UNDP Jobs - 73963- Country Office Support Intern

Country Office Support Intern

Location :

Istanbul, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

22-Aug-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated September – December 2017

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS (RBEC), established in 1992, supports and oversees the work of UNDP in 24 countries and territories of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. RBEC includes 17 Country Offices, 1 territory and 3 project management offices.

UNDP’s Regional Hub for Europe and the CIS is UNDP`s advisory hub for the Europe and CIS region tasked with the responsibility to provide policy and programmatic support to UNDP´s development activities in the region. Throughout UNDP´s focus areas, it works towards increasing the impact of UNDP´s activities in the region by assisting Country Offices in development of country-level initiatives and by implementing regional-level projects in partnership with a wide range of partners supported to a global network of expertise.

RBEC consists of 17 Country Offices (COs), an Office in Kosovo (as per UNSCR 1244), 3 Project Management Offices, a Headquarters in New York and a Regional Hub in Istanbul. The functions include regional strategy setting, supporting, servicing, and overseeing CO work, as well as managing regional and global programmes.

Country Office Support Team (COST) is part of the RBEC working closely with the RBEC senior management to support and monitor the sustainability and overall performance of the COs in the Region. As part of the COST team, the intern will be based in the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Team Leader, Country Office Support Team, UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, and in close collaboration with the Country Programme Specialists/Desk Officers, Country Office Support Intern will conduct desk research, and support activities of the Country Office Support Team.

The intern will undertake the following tasks:

Political and Economic support: Screen political and economic updates in the RBEC region and assist with the preparation of weekly COST Updates;
Research Analysis: Conduct on-demand thematic research and analysis, prepare background documents and presentations, produce diverse analytical synopses on diverse development topics of COST’s interest (e.g. SDGs, donor mapping, development landscape screening etc); Develop infographics, charts, illustrative maps, diagrams, and graphics; Compile best practices, lessons learnt, experiences and stories on key thematic development areas and work of COs; Develop communication material (reports, information sheets, etc.) and support COST in supporting COs for internal and external outreach efforts
Technical support: Provide technical support to meetings, seminars, workshops, conferences etc. organized by COST; Take notes and draft minutes of meetings; Assist COST in any additional tasks as needed

Timeframe: The intern is expected to work with the COST in the period of September – December 2017. The duration of the assignment can be extended to a maximum total duration of 6 months, as per the availability and interest of both parties.

Competencies

Interns are selected on a competitive basis, provided that the following conditions are met:

Computer literacy in standard software applications;
Excellent writing and editing skills;
Excellent research skills;
Strong analytical abilities;
Very good social media skills;
Strong interest in international development in Europe and the CIS;
Ability to work in team, openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application 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); or c) have graduated with a university degree in in fields such as international relations, public administration, business administration, public policy, international development or other relevant field;

Experience:

Experience with graphic design software tools, most specifically Adobe Suite (In design, Illustrator and Photoshop) and MS Office (Publisher, PowerPoint, Visio) is a strong asset.

Languages:

Proficiency in English, with excellent writing, research and analytical skills is a must;
Knowledge of Russian would be an advantage

Financial aspects
Internships within the UN system are unpaid and subject to conditions the applicant must get familiar with prior to signing his/her internship agreement.

The costs associated with the internship must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her own arrangements for travel, accommodation etc.

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;

One relevant writing sample (maximum 1500 words) on a topic related to development cooperation, preferably focused on the Europe and CIS region.

Please group all your documents (cover letter CV and writing sample) into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Candidates who are selected must submit following documents:

Official letter from the University confirming enrolment in a graduate-level degree programme or graduation certificate from a relevant post-graduate degree (not older than 1 year at the time when the successful candidate is expected to commence the internship);
Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out. Selected intern must have medical and life insurance.

UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.
UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.
Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
It is important to note that interns are responsible to arrange for their own visa and residence documents, and need to plan for these well in advance.

Subsequent Employment:
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.
More information available at: http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/rbec/en/home/about_us/jobs/internships.html