Internship : Communication and Events (UNRWA)

UNRWA is the largest United Nations agency operating in the Middle East and provides education, health, social services, and humanitarian aid to some 5 million Palestine refugees living in West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The Representative Office to the EU is working closely with the different EU institutions (the EU Council, the European Parliament, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Commission services of NEAR, DEVCO and ECHO), as well as the different EU member states to advocate for the support of the human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestine refugees.

They are currently seeking to recruit a full-time motivated Communication and Event Intern to join our dynamic and well tuned Brussels Team for a challenging but exciting 6 month voluntary (unpaid) internship. The successful candidate will work under the overall direction of the Director and under the direct supervision of the Communication and Event Officer, Liaison Officer and in close cooperation with the Administrative Assistant to support the Brussels office team in designing, organizing and implementing its diverse EU visibility actions. This internship is for a highly motivated, young professional, recent Communications graduate, or student requiring such internship to finalize their MA. He/She should be looking to gain hands-on Communications and advocacy experience as well as issue-specific knowledge on the question of Palestine refugees.

The internship offers involvement in all aspects of our work and learning opportunities in a dynamic, friendly multinational team that supports interns in acquiring skills to work in intergovernmental organizations through a variety of research, advocacy and communication-oriented tasks, while empowering them with the responsibility to develop and manage specific dossiers which they can update and follow up closely. We also offer hands-on knowledge on how major international actors and stakeholders inter-relate at the European and global levels, as well as provide professional and substantive guidance.

The selected candidate will have the following duties and responsibilities:

• Assist with the design, organization and implementation of public events, photo exhibitions, forums, meetings, information sessions, press conferences, etc., with the aim to raise general public and media awareness on UNRWA’s work through demonstrating UNRWA’s achievements and the EU’s role therein;
• Assist in the coordination of events’ internal preparatory meetings and follow up on subsequent actions to be taken;
• Contribute to the design, layout and proof reading of promotional and other written materials;
• Coordinate activities of assigned areas with activities of other involved UNRWA staff and in this respect, act as focal point to event service providers/contractors in order to ensure optimum efficiency, compliance with appropriate guidelines, procedures, specifications and timely delivery of services;
• Assist with setting up and dismantling of the event as well as on-site assistance at the events;
• Ensure timely dissemination and posting on website of press releases and other material produced, identify and prepare new material for posting on website;
• Maintain records on each event’s activities, its progress/status, compile EU visibility verification sources and draft the final narrative reports of the events;
• Maintain and frequently update the office database;
• Maintain the office photo archive, Public Information Library and inventory; disseminate information/publications and general UNRWA press releases as appropriate;
• Perform other relevant duties as may be assigned;

Qualification and Experience:

• Successful completion of post secondary course/diploma in communications, journalism or public relations. Degree in social sciences, international relations, political science, or related field could also be considered.
• Internship experience in a communications/information environment (international organization, governmental offices, NGO, Public Affairs Office);
• Internship Experience in events planning/management;
• Experience in drafting concise texts and proposals;

Requirements:

• Excellent command of English; additional language(s) such as Dutch and German are an important asset.
• Excellent communication (orally and in writing).
• Ability to work within a small team and maintain harmonious working relationships in a multi cultural environment.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize and manage time effectively.
• A quick learner with a positive attitude and proactive approach.
• Excellent knowledge of all Microsoft Office applications and databases.
• Creative, innovative, resourceful.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrates initiative, openness to change and ability to manage complexities and solve problems.
• Excellent administrative, organisational, record keeping and information management skills.
• Attention to detail and deadlines.
• Ability to work under pressure, professionalism, sound judgment and foresight.
• Flexibility to adapt working hours for events taking place in the evening and weekend.
• Proficiency in the use of modern information and communication.
• Eligibility to reside and work in Belgium.

Remuneration: Unpaid

How to Apply:

Send a detailed CV and cover letter to Ms. Nathalie Stanus:brusselsoffice_internships@unrwa.org  (subject line: “Communications Intern”),  by 1 March 2016. Interviews are scheduled to take place during the 2nd week of March 2016. Projected starting date of internship is 14 March 2016.

Due to the large number of applications that we receive, we are unable to respond to each individual candidate. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
General Information:

UNRWA is a United Nations organization whose staff is expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality. This includes respect for human rights, for diversity, and for non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. UNRWA staff members are expected to uphold these values at all times, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs.

For more information please check here.