Deadline for Applications
March 22, 2026
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)
H (no hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
Internship
2026-05-01
Organizational context
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a full-time internship with the Creative Services Section/Social Media Unit of the Global Communications Service under the Division of External Relations at UNHCR HQ based in Madrid.
Established in December 1950, UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR currently operates in over 130 countries, using its long expertise to protect and care for millions.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for a dynamic person who is an excellent communicator and has a good understanding of the UN system and humanitarian issues, and/or external relations.
The intern will work as part of the global Social Media Team and report to the Social Media Officer based in Geneva. They will support the team with daily content coordination, scheduling, copy writing, content production, community management and analytics. The ideal candidate will have experience in managing social media accounts for an organization, organizational skills, writing and creative skills to support social content production.
Key responsibilities will include:
• Assist the Social Media Team with daily social media outreach and engagement;
• Compile, draft and edit social media content, often under tight deadlines;
• Assist in developing simple visual products for social media platforms;
• Assist in the production of social videos;
• Assist with social media planning and scheduling using tools like Trello, Sendible and native social platform publishing tools;
• Assist in the daily monitoring and analyze statistics related to social media content;
• Assist with community management of social media accounts;
• Prepare internal summaries and reports and support external presentations;
• Proactively contribute suggestions and ideas that will add value to UNHCR’s use of social media;
• Support social media content for international days and other key projects, particularly World Refugee Day and the FIFA World Cup;
• Effectively manage time and priorities to meet all of the above responsibilities;
• Assist on Social Media Team projects as needed.
Minimum qualifications required
To be considered for an internship, candidates must:
• be a recent graduate* or current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by UNESCO;
• have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant to, or of interest to, the work of the organization; and
• not have immediate relatives (father, mother, brother, or sister) working for UNHCR as a staff member on any contract type or as an affiliate at the time of application.
*Recent graduates are considered to be candidates who completed their studies within two years of applying for an internship with UNHCR.
Desirable qualifications and skills
• Good understanding of social media platforms and the overall landscape of social media;
• Experience writing for social media audiences and using social media for an organization, club or university;
• Demonstrated commitment or strong interest in international relations, refugee issues and humanitarian response;
• Superior command of the English language with excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Good “social media instincts” of what online audiences respond positively to;
• Proficiency in social media tools.
Location
It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The successful candidate will be based in Madrid or home-based in North Carolina.
Conditions
The sponsored internship is for three months. It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 9.00am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week).
Obligations
Aquiring 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 funding from the sponsoring institution, 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, as well as travel. In the event the candidate is not able to produce the required certificate, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme.
Allowance and Travel:
The Sponsoring Institution shall provide non-reimbursable financial support in the form of a stipend/scholarship/allowance/etc. for the period of internship with UNHCR. Travel expenses to and from the internship location shall be the responsibility of the respective sponsoring institution. UNHCR is not responsible for any renumeration for the intern during the internship period.
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