UNV Jobs - 39102- Intern, Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section

Intern, Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section

Advertised on behalf of

UNV

Location :

Bonn, GERMANY

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

26-Aug-2013

Application Deadline :

11-Aug-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

4 months

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

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UNV volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.

UNV engaged 7,545 UNV volunteers in 2009, on a total of 7,716 assignments. With an average age of 37 years and the requisite professional skills and qualifications of some 5 to 10 years relevant experience, UNV volunteers served in 128 countries in 2009 and came themselves from 158. The majority – 79 per cent – come from developing countries themselves. One third of UNV volunteers served in their own countries, with the others carrying out international assignments. The financial equivalent of programme activities exceeds US$219 million annually. In addition, as the focal point in the United Nations for the International Year of the Volunteers (IYV2001), UNV is active in the follow-up to the Year, for which the key objectives are the recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteerism.

UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 150 staff positions – with the majority in Bonn and some positions with different UN peacekeeping and political missions, and in other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo). The major organizational groups within UNV are:

The Office of the Executive Coordinator (OEC);
The Evaluation Unit (EU);
The Corporate Planning and Performance Unit (CPPU);
The Volunteer Programming and Management Group (VPMG) comprising the Peace Division (PD) and the Development Division (DD), Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS), Quality Assurance Unit (QAU), Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section (VKIS);
The Partnerships and Communications Division (PCD) comprising the Partnerships Section (PS) and the Communications Unit (CU);
The Management Services Division (MSD) comprising the Information and Communication Technology Section (ICTS), Finance Section (FS), Human Resources Section (HRS), and the Administration Unit (AU). Additionally the Common Services Unit (CSU) provides support to the UN presence in Bonn.

Organizational setting:

The Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS) forms part of the Volunteer Programme and Management Group (VPMG) and assumes functions in support of the recruitment of international UN Volunteers.

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Volunteers is the UN Organization that supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism, including the mobilization of volunteers. It is administered by the United Nations Development Programme.

Management of the database of candidates for international UN Volunteer assignments;
Assessment of candidates’ profiles and their suitability/motivation for assignments;
Identification of candidates against descriptions of assignment (DoAs) for submission to international UN Volunteer assignments; and
Outreach to build up the database of candidates in selected areas.

Duties and responsibilities:

In the latter part of 2013 coordination support is required for an intensive short-listing and interview phase which will be conducted to mobilize fully funded assignments on behalf of numerous donors. Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Chief, Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section and under the direct guidance of a Recruitment Associate Focal Point, the Intern is expected to perform the following tasks:

Support candidate assessment and interview processes:

Become familiar with MyProfile (UNV’s volunteer registration tool), descriptions of assignments and the UNV database for international UN Volunteers;
Support the Recruitment Clerks (RCs) with manual registrations as required;
Maintain spreadsheets containing candidate data relating to specific donors, assignments to be filled and candidates short-listed;
Liaise with short-listed candidates to confirm availability and interest for an interview;
Collate positive responses for interviews, (following-up on any missing responses), liaise with Recruitment Associates (RAs) and create interview schedule;
Assist with copying and/or scanning of documents as required;
Support the preparation of interview notes and communication with UNV field offices;
Up-date spreadsheets and provide feedback to candidates as determined by RAs.

Compile statistical information on selected profiles:

Support VRRS in conducting an evaluation of the recruitment exercise;
Define any observed trends in profiles and/or within the registration process;
Propose corrective action and improvements to simplify, enhance and streamline the recruitment process.

Support other VRRS activities

Support strategic outreach activities by researching information on professional areas in demand;
Collate existing materials and assist with the preparation of additional summaries and guidelines for the VRRS practice manual;
Support other activities as and when required.

Learning opportunities for the intern

General understanding of the service and mission of UN Volunteers;
Insight and hands-on experience in the work of the VRRS and the identification and assessment of international volunteers;
Become familiar with working in an International Organization and in a multicultural environment, in particular with UNV/UNDP and the UN Agencies in Bonn;
An effort will be made to match the various assignments with the intern's areas of interest and competency; participation in training activities will be encouraged.

Competencies

Solid experience of planning, organizing and prioritizing multiple tasks and making relevant information available on time to keep colleagues informed and able to meet deadlines;
Good interpersonal skills, ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from different nations and cultural backgrounds;
Clear verbal communication skills and the ability to listen carefully, interpret messages from others correctly, and to ask questions to clarify;
Demonstrated interest in volunteerism.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Completed first university degree (BA) ideally in human resources, business administration, psychology, social sciences, organizational development or other related degree;
Currently enrolled in a Master degree in one of the disciplines outlined above.

Experience:

Proficiency in MS-Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and exposure to databases an advantage;
Some previous work experience and/or training/certification within a HR context would be an advantage;
Prior volunteering experience would be well regarded.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English, ability to draft clearly and concisely and high level oral English language skills. Knowledge of an additional UN working language (French and/or Spanish) would be an asset.

General Terms and Conditions

UNDP Conditions of Service for interns http://www.undp.org/ohr/Interns/intern.htm apply for interns working at UNV Headquarters;
The Internship Programme operates on a non-remunerative basis. Costs and arrangements for travel, visa, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of the intern;
UNV accepts no responsibility for the intern's medical insurance or for costs arising from illness during the internship. Interns are required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage;
Further information about UNV can be found on http://www.unv.org/
Please upload CV and cover letter in English.