Background

UNDP works globally with preventing poverty, the Post-2015 agenda, responsible governance, crisis prevention and recovery, climate, and access to energy. UNDP’s Nordic Representation Office (NRO) is located at the UN City in Copenhagen. Aside from Denmark, the office covers Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, and together we work to promote knowledge of UNDP’s work in these central donor countries. The key tasks for the NRO are to manage UNDP’s interests and to communicate the organization’s key results and focus areas. 

UNDP’s cooperation with the private sector is a significant component of NRO’s work. The Private Sector/SDG Accelerator Team consists of a few employees and one intern in Copenhagen, and an additional three employees working out of Sweden, Norway, and Finland respectively. The team works strategically to build up partnerships with companies, financial institutions, business networks, and other actors who want to work towards reaching UNDP’s goals and the SDGs. In January 2018, the office launched the SDG Accelerator for SMEs, a program aimed at accelerating business solutions addressing the SDGs.  

The program was piloted in Denmark in 2018 and 2019 with 32 Danish companies. Although the pilot was officially finalized in early 2020, the team is now heavily involved in the global rollout of the program together with other UNDP colleagues. UNDP country offices and other actors around the world have shown great interest in the SDG Accelerator for SMEs and several are already in the process of implementation. Some of the Private Sector Team’s work now consists of supporting and supervising these processes. Furthermore, the team has launched sector-specific Accelerators and partnerships with external Accelerators where UNDP provides support on Impact Measurement and Management and other UNDP-relevant aspects of business acceleration. Fundraising and project development are also part of the activities carried out by the SDG Accelerator team.  

Duties and Responsibilities

We are looking for an intern who can contribute to the office’s daily work. Since we are a small office with a broad mandate, the intern must be comfortable taking on a variety of assignments and not be reluctant to take on new tasks. Typical tasks may include the following: 

Communications: 

  • Support development of materials for presentations, incl. Powerpoints and talking points, planning and media outreach? 
  • Communication outreach, incl. for social media, website, press, and more  
  • Draft and translate letters, presentations, concept notes, and other texts 

Research: 

  • Research on potential partners, markets, and funding opportunities 
  • Review external thoughware and research material relevant for the department 
  • Conduct analysis and research relevant for projects and engagements 

Project support:  

  • Support the coordination and handling of private sector partnerships and engagements 
  • Support implementation of IMM advisory to external partners 
  • Support the global rollout of the SDG Accelerator program and related fundraising activities 
  • Support the implementation of sector-specific Accelerators 
  • Support development of new engagement opportunities 

Other support 

  • Prepare meetings, manage calendar invites and take minutes  
  • Participate in relevant public hearings, debates, events, and workshops as needed 
  • Support the planning and execution of events 
  • Various ad hoc tasks 

Competencies

  • Strong interest in sustainable development and preferably experience with the private sector’s role in this agenda 
  • Excellent communications skills in English and a Scandinavian language (Danish, Norwegian or Swedish). Preference will be given to candidates who have worked actively with targeted communication activities. 
  • Knowledge of and experience with drafting articles and posts for web and social 
  • Knowledge of and experience with communication outreach  
  • Understanding of content management of websites (CMS) and ability to maintain websites 
  • Event planning and execution 
  • Strong interest in, and knowledge of, global development and the work of international organizations. 
  • Knowledge of global value chains and business role in these is an advantage 
  • Knowledge of the financial sector, fintech, and digitalization is an advantage 
  • Team player; works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. 
  • Good organizational and time management skills. 
  • Ability to work independently but closely in teams when needed 
  • Knowledge of the UN/UNDP and commitment to UN mission and UNDP mandate is an advantage. 

Required Skills and Experience

Languages: 

  • Fluency in spoken and written English and Danish is required. 

Eligibility: 

Applicants to the UNDP internship program must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: 

  • Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree program (such as a master’s program, or higher); 
  • Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree program (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent); 
  • Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one year of graduation; 
  • Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program. 

 

Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all documents in one file): 

  • Updated CV as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references. 
  • Motivation letter

 

General Conditions

  1. In accordance with the UNDP Internship policy, UNDP interns are eligible to receive a monthly stipend, with a rate that varies depending on the duty location. The stipend will be paid monthly, and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly. 
  2. 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. 
  3. Except for the stipend, all other expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring government or institutions. 
  4. Interns are not considered staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity. 
  5. The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP, but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship