Jobs and Internships

UNDP-USA Jobs

UNDP-USA has no open positions at this time.

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UNDP-USA Internship Program

The internship program at UNDP-USA is a unique and exciting learning experience. Consider joining our team if you seek to:

• Gain in-depth understanding of the United Nations Development Program's mission and why it is important to the national interests of the United States,
• Work with a small, dedicated staff in furthering this mission within a non-profit environment,
• Contribute to a larger network of organizations and UN agencies committed to the issues of international development.

Who We Are

UNDP-USA is an nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that supports the work of UNDP by educating Americans about its invaluable contribution to our world and marshalling funds for specific UNDP projects. Because we are a small team, interns must be dedicated to this mission, hardworking, able to adapt to a small working environment, and above all passionate about creating awareness of international development in the U.S.

What You Will Do

Interns are assigned specific areas of responsibility which they will be in charge of throughout their time at UNDP-USA. Examples include writing, editing, marketing, research, and fundraising. In addition to these specialized tasks, interns are also responsible for daily administrative duties. Another integral component of the internship is attending events relevant to international development around Washington, D.C. and summarizing important information for our Around the Town Blog.

A Typical Week

One of our interns, Alexandra Martins of the University of Pennsylvania, describes a typical week at UNDP-USA:

"During any given week, my time is divided between administrative and substantive tasks. Primarily, I am responsible for the upkeep of UNDP-USA's Goodworks blog, as well as putting together our newsletter.

Each intern is also assigned a "task day" to make this process run as smoothly as possible. On my day, I performed duties that included fetching the mail, washing the dishes at the end of the day, and completing any assignments delegated by our Executive Director, such as short research reports. I also answer the phone, scanned/printed necessary documents, and completed write-ups of previous events. These activities generally go by very quickly, allowing you to return to more substantive tasks.

Attending events around town is one of the most informative aspects of the internship. On average, I go to 2-3 in one week. Recently, I have attended presentations on Global Poverty, the UN Peacebuilding Commission and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. I find post-conflict issues particularly interesting due to the impact that instability can have on sustainable growth. Listening to distinguished and knowledgeable speakers has fuelled both my interest and understanding of the topic and its relationship to international development.

In addition to my regular duties, another intern, Peter, and I had the opportunity to draft and review a fundraising Letter of Inquiry. This was challenging as I had never written in the required style before, but with guidance we managed to produce a decent final product. Partnering with fellow interns on various projects is always rewarding and can help you manage your workload more efficiently.

You will be busy, but not stressfully so. Overall, there is a good balance between typical office duties and creative, informative opportunities. I always feel as though I am an integral part of the office and its main operations. Like many experiences, you will get back as much as you put in."

This is the United Nations Intern Seminar Series

UNDP-USA spearheads this initiative, which brings together UN interns based in Washington, D.C. to hear presentations from various UN agencies about their role in the UN system. In the past, these have included the UN Information Center (UNIC), International Labor Organization (ILO), UNAIDS and UNDP, amongst several others.

This professional development program ensures that upon leaving UNDP-USA you will 1) have a better understanding of the UN system, 2) have had the opportunity to network with UN officials working in Washington D.C. from several different agencies, and 3) have expanded your peer network to include others interning with UN related organizations here in Washington.

Internship Goals

During your time at UNDP-USA, you will be given the opportunity to learn about issues related to international development, as well as develop a particular interest/skill in one specific area. You will also become intimately familiar with the internal functioning of a small nonprofit organization in Washington D.C. Interns are expected to have initiative and take ownership of whatever projects they are assigned, as well as come up with ways to improve the efforts of UNDP-USA in achieving its mission.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Before applying for an internship here, please keep in mind that UNDP-USA is distinct from the actual UNDP. We are a support agency which seeks to inform Americans (particularly businesses and non-profits) about the work that UNDP does around the world. If you are interested in directly working with development projects, contact UNDP instead.
• You may want to consider joining professional organizations that show your interest in the UN such as the United Nations Association, or participate in volunteer work that reflects your commitment to international issues. Include these experiences on your resume. We know that you may not have much experience (that is what the internship is for), but we will be looking for something that demonstrates your interest outside of schoolwork.
• These competitive internships are unpaid. Please be aware of that and do not request funds from our organization. If you cannot secure a scholarship from your school or cannot work for free, this is not the internship for you. If you are not from the D.C. area, you should also be aware that housing and transportation costs are much higher than they are in other parts of the country.

Minimum Requirements:

• As part of your application, we require a resume and cover letter, which should be under one page each and sent as a single document. Take time on your cover letter so that it is concise and creative, but also informative. Have it convey what you could bring to our organization in as concrete terms as possible.
• Internships require a 12 week commitment. Please do not apply if you can only offer less.
• Our internships are much more substantive than many we have heard about in Washington D.C. (we will not have you make coffee for our staff), but attention to detail in administrative work is key. If you are looking primarily to develop your research skills you may want to consider a different kind of internship.

Our entire staff (paid and volunteer) is very passionate and dedicated to the work that UNDP-USA does. It takes a particular type of person to give 110% to their job, especially when it is unpaid, and these are the people we are looking for. If you are one of them, please apply today!

If you have questions about any of the above, feel free to contact intern@undp-usa.org for assistance.

Current Interns
Micaela Klein
Saphonia Foster
Leigh Sorkin
Ellen Rolfes

Testimonials

"Spending the term working at UNDP-USA was an incredibly rewarding experience for me. I remember commenting to Elizabeth, after spending one day in a conference entitled Strategies for Promoting Gender Equity in the Developing World, that I had probably learned more in those several hours than in an entire term of class lecture. I was able to hear international experts on development issues with which I had varying levels of familiarity, and come out of my internship with a new focus for completing my undergraduate study."

-Elysa Severinghaus

Past Interns

Tahseen Alam - Cornell University
Hadas Almagor - Georgetown University
Aramide Bajulaiye - Iona College
Madeleine Beebe - American University
Meredith Blair - University of Washington
Rebecca Bonardi - Wake Forest University
Kristin Broyhill - University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Amanda Brondy - Johns Hopkins University
Evan Davies - Appalachian State University
Youmna Diri - Roger Williams University
Blake Dublin - George Washington University
Sacha Evans - George Washington University
Nefra Faltas - George Mason University
Keely Fouch- American University
Yaheiry Galan- SUNY Buffalo
Michael Heslin- Dartmouth College
Ava Jones - Amherst College
Farzana Khattak - London School of Economics
Miho Komiya - Syracuse University
Jyldyz Kuvatova - University of Missouri
Peter Laidlaw- Dartmouth College
Saadiqa Lundy - Pennsylvania State University
Alexandra Martins- University of Pennsylvania
Christine Matz - Syracuse University
Yudaya Mawanda - University of Denver
Megan Niedermeyer- London School of Economics
Bintou Njie - American University
William O'Boyle - Brown University
Adam Perry - Brown University
Grazielle Reis-Trani - American University
Noon Salih- George Mason University
George Schaal - George Washington University
Elysa Severinghaus - Dartmouth College
Tessa Shambaugh - American University
Megan Shaw - University of Iowa
Abby Shubassi - University of Toronto
Abigail Smardon- George Washington University
Ashley Smith - University of Virginia
Calita Woods - Wittenberg University