Intern: Office of Internal Oversight Services Inspection and Evaluation Division (OIOS-IED)

Job Description

Work Location: New York and Remote

Expected duration: 3-6 months, May 2026

Duties and Responsibilities

This internship position is located in the Office of Internal Oversight Services Inspection and Evaluation Division (OIOS-IED). OIOS-IED conducts independent inspections and evaluations on behalf of the Secretary-General and Member States and in accordance with its mandate (A/RES/48/218 B). Evaluations assess the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the Organization’s programmes in relation to their objectives and mandates. More information on OIOS-IED is available at https://oios.un.org/.

OIOS-IED is seeking graduate students who wish to gain professional experience in an international organization to supplement their studies. The internship provides practical educational experience working in a multicultural and intergovernmental organization. Under the supervision of OIOS-IED managers, the intern is assigned projects and tasks that are relevant to their educational background and interests and provided with the opportunity to apply and further develop their theoretical knowledge and gain exposure to the work of the United Nations Secretariat.

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the relevant manager, the intern will be expected to work on one or more of the Division’s various inspection and evaluation projects and initiatives, which may include:

• Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) subprogramme 3 Sustainable Development;
• The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD);
• The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR);
• Thematic evaluation of youth engagement (including UN Youth Office);
• Biennial Report on Strengthening the Role of Evaluation;
• Support/guidance on evaluation across the UN Secretariat;
• Synthesis of evaluations of Special Political Missions (SPM);
• Inspection of Geospatial information for the SDGs and Climate Action, including digital cooperation (thematic); and
• Evaluation of the Development Coordination Office (DCO)/Resident Coordinator (RC) system

The intern may assist in data collection, analysis and other assigned tasks. Depending on the competencies and interests of the intern, and data collection needs stemming from the evaluation design and the evaluation projects above, the assignments may include:

1. Supporting the evaluation team on background research and summarizing data;
2. Assisting the evaluation team in collecting, organizing and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data. This may include:
   • Taking notes of stakeholder interviews and minutes of meetings observed;
   • Obtaining, screening and organizing documents and internal data from UN Secretariat entities in different formats;
   • Programming and testing online surveys;
   • Conducting qualitative, statistical and quantitative analyses of the data collected;
   • Developing and testing a database and dashboards including data cleaning, and coding;
   • Visualizing data using MS Excel and Power BI;
   • Using AI tools such as Copilot to support analysis;
   • Other related tasks that may be required.
3. Assisting in other ad-hoc activities including reviews and edits of the various evaluation products.

Qualifications/special skills

To qualify for an internship through the United Nations New York Headquarters Internship Programme, applicants must meet the following requirements:

(a) Be:

• Enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or
• Enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); or
• Have graduated with a university degree (as defined above) and, if selected, must commence the internship within a one-year period of graduation.
• Successful candidates should be registered for or have completed studies in political or social sciences, development, economics, international affairs, peace and security, public administration, gender studies, statistics, data science, human rights, programme evaluation and/or related fields.

(b) Be computer literate in standard software applications, preferably including Microsoft Excel; familiarity with data analysis software such as NVIVO and Stata, and other applications such as Power BI, and Copilot is desirable. Skills in quantitative and qualitative analysis using large unstructured volumes of data are highly desirable.

(c) Have a demonstrated keen interest in the work of the United Nations and have a personal commitment to the ideals of its Charter; and

(d) Have a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes willingness to try and understand and be tolerant of differing opinions and views.

If accepted, interns will be expected to embody the following competencies:

• Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve Organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Technological awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this internship, fluency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian is desired.

DEADLINE: Mar 15, 2026