Internship: Communication Section, UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, ADVOCACY.

Since February 2022, Poland has become home to estimated 2 million refugees (registered and unregistered), whereas 1.6 million refugees so far have sought the temporary protection and around one million of these refugees still have active registration for temporary protection in Poland. In the early weeks of the war, more than 100,000 people were fleeing Ukraine each day and Poland was taking the major brunt of the migration. At the peak of this displacement there were an estimated 3.5 million refugees from Ukraine in Poland. Around 90 percent of the refugees are women and children. This was, and remains, a mother and child crisis. UNICEF reached around 1 million refugees during one year of its operations in Poland and these activities, by their nature, also have a positive spill-over effect on host communities and children from other nationalities.

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF is looking for two interns with strong communication and engagement to support the Communication Section.  

The Communication interns will provide support in production of communication materials to support country communication strategy, regional and global campaigns and priorities and to support resource mobilization as set out in the work plan.

Duties include

1. Assist in collecting photos, quotes, stories, drafting and editing articles, press releases, human interest stories and other advocacy/information materials, that meet the country and global standards as set out in the Communication Toolkit, for both web-based and traditional media, as appropriate.
2. Follow up on the production of advocacy and communication materials (e.g., films, videos, audio-visuals, etc.), and oversee the qualitative aspects of production, (e.g., quality control, translations, reviews of layout and graphic design etc.) to meet standards as set out in the Communication Toolkit.
3. Maintain an up-to-date documentation centre for communication materials including publications, press releases and clippings, photographs, audio-visual materials, web resources etc.
4. Assist in the organization of communication events and high-level visits to various locations across Poland.
5. Other tasks that may be required as part of supporting the Communication Section activities.

To qualify as an advocate for every child, the applicant must have… 

• Current enrollment at a university at the undergraduate or graduate level or recently graduated (not more than 2 years) in media and communication, journalism, international relations, creative writing, social sciences or other relevant fields.
• Intern1: Fluency in spoken and written Ukrainian and English language, as well as working knowledge of Polish language is required. Fluency in spoken and written Polish is a strong asset.
• Intern 2: Fluency in spoken and written English language is required. Knowledge of Polish and/or Ukrainian is an asset.
• Strong writing and copy-editing skills are required.
• Ability to express ideas and concepts clearly and concisely in written and oral form.
• Translation/interpretation experience is considered an asset.
• Ability to create engaging and visually appealing graphics, images, videos, and text for different communication products to effectively convey the desired message and capture the attention of the target audience.
• Knowledge of photography and video making tools is considered a strong asset.
• Knowledge of communication and socio-cultural practices is considered an asset.
• Strong creative disposition and ability to learn new tasks.
• Good understanding of world affairs, current events and development issues.
• Comfortable working independently and managing one’s own time and responsibilities.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for supervisory role]

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:  

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.