Strategic Coordination and Management Support Intern (Start ASAP)

Your role

Duties and responsibilities:

They 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, planning, and alignment of plans and resources. Their 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:

• Strategic coordination and senior decision-making.
• UN 2.0 / data, digital, innovation, foresight, and behavioural science capabilities in the UN System.
• Risk, fragility, and crisis management across the UN System, and Management and analytics support. 
• Interns can work with them in-person, fully remote, or hybrid; part-time or full-time; and for up to six months. They 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. 
• Their interns work as key members of their team, pursue projects that are designed to make a permanent difference, and have opportunities to learn about the work of the entire UN System.  

They offer internship opportunities in the following work streams: 

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 program, 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.

About you

Qualifications/Special Skills:

Applicants to the United Nations Internship Programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school program (second university degree or equivalent or higher such as Master's degree or equivalent, Ph.D. or post-graduate degree). 
• Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree program (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  

Languages:

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

Intern Specific text:

The United Nations does not financially remunerate interns. 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.

Benefits

This internship is unpaid in person and full-time.

If you join as a full-time employee, you will get the following benefits:

• Holidays and leave
• Health insurance
• Retirement pension
• Tax exemption
• Allowances

Training & development

The United Nations internship program offers comprehensive training opportunities to aspiring professionals. With a focus on cultivating skills and knowledge across various fields, interns gain valuable hands-on experience and exposure to the organization's work. Through mentorship, workshops, and practical assignments, the program equips interns with the necessary tools to thrive in their careers and contribute to the UN's global mission.

Career progression

At the United Nations, interns gain practical experience by engaging in meaningful work across various fields and contributing to the UN's mission of promoting peace, sustainable development, and human rights. With a strong focus on mentorship and professional development, the program equips interns with the skills and knowledge necessary for future career advancement within the organization and other organizations.

Sources

The following sources were used in researching this page:

• careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx
• youtube.com/unitednations
• careers.un.org/payandbenefits