Strategic Communications Intern

The internship is a full-time, unpaid position based in New York at the UN Premise, supporting the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Branch of the Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office. The intern will assist in strategic communications and outreach activities, including drafting and editing communications products, supporting digital content development, and coordinating communications efforts within the Branch and wider UN system.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and implementation of the DDR Branch’s strategic communications and outreach activities, helping translate technical and policy work into clear, accessible and engaging content for different audiences.
• Draft, edit, proofreading and copy-edit communications and knowledge products, including web stories, articles, newsletters, fact sheets, brochures, reports, publications, presentations, talking points and other written materials.
• Support the design and production of publications and other visual communications products, including reports, briefs, infographics, fact sheets, presentations, social media assets and other digital materials, ensuring consistency with relevant UN branding and accessibility standards.
• Support the development and maintenance of the DDR Branch’s web presence, including drafting and updating webpage content, identifying opportunities to improve the presentation and accessibility of information, and helping keep online resources current.
• Develop content for social media and other digital communications channels, including written and visual content highlighting DDR activities, results, events, partnerships and thematic priorities.
• Explore and support the use of innovative communications and digital storytelling tools, including multimedia, interactive and visual formats, to communicate DDR concepts, evidence, results and lessons learned to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Support the visualization of data, results and evidence, including through infographics, charts, diagrams, maps and other visual products.
• Assist with communications around events, conferences, workshops and campaigns, including development of promotional materials, presentations, event-related digital content and post-event communications.
• Conduct research and gather content from DDR colleagues, field presences and partners to identify stories, results, good practices and lessons learned that can be communicated to internal and external audiences.
• Support the development and organization of communications assets and repositories, including photographs, graphics, templates, publications and other materials, and help ensure consistent visual identity across Branch products.
• Monitor relevant communications trends and tools and propose creative approaches to strengthen the Branch’s communications, outreach and audience engagement.
• Support coordination with relevant communications colleagues and partners across PBPSO, DPPA-DPO and the wider UN system, including efforts to align DDR communications and visibility with broader PBPSO strategic communications and resource mobilization priorities.
• Performing other duties as requested by the supervisor.

Requirements

• Applicants must be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).
• Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience.
• A field of study closely related to the type of internship applied for is required.
• Applicants must be a student in the final year of the first university degree (bachelor or equivalent), Master’s or Ph.D. Programme or equivalent, or have completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. Programme.
• Applicants should have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.
• Ability to draft news articles and/or social media posts is desirable.
• Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
• Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an advantage.
• Applicants who have previously served six months, in total, as an intern in one or more UN Entities in the UN Secretariat cannot be engaged as an intern.
• Applicants who are children, siblings, and sons or daughters-in-law (including stepchildren, half-siblings, or stepsiblings) of an active staff member in a UN Secretariat cannot be engaged as an intern.

Skills

• Strategic Communications
• News Article Drafting
• Social Media Content Creation
• Survey Design
• Poll Design
• Digital Content Creation
• Communication Coordination
• MS Word
• MS PowerPoint
• MS Teams

Languages

English, French