Intern - UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Internship

Target Start Date

2024-05-06

Job Posting End Date

April 17, 2024

Terms of Reference

Organizational context
Since the start of the international armed conflict in Ukraine which has forced some 5.9 million people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection, and assistance across Europe, more than 5.3 million border crossings from Ukraine and Moldova into Romania have been recorded. The Government and various stakeholders including civil society, the private sector, volunteers, and international organizations have responded to the crisis with generosity and hospitality.
As of 11th March 2024, 77,249 Ukrainian refugees remain in Romania. Among them, at the time of writing 155,301 individuals have been registered for Temporary Protection (TP) status. In addition, Romania registered 10,156 asylum applications in 2023, and is currently hosting around 4,600 beneficiaries of international protection and subsidiary protection, including nationals from Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, Yemen, Palestine, and some stateless persons.
UNHCR supports the Government of Romania overall response in coordinating humanitarian actors under the framework of the Regional Refugee Response (RRP) and through the Refugee Coordination Forum (RCF) and sector working groups. The RRP response is aligned with and complementary to the National Plan (NP) of measures for the protection and inclusion of displaced persons from Ukraine, beneficiaries of TP in Romania, a vision for the medium and long-term refugee response in Romania.
The UNHCR Field Unit in Constanta oversees more than 15,000 refugees living in Constanta County. UNHCR’s work is guided by the International and National Laws and applicable UN/UNHCR and IASC policies, Protection procedures, and Codes of Conduct. Protection is one of the key priority areas for the country Programme refugee response in Romania.
The Field Unit in Constanta is in charge of several aspects of the protection response and humanitarian assistance that includes child protection, prevention and response to Gender-based violence, legal assistance, Community-based interventions and support persons with specific needs to meet their basic needs. It is also in charge of chairing coordination structures with the operational partners with the aim of strengthening the activities implemented by the humanitarian actors for prevention, identification, and response to protection concerns. The Field Office is also actively engaged with the implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and capacity-building activities.

The Intern is a member of the protection team in Constanta Field Unit, which is under Galati Field Office supervision. S/he may report to the Associate Protection Officer or the Head of Galati Field Office. UNHCR provides interns with a learning opportunity to gain knowledge and practical experience related to their academic programme or future work in a field related to UNHCR’s mandate. By being directly exposed to the work of the Organization, interns have the chance to develop their skills and aptitudes. Interns will have the opportunity work in a multicultural setting and can work directly with partners and communities of refugee and stateless population.

The position
The intern will support the implementation of operational procedures and practices in protection delivery in line with international standards and provides functional support to protection and administration staff.  Under the direct supervision of the Associate Protection Officer, the Intern is expected to support interventions related to the communication with communities and counseling, updating service mapping, engaging on actively identifying civil society response, develop documents or procedures to establish referral pathways. S/he may also provide necessary support in organization of UNHCR events and translating letters, briefing notes and in coordinating meeting authorities and other stakeholders. To increase awareness of the mission of UNHCR, the intern will also support activities related to public information. To achieve this, the intern will work with multifunctional teams and establish effective communication with stakeholders, including protection and assistance partners.

Duties and responsibilities
In order to be considered for this internship, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
• Collaborate with team members to create engaging reports, summaries, and presentations, utilizing Microsoft applications such as PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure comprehensive meeting documentation, and summarize key discussions, decisions, and action items.
• Support the organization and documentation of events and activities including taking pictures and producing reports.
• Support in translating documents and presentations from English to Romania and vice versa, ensuring accuracy and clarity contributing to the final drafts following careful review of the direct supervisor.
• Under careful supervision, support in interpretation and creation of communication drafts on areas previously agreed with supervisor and ensure all relevant discussions with stakeholders are properly documented.
• Support in delivering specific messaging to the displaced population based on concrete guidance from supervisor.
• Support the organization of community events.
• Perform other related duties as required.

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
• Proficiency in both Romania and English. Ability to translate documents accurately between the two languages.
• Good analytical skills with competencies in written and verbal communication.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Ability to create, edit, and format documents and presentations.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Self-motivated, positive attitude and willingness to learn.
• Interest in refugee and asylum-related issues, including international and EU norms and standards will be an added-value.

Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week), including 30 minutes break. The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Constanta, Romania
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.
Monthly allowance: approximately 2808 RON.

Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to successful reference checks, and integrity clearances.
Candidates must be legally present in Romania at the time of application, recruitment and hire.
For further information on how to apply, please visit the ‘UNHCR - Application and Selection’ page, at https://www.unhcr.org/how-to-apply.html.
The recruitment process might include a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.
UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).
NOTE: An individual whose mother, father, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible to apply.

Required Languages

English
Romanian