Summary
The International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP) is recruiting an intern for its Professional Development Program on Humanitarian Law and Policy to start in January 2015 at its office in Geneva, Switzerland on a full-time basis, for a period of three months, with a possibility of extension. As an integral part of a small and dynamic professional team, the Humanitarian Law and Policy Intern will contribute to the development, and communication, and administration of the program, including through background research; collecting and summarizing thematic resources; preparing event descriptions, teaching materials, and reports of discussions; processing participant feedback; and other tasks related to PHAP’s work in the area of humanitarian law and policy.
About PHAP
The International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP) is the world’s only member-governed, sector-wide association of professionals engaged in humanitarian assistance and protection. Its global member network encompasses the full spectrum of institutional affiliations and professional backgrounds in the humanitarian sector. Established in mid-2010, PHAP’s mission is to enhance the humanitarian sector’s ability to respond in a professional manner to current and future crises. To this end, it pursues the following strategic objectives: build capacity of professionals to assist and protect crisis-affected people; distill professional knowledge and disseminate good practices for humanitarian action; create a space for reflection and exchange on policy issues within the humanitarian sector; cultivate networks and provide services to further the professional development of its members. For more information about PHAP and its activities, see our website (www.phap.org).
Previous interns have appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the humanitarian system, build their professional networks, and practice a variety of skills in an engaging environment.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work for PHAP over the summer. As well as being a warm, friendly and fun environment to work in, I was struck by your professionalism and dedication towards the organization. From my side, it was a fantastic opportunity to explore the humanitarian sector from a Geneva/HQ perspective, and through the varied tasks given to me, my knowledge has increased dramatically.”
- Ben Potter, PHAP intern in 2014, currently deployed with IOM to West Africa
Conditions
- Starting date: Early January 2015
- Based in Geneva (must be legally able to reside in Switzerland for the entire duration of the internship)
- Full-time schedule of five days (40 hours) per week. Part time can be an option depending on the candidate's availability.
- Three months, with possibility of an extension depending on status
- Note that this is not a paid position. However, a stipend may be available after three months, in case the internship is extended.
Duties
Assisting with various aspects of the development, communication, and administration of PHAP’s Professional Development Program on Humanitarian Law and Policy, including:
- Preparing, consolidating, and updating course materials on humanitarian law and policy.
- Preparing, proofreading, and assembling materials for events.
- Conducting research for the further development of the Professional Development Program on Humanitarian Law and Policy.
- Preparing workshop reports.
- Processing and analyzing participant feedback.
- Participating in relevant events in Geneva and online and preparing brief reports .
- Editing content for the regular PHAP Update on Humanitarian Law and Policy (e-newsletter).
- Updating reading and resource lists.
- Drafting and editing event descriptions, as well as features promoting the event, such as speaker interviews and topic highlights.
- Maintaining PHAP’s speaker database.
- Contributing to other related tasks and projects as assigned by the Executive Director.
Qualifications
- Legal ability to reside in Switzerland for the entire duration of the internship.
- Excellent English language skills, including both written and verbal communication skills.
- French language skills (good working knowledge at a minimum, fluency a strong advantage).
- Demonstrated interest in and knowledge of the field of humanitarian affairs, with an emphasis on international humanitarian law (IHL) and humanitarian policy.
- Strong IT skills (Word, Excel, databases) together with a demonstrated aptitude and enthusiasm for learning how to use new IT tools and systems.
- Experience with organizing training events or workshops is an advantage.
- Prior experience working with content management systems (in particular Drupal) and contact relationship management databases is an advantage.
- Prior experience working in a membership organization/ professional association is an advantage.
- Strong organizational skills, resourcefulness, flexibility, and ability to efficiently handle multiple tasks.
- Ability to work independently, with attention to detail.
- Entrepreneurial spirit.
Application Procedure
DEADLINE: Saturday, 13 December 2014, 12:00 midnight GMT
- By Saturday, 13 December 2014, 12:00 midnight GMT, applicants should send their cover letter and CV (and, optionally, writing sample) by email to jobs@phap.org (applications sent by email will be acknowledged automatically upon receipt). Please note that all application materials must be written in English.
- In addition, in order to be considered for the internship, all applicants MUST register and complete an online skills assessment and brief questionnaire before Saturday, 13 December 2014, 12:00 midnight GMT. Therefore, please do not wait with sending in your application until the last minute. (Instructions and the registration link for the online skills assessment will be sent by email to applicants immediately after they submit their cover letter and CV to jobs@phap.org. The online skills assessment is not a timed test, but the time taken to complete it may be taken into consideration. Candidates are advised to schedule up to 2 hours to complete it.)
- If you are interested in simultaneously applying for more than one internship opportunity with PHAP, you will be able to indicate this at the beginning of the online skills assessment.
- Interviews will take place the week 15-19 December, via phone/Skype.
