Humanitarian Policy Intern

NRC Geneva leads Norwegian Refugee Council’s representation and activities in Geneva and is currently home to the majority of NRC’s global Policy and Advocacy Section (PAS). NRC strives to assist and protect vulnerable and displaced people during crises, especially in situations of conflict. Established in 1946, NRC is an independent, humanitarian, non-profit, non-governmental organisation working in over 40 countries. NRC employs a rights-based approach, challenging those with responsibility to uphold the rights of displaced people set out within national and International Laws. NRC endeavours to secure the acceptance of local stakeholders for activities and is committed to the principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality.

NRC, with the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) advocates towards decision-makers at local, national, regional and global levels in order to obtain full respect for the rights of displaced and vulnerable people. Advocating with the United Nations, especially with protection mandated agencies, is a priority in order to strengthen humanitarian response. NRC seeks to engage with all relevant actors in order to secure and maintain access to displaced and vulnerable people, and promote the achievement of durable solutions. durable solutions. 

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organisation’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships. In 2025, NRC Geneva continues its engagement in the following policy areas: protection, climate change and disaster displacement, humanitarian financing, counter-terrorism measures which impede humanitarian action, and principled humanitarian action.

What you will do:

NRC Geneva and PAS is looking for an Intern to support on:

• Protection policy
• Interagency coordination and system reform
• Humanitarian financing policy
• Principled humanitarian action
• Geneva-focused advocacy outreach
• Other general humanitarian policy and advocacy engagement

Important: Only students enrolled in a course of study and pursuing this internship as a mandatory and integral part of a university program provided for by Swiss cantonal or federal legislation are eligible for this internship. The university must be willing to sign a tri-partite agreement with NRC Geneva and provide an attestation confirming that the internship gives study credits.

Specific tasks are as follows:

Support to humanitarian policy workstreams

• Support NRC’s engagement on humanitarian system reform and interagency coordination, protection policy, humanitarian financing, and principled humanitarian action;
• Assist in the development of internal policy positions and advocacy materials;
• Support in the start-up and drafting of practical research products;
• Production of presentations and other support material for internal and external communications and trainings.

Communication and Coordination

• Attend relevant calls and events focused on the above-mentioned themes, taking and distributing notes as relevant (e.g. internal advocacy calls, ICVA working groups, etc.);
• Production of timely PAS and Geneva Representation office meeting minutes (NRC Geneva weekly meeting, CoP on Humanitarian Coordination etc.);
• Support outreach and communication internally and externally through communication and dissemination of products (including key messages, media products, position papers etc.);
• Support in the development of communication and advocacy materials, including for social media in coordination with relevant communication colleagues (PAS and NRC Geneva);
• Support to the organisation of any events and workshops led by NRC Geneva and PAS;
• Support in preparing for advocacy or other representation visits managed by NRC Geneva;
• Ad hoc support to the Humanitarian Hub Coordinator.

Workplans and reporting 

• Support the preparation of donor reports and support material for grants in line with donor requirements;
• Support the development and use of tracking tools for internal and external workplan objectives or other deliverables.

What we are looking for:

1. Professional competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Science, Law, Communications, International Relations or a relevant field.
• Interest in humanitarian policy or advocacy, with ability to demonstrate familiarity with one or more relevant policy areas a strong advantage.
• Advanced proficiency in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in French is an advantage
• Proven research, analytical and documentation skills
• Strong organization skills and attention to detail

2. Behavioural competencies

• Self-starter and team player
• Planning and delivering results
• Analysis and drafting
• Coping with change and multiple tasks
• Enthusiasm and willingness to learn

What makes this position attractive?

• A challenging and exciting opportunity with an international team dedicated to advocating for the rights of people forced to flee;
• A valuable and enriching opportunity for students interested in a career in the humanitarian sector;
• A 6-months full-time internship with NRC in Geneva (Our preference is for a full-time internship engagement; however, an 80–90% work time percentage arrangement may be considered for the right candidate).

We are also looking for people who share our values:

• To be dedicated in what we do;
• To be innovative with our solutions;
• To act as one unified and inclusive team;
• To be accountable to the donors that make our work possible; the beneficiaries that we exist to serve; and to each other… the members of our NRC family.

Are you interested? Please apply through our online application tool, and make sure to attach a cover letter and your CV. We look forward to receiving your application!

Important: Only students enrolled in a course of study and pursuing this internship as a mandatory and integral part of a university program provided for by Swiss cantonal or federal legislation are eligible for this internship. The university must be willing to sign a tri-partite agreement with NRC Geneva and provide an attestation confirming that the internship gives study credits.