Summer 2014 Internships (many available), InterAction- Washington DC

Organization: InterAction

Position Title: Summer 2014 Internships

Location: 1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC, 20036, US

Hours and Compensation: Unpaid. A small monthly reimbursement for travel of $50 is available upon request.

Application Deadline: March 31, 2014

Organization Overview

InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), with more than 190 members working in virtually every developing country. Members are faith-based and secular, large and small, with a focus on the world’s most poor and vulnerable populations. The U.S. public, foundations and others support the efforts of our membership via funding totaling more than $13 billion a year, according to 2009 estimates. InterAction’s funds come from dues and grants from private foundations, corporations, and the U.S. government.

Using its collective voice, InterAction seeks to shape important policy decisions on relief and long term development issues, including foreign assistance, humanitarian reform, the environment, women, health, education and agriculture. Members are at the forefront in responding to humanitarian crises and disasters worldwide and InterAction acts as a hub in these efforts.

Alliance members adhere to standards drawn up by InterAction, which aim to ensure accountability and transparency in financial management, fundraising, governance and program performance.

Description

InterAction is seeking current undergraduates, graduate students, or recent graduates interested in a Summer 2014 internship at a major nonprofit alliance. InterAction is the largest alliance of US-based international NGOs, and is engaged with a broad array of development actors at multiple levels.

InterAction offers internship opportunities three times a year, corresponding with the academic calendar and during the summer. InterAction provides our Interns unique opportunities to engage in a large variety of learning and development opportunities. Our offices host over 800 meetings a year on various humanitarian and development topics and issues. All interns are encouraged to participate in as many events as their schedule can handle. In addition, our interns often engage with key internal and external stakeholders and can leverage the relationships they build in their future careers. InterAction also seeks to provide internal learning opportunities through informational interviews, skills building brown bags and our own staff meetings… which are often full of useful information.

Responsibilities

The Office of the President offers one position focused on resource development. Specific responsibilities include supporting the Resource Development Manager with projects to increase the fundraising capacity of the organization through the design, development and implementation of related tools and systems. Specific duties will include research, data collection and analysis, database design and management, internal policy documentation and filing management. Additional projects housed within the Executive Office may also be assigned and vary in nature but generally involve research, writing, and general administrative support.

The Humanitarian Policy & Practice Team offers two positions each semester. Interns will support HPP staff in the areas of policy, practice, protection, shelter, and security. Interns will perform a variety of research, writing and administrative support tasks, with opportunities to attend meetings and network with professionals representing a variety of NGOs in the humanitarian community. Responsibilities vary and may include supporting working groups and events, research projects on a specific country, theme or crisis, and attending outside meetings on the Hill and various DC-based think tanks. A competitive applicant should be a graduate student (though exceptional undergraduate juniors and seniors will be considered) with significant coursework related to humanitarian policy and/or humanitarian response. Applicants should have excellent written and spoken English skills, strong computer skills (including Microsoft Word and Excel) and good interpersonal and organizational skills. Applicants must be able to work with minimal supervision and commit to working at least 20 hours per week to be considered.

The Information Technology Unit offers one position each semester to a student interested in gaining real-world experience in the field of Information Technology. Applicants should be pursuing degrees in Computer Science or Information Technology and have a demonstrated interest in the field. Specific responsibilities may include creating user profiles, help with tech support and help developing training materials and or training videos used by staff.

The Human Resources Department offers one position each semester to a student seeking hands-on experience in nonprofit HR. Students will manage the HR function for the internship program by working with staff to develop job descriptions, post positions, recruit, interview, orient and ultimately evaluate performance. This position will also assist with posting, recruitment and screening for staff positions, researching/ developing staff training opportunities, as well as one major project per semester (can be tailored to interest, examples include compensation and benefits benchmarking, developing a staff survey or developing a model for succession planning).

The Public Policy Team hires two interns per term. The public policy team helps to coordinate the Hill and Administration outreach that InterAction’s members engage in from budget and appropriations to humanitarian and development priorities. Policy interns play a crucial role on the policy team by assisting with preparing a weekly summary of legislative news, attending Capitol Hill hearings and briefings as needed, researching legislative action that impacts the InterAction alliance and maintaining Congressional databases, in addition to other assignments. Ideal candidates will have strong verbal and written communications skills; a background in public policy and/or foreign affairs; and an interest in international development and humanitarian issues.

The International Advocacy Team hires one intern per term. The intern will assist in advocacy and NGO coordination around the G8 and G20 summits, as well as in general member advocacy training. Intern duties may include organizing and supporting working group meetings, attending and taking notes at various events and congressional hearings, conducting background research on relevant topics and providing general administrative support.

The Communications Team hires two interns per term. The interns will do a variety of work in such areas as public relations, social media, policy communications, website work and more, gaining a breadth of skills they can take to an entry-level communications position after they graduate. Responsibilities vary and may include working on various website projects, public relations tracking and activities to support InterAction initiatives, social media assignments, or assisting with marketing efforts and writing for InterAction’s Monthly Developments Magazine.

The Global Policy, Practice & Partnerships Team hires one intern per term to assist with a number of projects. The intern will support GPPP staff in the areas of food security, climate and environment, health, the MDG/post-2015 development framework and the NGO Aid Map initiative. Responsibilities vary and may include supporting working groups and events, conducting research, data entry, administrative support tasks and attending and reporting on outside meetings.

How to Apply

To apply, please send both a cover letter and a résumé to [email protected] with the subject line Internship. No phone calls, please.