Security Sector Reform Intern – Country Backstopping

Job Description

Duties and Responsibilities

The internship is for six months.

This internship is UNPAID, in-person, and full-time (35 hours per week), based at the United Nations premises in New York, USA.

The internship is designed to be full-time and in-person but can be adjusted to part-time (20 hours per week) and/or remote, based on the needs of the successful candidate.

A full-time internship is for an initial period of two months, and a part-time internship is for an initial period of four months.

Internships may be extended up to a maximum of six months, depending on the needs of the Division.

This position is located within the Security Sector Reform Unit (SSRU) in the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI), Department of Peace Operations (DPO), United Nations Secretariat.

The SSR Unit supports UN country presences with strategic and technical advice, as well as rapidly deployable short-term assistance to enable States and societies to develop effective, inclusive, and accountable security institutions that contribute to national and international security and sustainable development.

This internship will focus primarily on supporting UN peace operations with SSR mandates (including peacekeeping missions and special political missions), as well as non-mission settings, under the guidance of relevant team leads within the SSR Unit.

Within delegated authority, the intern will be responsible for the following duties:

• Support country- and/or region-specific activities, including scheduling meetings, attending relevant Security Council meetings, taking notes, and preparing readouts, reviewing and summarizing documents.
• Assist with the development of knowledge and guidance tools, including literature reviews and research on good practices and lessons learned.
• Gather, research, analyze, and present information from various sources.
• Assist with the drafting of various documents.
• Assist with data and information management.
• Support the organization of expert consultations and Member State engagements, including the annual meeting of senior SSR practitioners and meetings of the UN Group of Friends of SSR.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications / Special Skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements:

• (a) Be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher).
• (b) Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent).

Applicants to the UN Internship Programme are not required to have professional work experience. However, a field of study closely related to the internship is required.

Applicants must be:

• A student in the final year of a Bachelor’s programme (or equivalent), or
• Enrolled in a Master’s or Ph.D. programme (or equivalent), or
• A recent graduate of a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. programme.

Applicants must indicate which criteria they meet and attach proof to the application. An official certificate will be required at a later stage.

Additional requirements:

• Good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams.
• Ability to draft news articles and/or social media posts.
• Ability to design surveys and polls.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat.
• Fluency in spoken and written English and French is required.
• Knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 11, 2025