Fall 2024 Economic Empowerment – Benefits Intern

SCOPE OF WORK

The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by placing recently arrived refugees in their first job in the United States. The goal of the program is to help clients reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment and assist clients in securing full-time employment. Clients receive public benefits as they transition to employment and obtain sufficient income to successfully pay their expenses. The intern will work directly under the supervision of the Cash and Benefits Specialists.

This is an unpaid internship position that requires a minimum commitment of 20 hours a week for at least two months.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Orient clients to Refugee Cash Assistance and KTAP Differential programs.
• Assist Benefits Specialists in gathering necessary documentation for submitting public benefits applications.
• Transport clients and any required documents to the Department of Community Based Services [DCBS] office as needed.
• Follow up with DCBS to check the status of public benefits applications.
• Maintain accurate and up to date case files and case notes.
• Regularly track service provision and cash distributions through electronic data entry.
• Other duties as assigned.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Intern will gain US resettlement agency experience in assessing new clients.
• Intern will learn how to communicate effectively across cultures including by utilizing interpreters.
• Intern will acquire knowledge of programs and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants.
• Intern will learn how to effectively create resumes and job search for clients.
• Intern will gain skills in strategic research and outreach strategies.
• Intern will learn reporting requirements for resettlement agencies and how capturing this data improves services.

REQUIREMENTS

• Current undergraduate, graduate student or less than 12 months out of school.
• Fall (September, October, November): Minimum 20 hours/week for 3 months
• Minimum 10 hours/week
• Primary availability during IRC business hours (M-F; 9:00 am – 5:00pm)
• Preference given to applicants able to make multi-term commitment
• Strong digital literacy skills and the ability to learn new software and tasks.
• Organized and attentive to detail.
• Ability to work independently and multi-task.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including cross-cultural communication skills.
• Works well in a fast-paced environment and adapts quickly to change.
• Interest in working with refugee and humanitarian populations.
• Fluency in Spanish, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, or Burmese is a plus.
• Access to an insured vehicle preferred, but not required.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.