. or post-graduate degree). 2) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent). Interested candidates can pursue studies in the following fields relevant to each workstream: WORKSTREAM 1: STRATEGIC COORDINATION AND DECISION-MAKING • Economics and Political Economy • Public Administration • International Relations • Political Science • Or related fields WORKSTREAM 2: UN 2.0 CAPABILITIES (Data, Digital, Innovation, Foresight, Behavioural Science) • Business • Organization, Management and Strategy • Technology, Business, Entrepreneurship • Analytics, Risk Management and Finance • Data Science • Digital Innovation • Foresight Studies • Behavioral Science • Communication Studies • Or related fields WORKSTREAM 3: RISK, FRAGILITY, AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT • Risk Management • International Development • Crisis and Emergency Management • Political Science • Geography • Security Studies • Or related fields WORKSTREAM 4: MANAGEMENT SUPPORT • Management Information Systems • Business Analytics • Public Administration • Economics • Finance • International Business • Or related fields All interested candidates must: • Be highly computer literate in standard software applications; • Have a keen interest in the work of the United Nations and a commitment to the ideals of the Charter; • 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. Most interns have prior internships or a year or two of full-time work experience; however, it's not formally required for the UN Internship Programme. Your training and education should benefit the UN during your internship. For Workstream 1: Desired qualifications include strong organizational and coordination skills, analytical thinking, excellent written and verbal communication, attention to detail, and the ability to work under pressure. For Workstream 2: Interest in emerging technologies, innovation, digital transformation; proficiency in data analysis; and familiarity with digital tools are desirable. For Workstream 3: Interest in global risk assessment, crisis response, and political/geographical analysis is important. For Workstream 4: Interest in system-wide analytics, resource mobilization, event coordination; and proficiency in data analytics, financial analysis, and budgeting are valued.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.

Executive Office of the Secretary-General

Intern - Strategic Coordination and Management Support