Intern | Humanitarian Policy

InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations with a combined donor base of $15 billion annually. Members operate around the world and advocate for global change to overcome poverty, exclusion, and suffering by advancing social justice and basic dignity for all. Located in Washington, D.C., InterAction aims to give each of its members the collective power to speak and act on issues of common concern.

InterAction's Humanitarian Policy Team is seeking applications for a full-time, hybrid internship position for Spring 2023.

This will be a paid internship for at least 12 weeks (with possible extension to 24 weeks) for 30-40 hours per week [HL1] [FS2] at $16.10 an hour (DC minimum wage). Start and end dates are flexible. Interns must be located in/have an address in DC, Maryland, or Virginia and have the right to work in the U.S. InterAction will administratively support class credit if needed. Please note that InterAction is a hybrid work environment, with staff in-office one-two days a week, that interns are encouraged to join.

Core Projects & Responsibilities

The Humanitarian Policy Intern will support various core projects of the Humanitarian Policy Team. Areas of work range from counterterrorism (CT) to forced displacement to UN-NGO partnerships, with the largest body of work focusing on CT measures and sanctions that affect humanitarian action.[SS3]

Responsibilities and tasks may include:

• Completing research, policy analyses, member outreach, and other projects as needed.
• Analyzing data and drafting analytical reports.
• Supporting member outreach and forced displacement-related priority mapping.
• Managing internal and external information databases.
• [SS4] Reviewing secondary literature on CT and sanctions to identify cases where these have had a clear impact on humanitarian operations and response.
• Tracking and updating CT impact library and database, inputting new impact cases where in line with the data and coding methodology.
• Cataloguing recommendations made throughout the secondary literature into the CT Recommendations database and organizing literature into a publicly accessible library.
• Conducting an analysis of newly coded data, synthesizing new findings, and comparing those against the existing evidence base.
• Drafting a summary to update previous findings with new data and evidence[HL5] .

Participating in various meetings-including with InterAction members, think tanks, or the Hill-and providing administrative and logistical support.

• Debriefing to the team at the internship's conclusion on learning and/or a completed task.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Strong data analysis and research skills, with a high-level of competency in data coding methodology and analysis in Excel and Google Sheets, as well as the ability to synthesize data from multiple sources and to interpret and translate qualitative data into quantifiable metrics.
• Solid writing and editing skills with strong attention to detail and the ability to write quickly and effectively.
• Fluency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, etc.) and Adobe. Skills in Salesforce, graphic design, or other relevant computer programs a plus.
• Commitment to teamwork, good interpersonal skills, can-do positive attitude, and professional etiquette.
• Experience and/or study in international relations, international development, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance, counterterror, or another related field. Interest, familiarity, or coursework in humanitarian assistance strongly preferred.
• Able to commit to at least 4 weekdays (minimum 30 hours per week), with preference for those who can work full time (40 hours per week).

Internship Benefits

• InterAction interns gain a variety of experiences beyond their day-to-day work. These include:
  1. On-the-job learning about the humanitarian architecture, advocacy, operations, and policy.
  2. Opportunities to attend InterAction meetings on a variety of issues.
  3. Access to senior-level staff members at InterAction for informational interviews.
  4. Informal networking with InterAction staff and individuals from more than 180 member organizations.

Due to the expected number of applications received for each position, InterAction will only contact short-listed candidates. All applicants must be able to provide documentation that they are legally eligible to work in the United States for at least the length of the internship. No phone calls, please.