Responsibilities
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based) H (no hardship) Family Type (not applicable for home-based) Family Staff Member / Affiliate Type Internship Target Start Date 2025-10-01 Deadline for Applications June 30, 2025 Terms of Reference Organizational context 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. UNHCR’s Global Communications Service (GCS) generates and maintains public interest and support for people forced to flee: including refugees, IDPs, and stateless among others. GCS produces and engages in strategic communications and content so UNHCR can lead the narrative, generate empathy and mobilize action. It employs a wide range of multimedia tools, working across text, photos, video, online and social media platforms for distribution and placement. It may communicate in collaboration with other UN bodies, civil society actors, Goodwill Ambassadors and high-profile supporters, as well as the forcibly displaced and stateless people themselves. The Social Media Section leads UNHCR’s global social media strategies, policies and tactics with a finger on the pulse of trends and narratives, produces made-for-social content and social media campaigns that put refugee voices at the centre of storytelling, leverages relationships with the world’s biggest platforms, Goodwill Ambassadors and influencers, supports fundraising, and provides training and capacity-building for UNHCR personnel. The position The intern will work as part of the global Social Media Section and report to the Senior Social Media Officer based in Geneva. They will support the team with daily content coordination, scheduling, copy writing, content production, community management and analytics. The ideal candidate will have experience in managing social media accounts for an organization, organizational skills, writing and creative skills to support social content production. Duties and responsibilities • Assist the Social Media Section with daily social media outreach and engagement; • Compile, draft and edit social media content, often under tight deadlines; • Assist in developing simple visual products for social media platforms; • Assist in the production of social videos; • Assist with social media planning and scheduling using tools like Trello, Sendible and native social platform publishing tools; • Assist in the daily monitoring and analyze statistics related to social media content; • Assist with community management of social media accounts; • Prepare internal summaries and reports and support external presentations; • Proactively contribute suggestions and ideas that will add value to UNHCR’s use of social media; • Support social media content for international days and other key projects; • Effectively manage time and priorities to meet all of the above responsibilities; • Assist on Social Media Team projects as needed. 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 two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO ; and • Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR. Desirable qualifications and skills • Good understanding of social media platforms and the overall landscape of social media; • Experience writing for social media audiences and using social media for an organization, club or university; • 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; • Good “social media instincts” of what online audiences respond positively to; • Proficiency in social media tools. Conditions It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday (one hour lunch included). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Geneva, Switzerland. The Intern’s allowance for Geneva internship location is CHF 2,770 per month. Internships normally last two to six months with the possibility of extension up to eight months for full-time internships and twelve months for part-time internships. Candidates with previous UNHCR Internship experience must not have exceeded the maximum total cumulative duration of eight (8) months. Obligations - Acquiring and renewing current visas, residence permits including all associated costs, obtaining medical certification and compliance with taxation requirements, are the responsibility of the intern. - The selected candidate will need to provide UNHCR with a proof of funding from the sponsoring institution, health insurance coverage applicable to the assigned internship location and a certificate of good health from a qualified medical practitioner certifying their fitness for work, as well as travel. In the event the candidate is not able to produce the required certificate, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme. Allowance and Travel: The Sponsoring Institution shall provide non-reimbursable financial support in the form of a stipend/scholarship/allowance/etc. for the period of internship with UNHCR. Travel expenses to and from the internship location shall be the responsibility of the respective sponsoring institution. UNHCR is not responsible for any renumeration for the intern during the internship period. If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education. ------------------------ 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. 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. Standard Job Description Required Languages , , Desired Languages , , Additional Qualifications Skills Education Certifications Work Experience Other information Fully sponsored intern by Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityThis position doesn't require a functional clearance Remote No Important notice: Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training). Read about how to avoid scams and fraudulent job offers. Please note that applications are only accepted via the UNHCR online recruitment platform. CVs and/or application requests sent via email will not be answered, reviewed nor considered. For external applicants: We would like to call your attention on the eligibility of International Professional (P) category: According to our Recruitment and Assignments Policy, P staff members will not normally serve in the country of their nationality, and the first regular appointment in the P category must be outside the staff member's country of nationality. In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of. In case of technical difficulties when applying, external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) can write to recruitmentcase@unhcr.org. For former UNHCR Colleagues: Former UNHCR employees who are on mandatory break-in service or have separated from UNHCR after 1 October 2022 should create an account through this platform. Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. 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, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life-saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact. Why a career with UNHCR? Our dedicated staff work to protect and assist people fleeing conflict and persecution at a time when global forced displacement is at a record high. Our colleagues bring a wide range of specialized skills, including expertise in legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs, health and other disciplines. Disability inclusion If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.
