Mission Hubs Secretariat Intern

Background information - IPMG

UNOPS strategic focus places increased emphasis on national capacity development and sustainable approaches to project management, procurement and infrastructure services. A key objective is to be recognized as an organization that delivers world-class infrastructure and project management, which is both economically and socially sustainable, even in the most challenging environments. To achieve this goal, UNOPS has established the Infrastructure and Project Management Group (IPMG). 

Within UNOPS, it is IPMG’s objective to serve the organization’s personnel and partners by broadening their infrastructure and project management capabilities, while disseminating best practices in both of these areas. Through this work, the group helps facilitate the successful delivery of programs and projects around the world.

To achieve its objectives, IPMG has established six interrelated and interdependent technical streams, namely, Strategic Initiatives, Standards, Engagement Assurance, Gender Equality and Inclusion (GESI), Grant Support, and Transformation, that are supported by the Portfolio Support team.

The Strategic Initiatives (SI) team works to develop methodologies and tools to improve development outcomes as well as assist in the positioning of UNOPS at the highest levels in related fields, including various global agenda focus areas, such as resilience and sustainability.

In addition, SI hosts the Secretariat for UNOPS Mission Hubs. The Mission Hubs are thematic hubs, intended to drive cross-regional engagement, peer learning, and promote knowledge management at all levels in order to reinforce UNOPS capacity to implement the Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and contribute to the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Background information - Job specific

Under the overall management of the Head of Strategic Initiatives and direct supervision by the Knowledge Management Analyst in IPMG, the Mission Hubs Secretariat intern will be responsible for supporting administration, communications and knowledge management tasks. 

Depending on the profile of the selected candidate, they will also support research tasks aligned with the thematic areas of the Mission Hubs. Thematic areas include climate, energy, small island developing states (SIDS), healthcare, digital transformation, social protection and equality, and humanitarian development work. 

The successful candidate will have strong communication and stakeholder management skills. They must be client/service-oriented as well as structured, organized and detail-oriented. In addition, the incumbent is expected to demonstrate willingness and ability to learn all relevant online tools and systems that are used by the Mission Hubs and IPMG.

Functional responsibilities 

Overall support for a variety of tasks and work packages related to the achievement of the Mission Hub work plans:

1. Administrative support

   • Schedule meetings, including on behalf of the Secretariat and the Mission Hubs themselves

   • Take meeting minutes

   • Maintain Mission Hub membership lists and associated mailing lists

   • Collect and consolidate feedback for further action 

   • Ensure all Mission Hub files are saved appropriately in the correct system

2. Communications support

   • Support internal communications content planning

   • Draft internal communications content, including text and graphics, to target audiences ranging from Mission Hub members to all UNOPS personnel

   • Draft regular updates for target audiences, including the Mission Hub co-chairs (who are members of the UNOPS senior management team)

   • Support the development of external communications materials as relevant, including liaising with the Communications Group for proofreading, graphic design and translation services

3. Knowledge management support

   • Support the scheduling of knowledge sharing and training sessions as appropriate on behalf of the Mission Hubs

   • Support the development of knowledge sharing materials (ex. fact sheets, presentation decks) as requested by the Mission Hubs

   • Ensure content on knowledge sharing platforms are up-to-date by publishing updates using content management systems (CMS)

4. Research

   • Support the Mission Hubs by conducting research on topics within the thematic areas of the Mission Hubs as requested

Training and learning components

At the end of this internship, the successful candidate will have gained:

• Unique exposure to UNOPS strategic direction setting and senior management;

• Exposure to UNOPS service lines and project delivery across all regions, with an opportunity to dive deeper into UNOPS work in specific thematic areas;

• Exposure to the communications and knowledge management areas at the corporate level through collaboration with different units at UNOPS;

• Experience in stakeholder management (including at senior levels), effective internal communication to large audiences (6,000+), and strategic knowledge management to enable improved organizational efficiency;

• Exposure to an international work environment;

• Exposure to UNOPS Headquarters; and

• Career guidance from their supervisor as well as the UNOPS career development portal.

Please attach a cover letter explaining your motivation for this position and describing how relevant your experience is. Applications without a cover letter may be disregarded.

1. Academic qualifications 

• Completion of secondary school or equivalent is required.

• To be eligible for this particular internship with UNOPS, the candidate must be studying towards a university degree in a relevant discipline, or have graduated with a relevant university degree in the past three years.

2. Language Skills

• Fluency and proficiency in English is required. 

• Proficiency in French or Spanish is strongly desirable.

3. Computer Literacy

• Strong technical skills and experience working with Google Suite and desktop publishing software (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite) is an asset; 

• .Experience working with content management systems (CMS) is an asset.

4. Internship-related experiences

While no prior work experience is required, some experience in communications, digital marketing or research related to the thematic areas of the Mission Hubs is highly desirable.

5. Additional requirements

• Excellent communications skills, especially English writing skills and copy editing, is required;

• Experience with digital communications is an asset.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.