Intern (U.S Strategic Communications and Outreach Unit)

Terms of Reference
US Strategic Communications and Outreach Unit
UNHCR Washington DC

Title: Intern (U.S Strategic Communications and Outreach Unit)
Duty Station: Washington D.C., USA
Duration:2-4 months
Contract type: Internship
Closing date for application: 30 April 2021 (Midnight Geneva time)

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship within the U.S Strategic Communications and Outreach Unit at UNHCR Washington D.C in USA.

Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions.


Accountability (key results that will be achieved)
¿ Gain unique knowledge about UNHCR¿s global role, capabilities, programs, and impact,
and the role of communications and outreach in achieving UNHCR¿s mandate.
¿ Support staff with outreach, including media relations, digital media, multi-media
projects, events, exhibits and campaigns to ensure public support for refugees and
UNHCR.

Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)
¿ Assist in the production of multimedia projects, graphic design, digital media;
¿ Assist in the management of multimedia content;
¿ Assist with monitoring media coverage of UNHCR¿s work, refugees, asylum seekers,
and humanitarian assistance;
¿ Research and respond to information requests from the general public;
¿ Attend relevant external events and prepare summaries of content;
¿ Undertake other projects as needed to further assist the U.S. Strategic Communications
and Outreach team¿s work.

Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results)
¿ Work closely with the U.S. Strategic Communications and Outreach team and other
colleagues to ensure that projects are completed on time and inquiries are responded to
in a timely manner;
¿ Effectively manage time and priorities to meet all of the above responsibilities; and
¿ Identify special projects and goals to work toward over the course of the internship.
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== Organizational Context

The U.S. Strategic Communications and Outreach Unit in UNHCR Washington Office provides information on global refugee
crises and UNHCR¿s role protecting and assisting refugees to U.S. and Caribbean media outlets
and engages U.S. audiences through strategic partnerships, digital outreach, campaigns,
exhibits and events.

The position.
We are looking for a team-spirited and dynamic creative thinker, interested in research who is data proficient and can organise and present macro level information in interesting and user-friendly visuals and formats. Specific terms of reference are given below. 
The intern will work under the supervision of the Head of Unit as well as the Snr Communications/PI Assistant who will on a regular basis discuss various issues and assign tasks. Further modalities for supervision and support will be discussed with the final candidate.

What the intern will learn (Accountability):
¿ Gain unique knowledge about UNHCR¿s global role, capabilities, programs, and impact,
and the role of communications and outreach in achieving UNHCR¿s mandate.
¿ Support staff with outreach, including media relations, digital media, multi-media
projects, events, exhibits and campaigns to ensure public support for refugees and
UNHCR.

Duties and responsibility
¿ Assist in the production of multimedia projects, graphic design, digital media;
¿ Assist in the management of multimedia content;
¿ Assist with monitoring media coverage of UNHCR¿s work, refugees, asylum seekers,
and humanitarian assistance;
¿ Research and respond to information requests from the general public;
¿ Attend relevant external events and prepare summaries of content;
¿ Undertake other projects as needed to further assist the U.S. Strategic Communications
and Outreach team¿s work.

Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results)
¿ Work closely with the U.S. Strategic Communications and Outreach team and other
colleagues to ensure that projects are completed on time and inquiries are responded to
in a timely manner;
¿ Effectively manage time and priorities to meet all of the above responsibilities; and
¿ Identify special projects and goals to work toward over the course of the internship.

Minimum qualifications required
In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within one year of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by UNESCO ; and
Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR.

NOTE: An individual whose father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible for an internship.

Desirable qualifications and skills
The ideal candidate will hold/have:
¿ Bachelor's or Master's degree  Political Science, International Affairs, International Development, Communications or other relevant field;
¿ Proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite is required. Working knowledge in Premiere
Pro and/or After Effects is strongly desired. Knowledge of InDesign and Photoshop is
a plus;
¿ Possess an understanding of journalism, media relations and communications;
¿ Demonstrated commitment or strong interest in international relations, refugee issues,
and humanitarian response;
¿ Superior command of the English language with excellent written and oral
communication skills;

Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be either home-based or with the team in Washington DC, USA. The location will be determined prior to the start of the internship, and is dependent upon the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in both the applicant¿s home country and at the duty station.

Allowance: Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive an allowance to partially help to cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses.
        .
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training.

We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background. Please note that the closing date for this internship advertisement is Friday 30 April 2021 (midnight Geneva Time).