Background

Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD) is one of the UNDP’s six Global Policy Centers. ICPSD supports the private sector and foundations to become transformative partners in development through research, advocacy, facilitation of public-private dialogue and brokering partnerships. ICPSD leads UNDP’s global work on private sector and foundations and supports UNDP’s offices all around the world.

ICPSD offers internship opportunities for outstanding graduate-level students. The research internship programme provides direct exposure to ICPSD’s work as a center of excellence for the private sector’s role in development and inclusive markets. The programme is designed to provide support to ICPSD’s applied research and policy advisory services as well as to complement the interns’ practical experience in various issues related to private sector engagement, human capital development, impact investing in the achievement of SDGs and other topics of international development.

This assignment is part of UNDP ICPSD’s Skills Development portfolio. ICPSD offers evidence-based knowledge, advisory, and partnership services supporting the expansion of job and livelihood opportunities for the disadvantaged groups through increased engagement of the private sector in skills development. The center analyzes successful cases of private sector-led or public-private partnership skills development initiatives. ICPSD provides advisory services on the private sector engagement in skills development for employment with general and sectoral toolkits.

The objective of the Research Internship is to provide the intern with the opportunity to conduct research on topics such as entrepreneurship, skills development, digital transformation, and other issues related to sustainable development. In particular, the intern will contribute to data collection, analysis, report writing, proofreading and other tasks.
More information about UNDP’s private sector related work can be found online at www.iicpsd.org. The Programme operates under the rules and regulations of the UNDP Internship Policy.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main duties that the intern will be expected to carry out are:

• Conduct quantitative and qualitative research on private sectors role in achieving the sustainable development goals;
• Provide research, writing and editing support on issues related to the role of the private sector in skills development;
• Supports the creation and maintenance of partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Assist the organization of conferences, workshops or other events;
• Contribute to designing and implementation of initiatives, projects or programmes;
• Prepare relevant communications materials (speeches, brochures, success stories, social media materials etc.);
• Collaborate on the development and execution of online content (images, infographics, videos, blogs etc.) and campaigns delivered across various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
• Provide basic administrative support on an as-needed basis;

Note that the internship will be 100% home-based and no travel to the duty station (Istanbul, Türkiye) is required.*

Competencies

Technical/Functional Competencies:

• Excellent writing skills, as well as strong analytical aptitude and strong communication skills;
• Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision and collaborate with a wide range of colleagues while meeting deadlines;
• Excellent interpersonal skills: being able to listen and collaborate with a wide range of players, being able to work independently, being pro-active and taking initiative;
• Be able to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Computer proficiency: MS Office

Personal Competencies:

• Commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences;
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Applicants must – at the time of application – meet one of the following requirements:

• be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (Bachelor Degree)
• be enrolled in a second university degree programme (Master Degree)
• have graduated with a university degree in fields such as economics, finance, business administration, international relations, public administration or similar and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English with excellent reading and writing skills is required.
• Fluency in Turkish with excellent reading and writing skills is an asset.

Financial Issues

Internships within the UN system are subject to conditions the applicant must get familiar with before signing his/her internship agreement.

Starting from January 2020 interns wreceive stipends according to UN rules and regulations.

Any further costs associated with the internship must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her arrangements for travel, accommodation and other costs.

Application Procedure

The application should contain:

• Brief Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;
• Current and complete CV in English;
• Please group all your documents into one single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Candidates who are selected for must submit prior to the interview the following documents:

• Official document(s) confirming your education status;
• Proof of medical and life/accident insurance valid for the location in which the internship will be carried out. Selected intern must have medical and life insurance.

UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.

UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.

Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.

Subsequent Employment

The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship. More information available at: http://www.undp.org/internships/. UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Stipend

Interns will be given a stipend according to the UNDP Internship Policies, if they are not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme.

The monthly amount of the stipend will be determined for each duty station based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit. The stipend will be paid on a monthly basis and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.