Governance Intern- Washington DC

Organization: Results for Development Institute

Position Title: Intern-Governance

Location: Washington DC

Hours and Compensation: Ideally, the position will involve a full or part-time commitment of at least 10 weeks (with a possible extension) starting in May/June 2014 (candidates available sooner should still apply).

R4D interns will receive a small stipend, commensurate with experience and hours worked.

Awarding academic credit for an internship is at the discretion of your college or university. We are happy to assist you with providing appropriate information at your school’s request. Interns are responsible for making all arrangements for earning credit prior to the commencement of their internship.

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Organization Overview

Established in 2007, Results for Development Institute (R4D) is a Washington DC-based organization dedicated to accelerating social and economic progress in low and middle income countries. R4D creates real solutions to complex problems by incubating new models to address the unmet needs of the world’s poor. R4D brings to bear its depth of expertise, analytical rigor, extensive networks, and implementation experience to work on a broad and ambitious set of development issues — improving health, governance, and education in poor countries and leveraging global markets for large-scale social gain.

One of R4D’s flagship programs, the Governance Program seeks to improve governance and accountability worldwide by strengthening the capacity of independent organizations to hold their governments accountable for spending and service delivery. The Governance Program pursues this mission through multiple pathways, including: financial and technical support for capacity building of civil society organizations (CSOs), development of new tools and evidence for more effective transparency and accountability work, and developing networks to share knowledge about better transparency and accountability practices.

As part of these efforts, the Governance team is developing a Social Accountability Atlas – an innovative online platform documenting CSO-led projects focusing on holding governments accountable for better spending and service delivery. The Atlas marks an unprecedented effort to map “who is doing what” in the social accountability space globally, and to increase the availability and quality of information on results with the ultimate goal of increasing the quality and effectiveness of social accountability work.

Description

R4D is seeking a Governance Intern at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The internship program is designed to provide students and recent graduates with an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge and training about our programs and projects in developing countries as well as supporting areas of R4D.

Working closely with the other members of the Governance team, the Governance Intern will play an important role in implementing projects. Responsibilities will encompass a range of analytic and communication tasks, with a focus on supporting the launch of the Social Accountability Atlas.

Responsibilities

Potential tasks and responsibilities may include:

• Inputting case studies into the Governance team’s Social Accountability Atlas, including identifying social accountability projects for inclusion in the Atlas, drafting and reviewing project profiles, and ensuring accuracy of information.
• Help identify and resolve questions involving the design and functionality of the Atlas.
• Conduct background research on issues related to governance work and the Atlas, such as best practices for the management of online communities of practice, new trends in social accountability work and impact assessments, and other topics.
• Assist in the development of communications products relevant to the Governance program’s work.
• Assist in building the Atlas’ social media presence, through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets.
• Contribute an entrepreneurial spirit and new ideas as a full member of a growing team committed to developing innovative approaches to addressing long-standing governance challenges.
• Additional duties as agreed between the intern and members of the Governance team.

The intern will be exposed to a range of issues and topic areas in international development and will receive mentorship from R4D’s senior leadership and broader R4D team.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate for this position will possess the following qualifications:

• Interest in and familiarity with governance and social accountability work
• Web content development experience (preferred, but not required)
• Experience or education in international development
• Excellent writing skills and understanding of social media
• Interest in database/knowledge management
• High level of organization and detail orientation
• Ability to set priorities and handle competing time and resource demands
• Ability to work independently and as a team member
• Must have: Enthusiasm, energy, good judgment, and humor

R4D aims to hire and nurture talented, energetic people who are passionate about making a difference for the poor in developing countries. We seek people who fit well into our organizational model—a series of analysis-to-policy-to-action engagements. This model requires entrepreneurial people who exhibit both individual initiative and strong team behaviors.

Pluses:

Candidates who also have some of the following qualifications would be of particular interest, though these are not requirements:

• Demonstrated experience and / or interest in international development.
• Experience and / or interest in climate and environment; nutrition / agriculture; and / or water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Eligibility:

Ideal candidates will be current graduate students or highly qualified undergraduates pursuing a degree in Public Policy, International Development, or related fields. Other candidates are also welcome to apply.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates should apply by sending resume, cover letter, and 2 writing samples to: mailto:[email protected]. Indicate ‘Intern – Governance’ in the Subject line. In addition to detailing your qualifications and interest, please also mention your start-date availability. No telephone or e-mail inquiries please.

Results for Development Institute is an equal opportunity employer.

Application Due Date: Open until filled