Deadline for ApplicationsNovember 30, 2025
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)B
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeInternship
Target Start Date2025-12-01
Terms of ReferenceUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship with the Data, Identity Management, and Analysis (DIMA) Unit at UNHCR Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa (RBESA) based in Nairobi.
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.
Organizational context
The DIMA Unit at RBESA provides technical leadership and operational support across Eastern and Southern Africa on registration and identity management, data governance and protection, information management, analytics, and digital innovation. The Unit helps country operations produce high-quality, timely, and responsible data for protection, programming, coordination, and advocacy, and supports the regional office and headquarters with evidence to inform planning, and programming. The intern will gain hands-on experience contributing to regional analytics products, data pipelines, automation, and applied artificial intelligence (AI) prototypes, while learning UNHCR’s data protection standards and humanitarian data responsibility practices.
The position
We seek a motivated, hands-on intern who is passionate about data for social impact and eager to apply data science, machine learning, automation, and Large Language Model (LLM)/ Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques to real humanitarian use cases. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical and data engineering skills with curiosity, clear communication, and a privacy-by-design mindset.
Duties and responsibilities
Support data management and quality:
o Build and maintain reproducible data pipelines (Power Query, R/Python, SQL) across surveys, administrative sources, and partner data.
o Implement validation rules, metadata, and automated Quality Assurance (QA) checks for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
Develop analytics products and dashboards:
o Contribute to Power BI datasets, measures (DAX), and visuals for regional and country reporting.
o Produce well-documented R/Python notebooks and lightweight QA reports for routine monitoring.
Apply Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods:
o Prototype models for classification, anomaly detection, forecasting, text clustering, and deduplication where relevant.
o Evaluate models with appropriate metrics, document limitations, and ensure responsible use.
Drive RAG/LLM innovation:
o Build RAG prototypes that index internal knowledge bases (SharePoint/OneDrive) using vector search and frameworks such as LangChain or LlamaIndex.
o Design prompt strategies, implement evaluation and guardrails, and respect role-based access, data minimization, and logging requirements.
Automate workflows:
o Create low-code/no-code and scripted automations (e.g., Power Automate, n8n, Python, Microsoft Fabric) for data ingestion, validation, notifications, and scheduled refreshes.
o Package and document solutions for handover and reuse.
Uphold data protection and ethics:
o Apply UNHCR’s Data Protection Policy and humanitarian data responsibility guidance, including de-identification, secure environments, and Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) considerations.
Build capacity and documentation:
o Draft concise user guides, READMEs, data dictionaries, and run brown-bag sessions to upskill colleagues.
Coordinate and support:
o Liaise with country operations and technical focal points across Technical Units and External Engagement.
o Perform other tasks as required by the DIMA Unit.
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
Education: Currently pursuing or recently completed studies in data science, computer science, statistics, economics, engineering, information systems, or a related field.
Technical skills:
o Proficiency in Python or R, and SQL for data wrangling and analysis.
o Experience with Power BI, DAX, and Power Query; Git-based version control; APIs and JSON.
o Familiarity with ML/NLP concepts and libraries; vector databases and RAG frameworks.
o Exposure to LLMs, prompt design, and basic Docker/MLOps practices.
o Knowledge of humanitarian data tools (e.g., ODK/Kobo) is an asset.
o Methods and quality: Understanding of experimental design, model evaluation, prompt and RAG evaluation, and data quality frameworks.
Soft skills: Clear written and verbal communication, user-centered design mindset, and strong organizational and documentation habits.
Languages: Fluency in English required.
Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 8.00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Nairobi / home-based.
Allowance: Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive an allowance to partially help to cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses.
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.
NOTE: An individual whose father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible for an internship.
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.
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Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance
RemoteNo