Job Vacancies Department of Economic and Social Affairs, June 2012

Job Vacancies Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Position: Intern – Population Affairs
Location: United States of America, New York
Closing Date: Thursday, 21 June 2012

Organizational Setting and Reporting
The Population Estimation and Projection Section of the Population Division/DESA internship is for two months with an opportunity for extension, pending on the needs of the department.
The internship is unpaid and full-time.
Interns work five days per week (35 hours) under the supervision of a staff member in the department or office to which they are assigned.
The Population Estimation and Projection Section (PEPS) analyzes past and future national demographic levels and trends for all countries of the world since 1950 and until 2100, and is responsible for the preparation of the 2012 Revision of the World Population Prospects.

Interns learning opportunities:
Interns will have opportunities to broaden their experience and knowledge about international population issues; exposure to the work of the Population Division and related work in other UN agencies; broaden the understanding of current demographic issues globally; and introduced to the functioning of United Nations bodies. Interns are integrated in the PEPS team, they participate and contribute to staff meetings and discussions, research issues, draft papers and reports, develop and maintain information databases, and provide support to other PEPS activities. Interns work under the supervision of PEPS’ staff. In addition, interns have an opportunity to attend lectures, and other events related to social and economic development, and other UN-related issues held in New York.

Responsibilities
Under the general guidance of a Population Affairs Officer, the intern’s duties may include, but are not limited to:
1. Data collection, analysis and research on subnational and urban fertility levels and trends;
2. Data collection, analysis and desk research on adult mortality in developing countries;
3. Data analysis, desk research and statistical modeling of trends in international migrations (based on stocks and flows);
4. Assists in developing and testing new statistical and computational demographic components for demographic estimation and population projections;
5. Assists in developing and maintaining databases on demographic indicators, population and development indicators, and indicators or information on other population-related issues;
6. Identifying gaps in existing demographic data on population and vital statistics; identifying original data sources; organizing data for importing into the empirical database currently developed by PEPS; evaluating consistency and quality of the data;

The specific research topics will be defined based on discussion between the intern and the responsible officer, and should be mutually beneficial for both the intern and UN.
Upon completion of this internship, the intern will prepare a brief report and make a presentation to the Division on the experience gained, and any potential substantive research paper that this internship might lead to.
The intern may also be asked to assist in the day-to-day work of the Division if required. S/he: The intern is expected to familiarize him/herself, to a limited extent, with administrative work of the division and other tasks that are typical of UN organizations.

Competencies
Communication:
Speaks and writes clearly and effectively
Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately
Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication
Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience
Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed

Teamwork:
Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals
Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others
Places team agenda before personal agenda
Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position
Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings

Client orientation:
Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view
Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect
Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions
Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems
Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects
Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client

Education
To qualify for an internship with the United Nations New York Headquarters Internship Programme, applicants must be enrolled in a Master’s degree or PhD-Programme at the time of application and during the internship; or if pursuing their studies in countries where higher education is not divided into undergraduate and graduate stages, have completed at least fours years of full-studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a degree.
For this internship, they should be pursuing their studies preferably in demography, population studies, human geography, applied statistics, and be computer literate in standard software applications. Proficiency with statistical software programming (e.g., Matlab, or R or Stata).; Working experience with MS Excel and (preferably) with MS Access and SQL server is desirable. Familiarity with population and vital statistics data; and with demographic estimation methods are assets, but not prerequisite.

Work Experience
Applicants are not required to have professional work experience for participation in the program.

Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required for the Internship Programme.
Knowledge of an additional official UN language is an asset. Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish are the official languages of the United Nations Secretariat.

Assessment Method
Potential candidates will be contacted by hiring manager directly for further consideration.

Special Notice
A completed online application (Cover Note and Personal History Profile) is required. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
The Cover Note must include:
Graduate Degree Programme (What are you currently studying?)
Graduation Date (When will you be graduating from the program?)
List the IT skills and programs that you are proficient in.
List your top three areas of interest.
Explain why you are the best candidate for this specific internship.
Explain your interest in the United Nations Internship Programme.

In your online Personal History Profile, be sure to include all past work experiences, IT skills, and three references. Due to the high volume of applications received, ONLY successful candidates will be contacted.

United Nations Considerations
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations – Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.




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