Intern | Humanitarian Policy and Practice (HPP) Team

InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations with a combined donor base of $15 billion annually.  Members operate in every developing country and advocate for global change to overcome poverty, exclusion, and suffering by advancing social justice and basic dignity for all. Located in Washington, D.C., InterAction aims to give each of its members the collective power to speak and act on issues of common concern.

InterAction’s Humanitarian Policy and Practice (HPP) Team is seeking applications for a full-time hybrid internship position for Spring 2023.

This will be a paid internship. 12 weeks for 40 hours/week / $16.10 an hour – DC minimum wage. Start and end dates are flexible. Interns must be located in/have an address in DC, Maryland, or Virginia and have the right to work in the US. InterAction is also happy to administratively support class credit if needed. Please note InterAction is currently in a hybrid work environment, with staff in-office two days a week, and interns encouraged to join.

Primary Responsibilities

The specific work of an intern will be based upon an individual’s learning and professional goals, as tied to the initiatives of InterAction’s Humanitarian Policy & Practice (HPP) Team.

Additional responsibilities may include:

• Providing administrative and logistical support for meetings, including writing summaries of the proceedings, and other activities of the HPP team;
• Supporting the logistics and planning of an upcoming conference;
• Completing research and policy analysis, outreach to members, and other projects as needed by humanitarian team’s work streams;
• Participating in various fora, including outside meetings with InterAction members, at think tanks, or the Hill;
• Debriefing to the team at the internship’s conclusion on learning and/or a work task completed;
• Updating Air Table (an online platform for data management), and other internal databases;
• Supporting with analysis of data and provide written analysis of key findings.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the linkage between international policy and programming in the humanitarian field;
• Understand core elements of the global humanitarian architecture, including the roles of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), UN, and NGO community;
• Demonstrate knowledge of technical, thematic, or regional issues related to the work of the HPP team;
• Gain experience working in a professional, collaborative team environment;
• Understanding of the pressing issues within the humanitarian non-profit sector vis-à-vis InterAction's members and access to leading member NGOs;
• Develop communication, writing, and task/time management skills.

Additional Opportunities:

An intern can expect to gain the following experiences beyond daily work duties through:

• Attendance at InterAction working group meetings – access to meetings of members and InterAction staff on a variety of current issues within the humanitarian assistance field;
• On-the-job learning about the humanitarian architecture, advocacy, policy, and operations;
• Access to senior-level staff members at InterAction for informational interviews;
• Informal networking with InterAction staff members and individuals from more than 180 member organizations.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (or working towards one) on international relations, international development, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, or another related field;
• Able to commit to at least 4 days a week of work (32 hours per week), with preference for those who can work full time (40 hours per week);
• Solid writing, editing, and research skills with strong attention to detail and ability to write quickly and effectively;
• Familiarity with basic data analysis and methods;
• Ability to take in a substantial amount of information, potentially on topics the intern is unfamiliar with, and synthesize that information into a digestible format:
• Self-starter and self-motivated;
• Fluency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, etc.), Adobe, additional computer skills in Salesforce, graphic design, or related computer programs a plus
• Commitment to teamwork, good interpersonal skills, can-do positive attitude, and professional etiquette.
• Interest, familiarity, and/or coursework in humanitarian assistance is strongly preferred

Due to the expected number of applications received for each position, only short-listed candidates will be contacted. All applicants must be able to provide documentation that they are legally eligible to work in the United States for an extended period of time. No phone calls, please.