Internship - Information Management, Geneva

• Organization: United Nations Secretariat
• Country: Switzerland
• City: Geneva, Switzerland
• Office: United Nations Secretariat in Geneva
• Grade: I-1
• Follow @UNjobs

 

Closing date: Sunday, 24 December 2017

Posting Title: Internship - Information management, I (Temporary Job Opening)
Job Code Title: INTERN - INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Department/ Office: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Duty Station: GENEVA
Posting Period: 26 October 2017-24 December 2017
Job Opening number: 17-DOC-OCHA-87862-J-GENEVA
Staffing Exercise ID: N/A
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
Applicants are encouraged to apply for internships which relate directly to their studies and/or skills and expertise. Applicants are asked to please indicate preferences which best match her/his suitability and do so carefully in order to enhance the value of the internship for both the intern and the receiving United Nations (UN) Secretariat department/ office.
A person who is the child or sibling of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply for an internship at the UN Secretariat. An applicant who bears to a staff member any other family relationship may be engaged as an intern, provided that he or she shall not be assigned to the same work unit of the staff member nor placed under the direct or indirect supervision of the staff member. For purposes of this advertisement, 'child' means (i) the child of a staff member; (ii) the child of the spouse of a staff member (e.g. stepchild); and (iii) the spouse of a child of a staff member or a staff member's spouse (e.g. son- or daughter-in-law). 'Sibling' includes the child of both or either parent of a staff member and the child.
In line with the UN Internship programme, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-(OCHA) internship provides a framework by which students from diverse academic backgrounds gain exposure to the work of the UN through assignment to offices within the Secretariat. The Programme endeavours to attract qualified students, offering them an opportunity to enrich their educational experience through exposure to the work of the Organization. Equally, it provides the Office with the assistance of students specialized in various professional fields. The internship is an unpaid and full-time opportunity and the intern must adhere to the established official weekly working hours of the duty station where it is based with one hour for a lunch break.
Qualified individuals may apply directly to this and other opportunities with the UN Secretariat at https://careers.un.org
For more information on the Programme, please visit https://www.unog.ch
Organizational Setting and Reporting
The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the UN Secretariat department responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. OCHA also ensures that there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.
Located within the Information Services Branch (ISB), the Field Information Services (FIS) section is responsible for strengthening the information management capacity of OCHA in both disaster preparedness and response. In particular, the principal roles of FIS are to: facilitate the effective strategic management of OCHA's field information domain, i.e. the range and volume of information that OCHA acquires, generates and disseminates; provide coordination and leadership in the application of information management in disaster preparedness and response, helping to assure that the information resources and information management expertise required by OCHA to function effectively in emergencies is available; and build sustainable partnerships in advance of disasters that directly contribute to the predictable exchange of information in emergencies.
This internship will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the intern will be under the general guidance and direct supervision of manager situated within the section of assignment. The internship is being offered for a minimum period of three (3) months, with a possibility of extension up to a maximum period of six (6) months, starting as soon as possible.
Responsibilities
In general, the intern will support OCHA in fulfilling its mission to coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions.
Daily responsibilities will depend on the individual's background and duties may include but are not limited to assisting with the design and preparation of studies on humanitarian technology and innovation; support building mobile applications; designing training materials; supporting various aspects of graphic design for info-graphics, UI/UX (user-interface/ user-experience) design and video editing; assisting in humanitarian data analysis and; performing other tasks requested by the supervisor.
Competencies

• CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks 'outside the box'; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.
• TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
• TEAMWORK: works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education
To qualify for an internship with the United Nations Internship Programme, applicants must meet one of the following requirements

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); or
• Have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one year period of graduation from an academic programme.

Applicants who are unable to commence the internship within one year of graduation shall not be accepted.
The University degree must be in the area of political science, social science, geography, business administration, information technology, information systems, mobile development or in a related field.
Work Experience
Applicants are not required to have professional working experience for participation in the Programme though any academic and/or practical experience in humanitarian affairs issues including humanitarian coordination, computer science, information management, information systems, or information architecture is desirable. Familiarity with data management (e.g. Excel) and/or content management tools (e.g. Drupal) would be an asset.
Applicants should be computer literate in standard software applications; have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations, a personal commitment to the ideals of the Charter and; have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.
Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
• For this internship fluency in English (both oral and written) is required.
• Knowledge of French or Arabic is desirable.
• Knowledge of another United Nations official language (Chinese, Russian Spanish) is an advantage.

Assessment
Candidates will be assessed based on their Personal History Profile (PHP). Individual interviews may be conducted by the Hiring Manager directly for further consideration. A complete online application (e.g. cover note and PHP) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The cover Note must include:

• Title of degree you are currently pursuing;
• Graduation date (when will you be graduating from the programme);
• IT skills and programmes in which you are proficient;
• Explanation why you are the best candidate for the internship position.

In your PHP, be sure to include all past work experience, if any; IT skills and three (3) references. Due to high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on 'The Application Process' and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on 'Manuals' hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS.