Background Information - Job-specific
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 that is 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, IPMGโs objective is to serve the organizationโs personnel and partners by broadening their infrastructure and project management capabilities, while disseminating best practices in both areas. Through this work, IPMG helps facilitate the successful delivery of programs and projects around the world.
Within IPMG, the Operations Services Unit (OSU) team aims to: (1) support aspects of the organizational readiness of UNOPS, including the Corporate Retainer Pool; and (2) manage IPMG operations.
Organizational Readiness:
Organizational readiness aims to cover the ad-hoc resource needs of the Regional Portfolios to implement the corporate strategy and how prepared the organization is to address the needs of donors.
The OSU team supports the UNOPS global portfolio units and teams by supplementing their existing resources on demand. This support includes administering the corporate retainer pool, developing or co-managing other agreements and partnerships and developing related guidelines. The team also coordinates the corporate offer for project management learning and onboarding.
Support for IPMG operations:
OSU provides timely operational support to IPMG and the Procurement Group (PG). It coordinates in the areas of human resources (HR), general administration, communication, finance and procurement, by working in close relationship with other Headquarters (HQ) and transactional units. OSU also manages the Project of the Year Award (POTYA).
Background Information โ Job Specific:
Under the overall management of the OSU Manager and direct supervision of the Communications Senior Officer, the Communication Intern will have a primary focus on supporting communication activities in addition to providing ad-hoc support to the operations services provided by the team. S/he will also promote a client-oriented approach to deliver high-quality support services.
The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting a variety of tasks and work packages as a part of her/his internship period. We are seeking qualified applicants who have strong communication skills and capacity in desktop publishing software and website management. The successful candidate 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 online tools managed by UNOPS, provide guidance and assistance as required to IPMG and PG personnel and overall continually improve required technical skills under the guidance of the Communications Senior Officer.
One flagship project to be delivered under this internship is the Project of the Year Award (POTYA). It is an exciting corporate award that celebrates project management excellence and projects that have great impact on beneficiaries. During the award process, the OSU team collaborates with the country offices and field project teams, which would provide the Communication Intern with a fair insight into UNOPS activities across the world. A second important aspect of this internship involves several knowledge products to be released this year that are critical to UNOPS organizational success - and related to UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure and procurement; and UNOPS priorities in sustainability+ (including GESI and climate).
The incumbent is also expected to support tasks including graphic design, proofreading and layout of publications. As a Google-based organization, there is an opportunity to further develop and refine how publications and other knowledge products are shared digitally as well as leverage communication data to analyze the performance of our communication activities. Depending on his/her interests, the successful candidate may be exposed to other support services (beyond communications) as wished.
At the end of this internship, the successful candidate will have gained:
The internship is expected to start in June 2025 for an initial duration of 6 months, which may be extended to 12 months subject to availability of funds and satisfactory performance. Functional Responsibilities
Overall support to a variety of tasks and work packages in the area of support services, more specifically communications, in alignment with the IPMG and PG annual work plan:
1. Communications support and content management
Support IPMG compliance with the corporate communication strategy and branding by editing and designing specific documents to align them with UNOPS branding; Support the implementation of IPMG content and publication rollout strategies, specifically the communication and dissemination of products developed by IPMG; Provide support for content translation into French and Spanish, and other larger translation exercises, including the review and the management processes, as requested; Support knowledge sharing and the maintenance of IPMG-owned intranet pages (using our content management system); Support the identification of areas for the improvement and development of the IPMG workspace with new case studies and UNOPS best practices; Support the collection of information and drafting of articles, presentations, emails and other communications on infrastructure, project management and procurement practices and tools to share with the organization through available internal channels; Support the editing and publishing of IPMG content, including news articles, factsheets and other materials for primarily electronic publication; Support the setup of web conferencing and other online collaborative workspaces as requested. Support monthly reporting and analysis of communications insights.
2. Support communications-related work packages and initiatives
Support the organization of the Project of the Year Award, including but not limited to the nomination and evaluation process, template design and communication material development, including video development and editing; Support the revision of the IPMG internal communication strategy; Support the revision of the IPMG onboarding package (from a communication/knowledge-sharing angle); Research and support the assessment of how Artificial Intelligence (in particular Gemini) can be leveraged to enhance our communications activities; Provide support to UNOPS Town Halls and other corporate initiatives involving IPMG products and initiatives. Education/Experience/Language requirements
Education:
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.
Experience:
While no prior work experience is required, some experience in support services, communications, desktop publication, web content management or journalism, ideally within the development sector, is highly desirable.
Additional requirements:
Language Requirement:
Fluency and proficiency in English is required. Proficiency in French or Spanish is strongly desirable. Competencies Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground. Contract type, level and duration
Contract type: Intern
Contract level: Intern
Contract duration: 6 months, extendable to 12 consecutive months, subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability
This internship is not designed to lead to a staff position with UNOPS. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of the internship.
Interns are eligible for a monthly stipend (currently USD 1631 in Copenhagen) from UNOPS provided that they do not receive funds from other institutions. Further, UNOPS may provide a one time travel lumpsum of 300, 500 or 800 USD (depending on the location at the moment of being selected for the position). However, they must make their own arrangements for accommodation, travel and necessary visa arrangements.
For more details about UNOPS internships please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Internships-and-volunteering.aspx
UN City in Copenhagen - short presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF25xfMW0KQ
Internships in UN City Copenhagen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhkLcwx009I&list=TLGGlHcczC1BudwwNDA1MjAyMQ&t=12s Additional Information
Terms and Conditions:
For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses ( they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 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.