Summary
The International Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP) is recruiting a Communications and Social Media Intern 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 Communications and Social Media Intern will contribute significantly to the communication efforts of the association, including through planning PHAP’s online publications on different aspects of humanitarian action, managing and developing the association’s social media presence, editing articles and thematic notes written by PHAP members, drafting news stories and other web content, and in other ways promoting all of the different aspects of the association’s activities.
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
- 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 PHAP’s content production and external communications, including:
- Drafting news stories and other web content on PHAP’s activities
- Planning and preparation of PHAP’s newsletters
- Managing and developing the association’s social media presence on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+
- Managing the association’s dedicated Twitter account for consultations and thematic discussions
- Maintaining a live Twitter feed from online events
- Editing PHAP member articles, thematic updates, and thematic notes
- Planning and carrying out featured member interviews
- Carrying out member interviews for special features
- Carrying out welcome calls with new members
- Contributing to other tasks and projects as assigned by the Executive Director or the Membership and Communications Coordinator
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.
- Demonstrated interest in and knowledge of the field of humanitarian affairs.
- Demonstrated ability to draft clear and concise texts for external communication (writing sample welcome but not required).
- Strong IT skills (Word, Excel, databases) together with a demonstrated aptitude and enthusiasm for learning how to use new IT tools and systems.
- Knowledge of HTML and CSS is an advantage.
- Prior experience working with content management systems (in particular Drupal).
- 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.
