PGG, Seoul, WFP Korea Office

 

 

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. We are currently seeking to fill a Government partnerships intern position in our WFP Korea Office, based in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

 

Brief description of WFP Seoul office, Government Partnership team:

 

WFP Seoul Office is located at the Seoul National University and the main work includes resource mobilization, advocacy and support of WFP field operations. WFP Seoul Office’s Government Partnerships team is responsible for raising resources from relevant ROK government counterparts, negotiate contributions and coordinate key policy decisions.

 

 

General Information

• Title of Post: Saemaul Zero Hunger Communities (SZHC) Project Research Intern – Government Partnerships
• Supervisor: Government Partnerships Officer
• Unit: PGG, WFP Korea Office
• Country:  Republic of Korea
• Duty Station: Seoul
• Duration of internship: 6 months
• Expected Start Date: 1 June 2020

 

Duties and responsibilities

 

Under the direct supervision of Government Partnerships Officer, the candidate will perform the following duties:

 

1.   Conduct general support of SZHC research-related tasks, as needed in the Government Partnerships team, including but not limited to drafting reports, discussion, etc.
2.   Review SZHC projects implemented in four countries and conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis for the preparation of review reports.

3. Conduct in-depth research of WFP activities for SZHC project to assist in developing programmatic framework.

4.   Draft and edit documents to improve readability as well as to ensure consistent language usage and proofread to detect and correct errors in spelling, grammar, syntax and layout. 
5.   Translate relevant documents from Korean to English or vice versa as necessary.
6.   Prepare and coordinate meetings with internal and external stakeholders and participate events according to office schedule.
7.   Proactively contribute to ideas for new strategies to maintain and enhance partnership with counterparts.
8.   Conduct other office-related tasks, including but not limited to document filing management, internal meeting minutes recording, etc.
9.   Perform other ad-hoc tasks as required.

 

Qualifications and experience

• Currently enrolled with at least two years undergraduate studies completed, or recently graduated (within the past twelve months) in one or more of the following disciplines: Political Science, International Relations, Saemaul Undong, International Development/Cooperation, Development Economics, Public Administration, Public Policy or other relevant fields;
• University course attendance in the past 12 months;
• Excellent command of English; Advanced ability to write formal letters and documents professionally in both Korean and English
• Working knowledge of a second UN language would be an asset
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook)
• Work experience or previous internship experience is a significant advantage.

 

Required soft skills/WFP Competencies:

• Ability to work in a team setting that has direct contact with multinational counterparts
• Ability to use computational statistical software tools, such as SPSS, R and SAS
• Ability to plan and organize work efficiently
• Resourcefulness, action-oriented, maturity, tact, advocacy skills

 

Working Languages

 

Working knowledge of English (proficiency/level C) and Korean (proficiency/level C) is required and native English speaker would be preferred.

 

Supervision (Level/Methods of Supervision)

 

Under the direct supervision of Government Partnerships Consultant, the incumbent will be provided with close mentoring, guidance and technical supervision. Performance planning and reviews as well as learning and development discussions will be elemental part of the supervision. Government Partnerships Officer will be the second-level supervisor. With the support of a comprehensive induction package and assignment of a buddy/mentor, the intern will rapidly become a productive member of the team.

 

Training components

 

Throughout their assignment WFP interns have access to an industry leading learning platform, weLearn. Depending on opportunities and availability of funds, he/she may participate in WFP workshops or seminars, as appropriate.

 

Learning Elements

 

At the end of the assignment, the Intern should:

• Understand WFP and UN system
• Understand the role of PGG WFP Korea Office in the whole WFP system
• Understand WFP’s work and activities in the humanitarian and development domain
• Learn how to develop and manage partnerships with government counterparts
• Learn practical skills in Government Partnerships and research such as coordinating high level visits and drafting note for records, official letters, and background papers for various meetings.

 

Information on the Country of Assignment

 

• Living conditions in Seoul, Republic of Korea

 

General Situation in ROK

 

The overall safety and security situation in the Republic of Korea (RoK) is calm and stable. The security level is assessed as Level – 1 (Minimal).

 

Armed Conflict: The overall situation is calm and stable. Armed conflict is thought unlikely.

 

Terrorism: No terrorist organizations, separatist or militant groups are known to operate in RoK.

 

Crime: Though still very low, over the last several years, there has been a gradual increase in the number of petty street crime in urban areas in RoK. The most common crimes against foreigners are street robberies, pick pocketing and bag snatching. Korea is a country with very restrictive gun control laws, making crimes involving firearms rare. Most reported crimes are predominately non-violent and opportunistic in nature.

 

Civil Unrest: Civil unrest in varying forms and severity are common in RoK. Historically the main geographic areas of the more serious instances have been in the political centre of the country – Seoul. Various international politics, local politics and union issues have surfaced resulting in sometimes-unruly gatherings. However, in recent years, there has been a decrease in violence associated with political demonstrations. In all cases, a prompt response by security forces has restricted these outbursts and localized them in their effect.

 

Hazards:

a. Natural Disasters: Every year, RoK suffers from various seasonal natural phenomena, which cause property damage and human loss. Major types of natural hazards in Korea are typhoon related heavy wind, rain and flooding. The RoK has only experienced very minor earthquakes with minimal or no damage in recent history.

b. Traffic Safety and Road Conditions: Road traffic accidents are common in RoK, although to date no serious incidents have occurred involving UN Personnel. Road travel is well regulated by local police and authorities and the road infrastructure is highly developed and well maintained.

c. Medical: South Korea has a very good emergency response capability. Medical facilities have qualified personnel and adequate equipment to deal with severe medical trauma in an accident or emergency.

(Source: United Nations Department of Safety & Security)

 

VA Reference no: 122251

 

Closing Date: 2 June 2020

 

Please note that the deadline is at 11:59 pm Rome time (GMT + 1)

 

 

Terms and Conditions:

• Interns receive a monthly stipend from WFP up to the maximum amount of US$1000 per month depending on the duty station of assignment.
• WFP is not responsible for living expenses, arrangements for accommodation, necessary visas and related costs.
• WFP will reimburse travel ticket for candidates who are nationals of developing countries and are pursuing their studies in their home country.
• WFP will recognize candidates’ educational credentials from recognised institutions that have been certified by competent international or national authorities such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or Ministries of Education.
• Candidates who bear any of the following relations to WFP staff members are not eligible to apply: sons, daughters, brothers or sisters.

 

 

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.  WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

 

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

 

Fighting Hunger Worldwide