Innovation Mainstreaming Project Internship, Office of Innovation

What could be a better way to spend your summer than trying to help streamline lifesaving innovations into UNICEF - one of the world's largest organizations serving children. You will support the team in crafting the guidance and the plan to roll it out.

Innovation Mainstreaming Project intern

Duration: 3 months – June – August (dates tbc)

Duty Station: NYHQ 

BACKGROUND

UNICEF needs to be agile and adapt to the evolving challenges affecting all children — from disease outbreaks, to the global refugee crisis, to millions of out-of-school children. One thing that is consistent: the speed at which these problems disrupt the lives of children worldwide is only getting faster. To address these problems, UNICEF works with a network of global problem solvers who can find new ways to accelerate results that reduce inequities for children.

Through our network of technology companies, UNICEF Country Offices and academic institutions, we construct pilots to quickly determine if projects should be continued or not. The Office of Innovation provides support to innovation leads in Country Offices and consists of a flat team of technologists, designers, programmers, researchers and communication specialists, working to pilot and scale new solutions for UNICEF.

The UNICEF Ventures team explores and invests in early stage solutions that show great potential to positively impact children in the 0-2 year future. We also have a small venture fund – the UNICEF Innovation Fund – which provides resources to quickly assess, fund and scale companies, teams, and ideas that have been developed in new and emerging markets. The Innovation Fund supports the generation of open source, public goods that address the most pressing challenges facing children.

More info also at: www.unicefstories.org or www.unicef.org/innovation

PURPOSE OF THE INTERNSHIP / MAIN ACTIVITIES

What could be a better way to spend your summer than trying to help streamline lifesaving innovations into UNICEF - one of the world's largest organizations serving children. You will support the team in crafting the guidance and the plan to roll it out.

As a UNICEF Innovation RapidPro Scale-Up team member you will:

• Get to work on a specific project of strategic value to the team. You'll get to present your ideas and outputs to the team at the end of the summer.
• Receive dedicated mentorship from a member of multidisciplinary team related to your project and your career and development plans
• Be part of a dedicated induction programme to UNICEF and UNICEF Innovation
• Visit 2-3 external partners based in New York City that are active in the space of technology and innovation
• Have a fun and inspiring internship experience

PURPOSE of the assignment

Main tasks:

• Maintain a precise plan of action that will guide and drive people across UNICEF on understanding and implementing innovations ready to go to scale.  
• Draft and edit in order to keep up to date communications around the scale up project and plan including talking points for internal audiences, blog and draft messages for social media (and external audiences) and provide regular updates for the innovation team on key developments.
• Create a standard presentation on the scale up project that is accessible and easily maintained so that the Innovation team can understand and explain the process.  As important, so that the team can learn from the process for other scale projects.
• Support on Office of Innovation Annual report – drafting and editing inputs.

CONDITIONS

• Interns must fund themselves for their travel to the duty station, their accommodation and living expenses at the duty station during the internship.
• A pilot stipend might be considered on a monthly basis.
• UNICEF accepts no responsibility for the medical insurance of the intern or costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during the internship. Interns have to demonstrate a proof of medical insurance prior to the beginning of the internship and covering the full internship period.
• Interns are personally responsible for obtaining necessary visa covering the entire period of their internship.
• Interns are expected to provide their own laptop.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

• Currently enrolled in a graduate (Master's) or undergraduate (Bachelor's) degree in the area of communications, international development, business administration, or related field.
• Completed at least two years of full-time studies of the undergraduate degree.
• Excellent academic performance, as demonstrated by academic records.
• Demonstrated interest in innovation and technology for development.
• Some prior knowledge or experience with UNICEF's mission an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset

Applications must include

• Cover letter

• CV