Capacity Building and Knowledge Management Intern

May 7, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)

FamilyInternship

2026-05-01Organizational context
UNHCR’s mandated responsibility for finding solutions to refugee situations has long required stronger cooperation with development partners and the inclusion of forcibly displaced and stateless persons within development planning and programming instruments, including national development programmes. However, conventional humanitarian responses are increasingly challenged by the growing scale, complexity, and protracted nature of forced displacement, compounded by state fragility, poverty, and climate change.

To address these challenges, UNHCR has established the Sustainable Responses Service (SRS), which aims to advance approaches that reduce protection risks and empower affected communities until durable solutions are achieved. This service focuses on maximizing self-reliance and access to basic rights through earlier and more predictable development assistance, greater inclusion of forcibly displaced and stateless persons in host communities, and enhanced whole-of-government leadership.

The role of humanitarian-development collaboration in increasing socioeconomic opportunities and delivering comprehensive, sustainable solutions for refugees, forcibly displaced persons, and host communities is widely recognized in the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR). To successfully transition from short-term aid delivery to more sustainable approaches and operationalize the GCR, UNHCR must strengthen its capacity to engage meaningfully with development actors and work with national governments to promote inclusive responses.

To promote engagement with development actors, UNHCR has invested in employing Economists, Development focal points, and technical leads from diverse development-related and thematic backgrounds. These roles are critical for supporting joint analysis, planning, and programming with development actors and governments. They also play a key role in raising awareness and building capacity within UNHCR on development programming and processes at the country level.

Much of the knowledge gathered at country and regional levels is only now being consolidated and analyzed. UNHCR is therefore investing in documenting experiences and systematically strengthening knowledge management and staff capacity. Key areas for capacity building include:
• Enhancing understanding among HQ divisions, Regional Bureaus, Development Officers, and country-level staff on how to engage effectively with development actors.
• Building knowledge of programming cycles of priority development partners.
• Strengthening awareness of protection considerations that development actors must integrate when programming and implementing in forced displacement contexts.

The position
The Capacity Building and Knowledge Management Intern, under the supervision of the Partnership Officer-Capacity Building and Knowledge Management will provide support in producing the Sustainable Responses in Practice bulletin, developing case studies for the Development Playbook, managing the Community of Practice, organizing various peer to peer online exchanges and assisting with related content updates and coordination tasks.

Duties and responsibilities
1. Support the production of the regular Sustainable Responses in Practice bulletin, by:
· Supporting the Bureaux and SRS in capturing key contributions that should be featured in the bulletin from across the Service;
· Updating the Development Community of Practice (CoP) SharePoint site with relevant documents, links and updates featured in the newsletter;
· Assisting in the coordination of the editorial process to finalize content, and uploading final text, images and links to the CoP SharePoint site, and newsletter software to generate and send the newsletter; and
· Supporting the tracking of engagement with the newsletter and proposing ways to improve content and format.
2. Support the development of new case studies documenting good practices in the Development playbook, by:
· Helping review the first draft of case studies prepared by country operations and Regional Bureaux, ensuring clarity and quality before finalization.
· Creating simple visuals such as infographics and images using Canva to complement the Playbook content.
· Updating the Playbook SharePoint site with relevant assets and ensuring content is well organized.
3. Supporting SRS and the Bureaux to launch the CoLAB Programme. This new initiative aims to complement DevUP by equipping international staff with the tools, knowledge, and peer support needed to effectively and catalytically engage with development actors and pursue a sustainable response approach in UNHCR’s operations in line with the GCR, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes assisting in the design and delivery of masterclasses and cohort calls, supporting the coordination of stretch assignments, tracking engagement, and compiling feedback for participants; and
4. Support the coordination of DevUP mentorship missions in collaboration with the Regional Bureaux, contributing to the smooth implementation of all missions.
5. Support the management of the Community of Practice by contributing to the coordination of updates with relevant SRS technical colleagues and helping ensure content remains accurate and up to date.
6. Support the development of peer-exchange learning opportunities, by contributing to the organization of regular Sustainable Responses Learning Series and various peer to peer exchanges; and assisting with the delivery of capacity building initiatives aimed at UNHCR staff as well as other external actors.
7. Provide support to the broader team on the design and rollout of learning initiatives and peer‑to‑peer exchange platforms, such as Gov‑to‑Gov Dialogues, Executive Leadership Dialogue, CoLAB, and other emerging efforts.
8. Perform other related tasks as assigned and agreed with the supervisor.

Minimum qualifications required
• Recent graduate or currently enrolled student in a relevant field (e.g., International Relations, Development Studies, Political Science, Communications, Refugee Studies, etc.).
• Excellent spoken and written English; knowledge of another UN language is a strong asset, particularly French.
• Strong drafting and writing skills, with the ability to produce clear, concise, and high quality documents.
• Strong coordination, communication, and time management skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks efficiently.
• Experience in the humanitarian or development sector, ideally involving work with forcibly displaced or stateless populations.
• Ability to design simple, polished visual materials using tools such as Canva.
• Good knowledge of SharePoint and other collaboration platforms.

In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:
• Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO ; and
• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR .
• Not have exhausted the maximum cumulative internship period with UNHCR, including any prior internships (8 months for full-time and 12 months for part-time).

Desirable qualifications and skills
• Knowledge of French is desirable.

Conditions
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Geneva Switzerland.

Allowance: Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive an allowance to partially help to cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses.

Travel: Unless provided or paid by external sponsoring entities, UNHCR reimburse interns engaged from a location outside of the country of the duty station for the ticket costs of their outward and return travel to/from the duty station by the most economical route available on economy class, irrespective of the duration of the journey. Reimbursement shall be limited to the authorized outward and return travel between the intern’s country of residence and the intern’s duty station, or actual route of travel, whichever is lower.

Before travel is undertaken, the selected intern must obtain authorization in writing from the hiring office. Such authorization must include the approved cost of the ticket.

Internships normally last two to six months with the possibility of extension up to eight months for full-time internships and twelve months for part-time internships.

How to apply
Interested applicants should submit their application through www.unhcr.org/careers.html click on vacancies.

Obligations
Acquiring and renewing current visas, residence permits including all associated costs, obtaining medical certification and compliance with taxation requirements (if applicable), are the responsibility of the intern.
The selected candidate will need to provide UNHCR with a proof of health insurance coverage applicable to the assigned internship location and a certificate of good health from a qualified medical practitioner certifying their fitness for work and travel. In the event the selected candidate is not able to produce the required certificates, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme.
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If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form.
There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process.

Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request.

All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training.
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.

 

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

English

,

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Remote

No