Job no: 584351 Contract type: Internship Duty Station: New York Level: Internship Location: United States Categories: Education, Financial Management
Duration: 6 months
For every child, Education.
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is the world’s first multilateral fund dedicated to supporting education in emergencies and protracted crises worldwide. Launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, ECW mobilizes resources, promotes political commitment, and fosters coordination among humanitarian and development actors to deliver quality education to children and young people affected by conflict, displacement, and climate-related shocks.
The ECW Secretariat, hosted by UNICEF, offers internship opportunities to qualified students and recent graduates to gain practical experience in international development work related to education in emergencies. This TOR presents two internship opportunities within ECW: (1) Grants Management (GM) under the Finance and Operations section, and (2) Programme Development and Quality Control under the Quality Education section.
Internship in Grants Management (GM)
Introduction
Under the supervision of the Chief of Finance and Operations and Programme Funding Manager, the GM team seeks an intern to provide technical and operational support across various grant-making processes. This includes managing grants-related data, coordinating with ECW Secretariat staff, tracking progress and reports, and facilitating internal knowledge management.
Main Duties
Organise and manage grants-related data in the ECW Grants Database (DB) and provide ECW Secretariat staff with requested data or analyses as needed.
Organise grant-related documents in the Grants DB repository, including contracts and reports.
Track and monitor report submissions and requests from grantees, ensuring completeness and approvals by relevant ECW Secretariat staff.
Work with the ECW Secretariat staff to answer questions and gather important data that will help the grant-making process.
Review reports on assurance activities, including spot checks, audits, and micro-assessments, summarising findings and recommended actions.
Facilitate knowledge management by maintaining and enhancing the ECW knowledge management site for internal learning, sourcing information from relevant Secretariat staff.
Internship in Programme Development and Quality Control (Quality Education)
Introduction
The Programme Development and Quality Control intern will provide technical, administrative, and coordination support to the ECW Programme Development & Quality Team. The intern will contribute primarily to the management, quality assurance, and monitoring of ECW’s programmes, with a focus on the First Emergency Response (FER) and Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) investment windows. This role is integral to supporting effective programme design, delivery, and impact assessment, ensuring that ECW’s investments result in quality education outcomes for children and youth affected by crises.
Main Duties
Support programme management activities, including assisting in the planning, development, and coordination of programme portfolios under the FER and MYRP initiatives.
Assist in the review, compilation, and quality assurance of programme documentation and reports submitted by implementing partners, ensuring compliance with ECW standards and donor requirements.
Contribute to monitoring and evaluation efforts by collecting, consolidating, and analyzing data related to programme outputs and outcomes to inform programme performance and quality improvement.
Support knowledge management initiatives by updating and maintaining programme-related information systems, databases, and shared resources to facilitate internal learning and coherence across programmes.
Assist in the preparation of programme briefs, presentations, and communication materials to support engagement with stakeholders including donors, partners, and beneficiaries.
Facilitate coordination and communication within the Programme Development & Quality team to ensure timely information flow and collaborative programme implementation.
Provide administrative support to programme meetings, workshops, and stakeholder consultations, including the preparation of minutes, action points, and follow-up.
Support the team with ad hoc activities related to investment window processes, including logistical arrangements, document management, and data entry.
Assist in tracking progress and deadlines related to programme cycles, funding applications, and reporting obligations to maintain compliance and accountability.
Applicants for both internships should meet the following criteria:
Enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs or graduated within the last two years.
Academic background preferably in one or more of the following fields:
Business administration and international (humanitarian) development
Accounting and financial management, with emphasis on not-for-profit organizations
Information management, data science, social statistics
Other social sciences with quantitative methodology emphasis
Minimum age of 18 years at application time.
Proficiency in English (speaking, reading, and writing) at a high standard. Fluency in French (DELF B2 level or above) is highly desirable.
Demonstrated excellent academic performance.
No immediate relatives (e.g., father, mother, brother, sister) working in any UNICEF office; and have no other relatives in the line of authority that the intern will report to.
Compliance with UNICEF Child Safeguarding Personnel Standards (DHR/STANDARDS/2019/001, or as amended).
Administrative Note
ECW is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages qualified candidates from all national, religious, and ethnic backgrounds—especially from ECW programme countries—to apply.
The internship is supervised remotely and virtually (home based); full-time (35 hours per week) with flexible working hours arranged in agreement with supervisors, considering study commitments. Interns will be associated with the ECW Secretariat’s Finance and Operations section, where the Grants Management team is housed, or with the Quality Education section depending on placement.
Interns may take up to 2.5 days off per month; any absences beyond this will result in a stipend reduction.
The internship duration is preferred to be at least six months, with flexibility between October and November 2025 start dates.
Monthly stipends are provided based on location: USD 1,700 in New York, Geneva, and Copenhagen offices, or 70% of the monthly GS level 3 step 1 salary in other duty stations.
Advertised: Eastern Daylight Time Deadline: Eastern Daylight Time
About the Organization
UNICEF is out to change the world for children vaccination by vaccination, blanket by blanket, biscuit by biscuit, book by book. In most of America, these things are considered completely ordinary. But in many parts of the developing world, they can save a child's life.
UNICEF is unique among world organizations and unique among those working with young people. As a global movement, we use our authority to influence decision makers and diverse partners to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. In 155 countries and territories, UNICEF's field staff uses hard-won expertise to meet the challenges facing children and those who care for them.
Our history has given us a profound understanding of development and the importance of child health, education, equality and protection in advancing humanity. All that we do helps children realize their full potential.
In support of UNICEF's work, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF focuses on five major priorities: education, emergencies, HIV/AIDS, immunization and malnutrition.
Start your application
Applications for this position must be completed on the recruiting organization's website.
