Main purpose of job:

The United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva represents the interests and policies of the UK at the UN. Its Humanitarian and Migration Team is recruiting a highly motivated and skilled Humanitarian Intern.

Working in the Mission’s Humanitarian and Migration Team, the Humanitarian Intern will work under the supervision and guidance of the Counsellor for Humanitarian and Migration. He/she will participate in the Mission’s multilateral work as an integral part of the UK Mission to the UN, supporting delivery of the UK’s objectives for UN Reform and the UK Government’s new humanitarian policy.

This internship is an opportunity to acquire insight into and front-line experience of the work of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. It will also provide the intern with a detailed picture of the humanitarian eco-system and the current debates and developments in humanitarian affairs (UN Reform, Grand Bargain, Humanitarian/Development/Peace nexus, etc.,).

What will you be expected to achieve?

You will support the team in managing effective relationships with a variety of Geneva-based agencies (UNHCR, UNOCHA, ICRC/IFRC, UNICEF, etc.), Non-Governmental Organisations and Permanent Missions. Your main duties and responsibilities will be to:

• Attend UN/ Red Cross/ NGO hosted meetings on a variety of humanitarian issues (appeals, country briefings, thematic workshops, etc.), take ownership of key relationships with at least one humanitarian institution in Geneva, and learn how to influence others in line with UK Government policy.
• Deliver key messages as a UK representative; produce write-ups and share them with the relevant teams, etc.
• Lead UK Mission efforts and engagement on one or two thematic humanitarian policy areas - for example food security / gender.
• Coordinate the logistics of humanitarian events/conferences hosted at the UK Mission. Plan meeting, send invitations, draft agenda, welcome participants, take notes and produce formal and informal write-ups.
• Coordinate logistics of humanitarian-related high-level visits to Geneva (in partnership with the Visits & Events Officer and Ambassador’s Executive Assistant). Schedule meetings with heads of agencies, draft the visit programme, liaise regularly with the relevant UK Private Office, register the UK delegation and official speakers to the event, issue UN accreditation requests, etc.
• Provide administrative support to the Humanitarian and Migration team on an ad hoc basis as required – including coordination of team meetings, booking meeting rooms, keeping a forward calendar up to date.

Essential on arrival:

• C1 Fluency in English with excellent writing and communication skills;
• Strong interest in humanitarian policy, multilateral policy, international relations or other relevant discipline;
• Ability to work autonomously and proactively in busy periods;
• Strong organisational skills, flexibility and ability to work in a fast moving environment;
• Windows environment computer literacy (Word, Outlook, etc.);
• Willingness to undergo a mandatory security check.

Desirable:

• Education: University degree in the field of Humanitarian Emergencies, International Development, International Relations, or other relevant field;
• Work Experience: Prior internship or work experience in a humanitarian organisation (UN, ICRC/IFRC, NGO), in particular in Geneva;
• Language Skills: Knowledge of French.

The UK Mission will offer the intern a monthly training allowance of 1,450 CHF. Please note that interns will need to arrange and pay for their own travel and accommodation, as well as any other living costs and are subject to Swiss taxes. This internship will be for a period of 11 months.

All applicants should have permission to live and work in Switzerland.

United Kingdom, European Union and EFTA nationals do not require visa sponsorship along with Nationals of: Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Principality of Andorra, Principality of Monaco, San Marino, Singapore and Vatican.

Where applicable, we encourage successful applicants (if from Europe or the UK) to obtain an Insurance Card (EHIC or GHIC) prior to entering Switzerland.

The Mission offers a contribution to the payment of travel insurance for the duration of internship, in place of Private Swiss Health Insurance that includes health & accident cover for all interns.

The final appointment and commencement of internship will be dependent upon successful security clearance.

Learning & Development:

The internship as a whole will be a learning and development opportunity for the successful candidate, giving them a chance to experience life in a busy multilateral mission and to delve deep into the political and technical issues involved in humanitarian and migration business. Continuous on-the-job training, guidance and feedback will be provided by the line manager and other team members. Internship objectives will be agreed between the intern and line manager at the start of the internship, with regular evaluations of progress.

In addition, the successful candidate will have an L&D allocation to be used toward training opportunities and to support their development needs in the role. The successful candidate will also be required to complete some mandatory online training. They will also have access to formal learning opportunities via the intranet, as well as other sources of training offered to the wider Mission.

As well as observing and reporting on debates and negotiations, shadowing experienced members of staff at meetings, and participating in the wider life of the Mission, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to establish relationships with members of the disarmament community in Geneva and to talk to visiting officials from London about their work.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”. We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

Please be advised that the UK Mission will not be able to support any cost during the Recruitment and Selection process, Security Check nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment levels please click on the following link CEFR . Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is going to be assessed.