Location: UNFPA HQ in NY or remotely (pending COVID-19 circumstances)
Full/Part-time: Part/Full-time (approximately 15-40 hours per week)
Duration: 3 to 6 months (starting as from February 2022)
About UNFPA and How You Can Make a Difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA expands choices and possibilities for women and young people to lead healthy and productive lives. The agency’s new strategic plan (2022-2025), focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results. We need interns who are exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results.
The Position:
UNFPA is the largest public sector distributor of reproductive health commodities in the world, working with Ministries of Health and international family planning NGOs in 90+ countries to fulfill our mandate.
In order for UNFPA to achieve its transformative goals of eliminating the unmet need for family planning and ending preventable maternal deaths, it is vital to ensure that these supplies reach the women and girls UNFPA serves adequately and on time. To that purpose, the Last Mile Assurance (LMA) process is designed to obtain reliable evidence of whether UNFPA-donated programme supplies are adequately managed and safeguarded by the entities to which they are entrusted and timely reach the designated service delivery points (SDPs) where beneficiaries can access them, i.e., the "last mile". The LMA process also aims to strengthen UNFPA’s implementing partners’ capacities, prevent fraud, and minimize waste and losses.
While the LMA process operates under UNFPA’s Finance Branch, it will transition to the new Supply Chain Management Unit to ensure effective coordination with other up-stream, midstream and downstream SCM functions in the organization.
Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Finance Branch, and the LMA Team Lead, the intern will support the implementation of the LMA process. A work-plan with achievements for the duration of the Internship and learning opportunities will be agreed upon. Related learning opportunities for the Internship will be agreed upon at the start of the internship period. Ongoing supervision and coaching by experienced LMA team members leading the work-streams, and participation in period progress meetings will lead to a beneficial environment for the intern, enhancing their understanding of UNFPA’s mandate and their skills and capacity in the areas and processes to which the work-streams relate.
Main tasks and responsibilities:
Review various deliverables such as supply-chain overview maps and fact sheets, programme supplies reports, and supply-chain management risk assessments submitted by partners to ensure that they have fulfilled requirements.
Compile findings from Stock Count Reports, which provide the year-end balance of commodities held at UNFPA partners’ warehouses
Ensure quality of findings from Spot-checks, which are on-site verifications of UNFPA partners’ management of programme supplies
Participate in meetings with Country Offices (COs) to discuss the outcomes of deliverables.
Track the status of the different Last Mile Assurance activities in each country.
Prepare and edit LMA activity Summary Reports about key achievements.
Create presentations and other materials for training on programme supplies management and Last Mile Assurance to UNFPA Country Offices and/or implementing partners in English and French.
Support logistics for team meetings, travel arrangements, training for country offices and partners, and events.
Prepare a final deliverable, on a supply chain intervention in one country within your portfolio.
Perform other duties as required.
You Have:
Your Education: Active enrollment or recent completion (within one year) of a Master’s level degree programme in a relevant field (e.g. International Development, Gender, Business Administration, Human Rights, Supply Chain Management, Public Health, Pharmacy, Data Analysis, Accounting or Social Sciences). Students with a strong international background undertaking undergraduate studies in the above fields would also be eligible for the internship.
Your Experience:
Written and spoken proficiency in English and in French. Arabic and/or Spanish are a plus.
Strong attention to detail.
Experience using MS Excel.
Strong analytical and writing skills.
Experience using business intelligence and data visualization software is desirable.
Experience using graphic design is desirable.
Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members from different national and cultural backgrounds.
Prior experience in working with development agencies, including in volunteer capacity, as well as working in a low- or middle- income country would be considered an advantage.
Learning Elements:
Upon completion of the assignments, and depending on their duration and assigned work-streams, the Interns will gain the following knowledge assets:
Understanding of UNFPA, its mandate, its programme supplies policies and procedures and the mechanisms through which these are implemented.
Understanding of supply-chain management processes and activities at UNFPA, the challenges faced, and the controls required for an effective supply-chain management.
Understanding of the challenges faced in distributing key reproductive health commodities to women and girls at the last mile.
Enhanced ability to write and formulate substantive documents, including standard operating procedures and training materials.
Enhanced ability to develop and utilize data analysis tools and models.
Networking with UN personnel.
Work experience as a team member in a multicultural setting.
Understanding of the dynamics of operational and programme support and communications to the field, and at the level of HQ.
Understanding of UN technical language, working procedures, and coordination mechanisms.
Financial Aspects:
Interns do not receive a salary or any other form of remuneration from UNFPA. The costs associated with an intern's participation in the programme must be assumed either by the nominating institution, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students, or by the students themselves, who will have to meet living expenses as well as make their own arrangements for accommodation, travel and other requirements.
However, interns will receive a stipend to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, if not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation, or scholarship programme. The stipend will be paid based on the location where the intern is based. For example, the stipend in New York is USD 1,000 per month.
Applicants must have medical insurance for the duration of the internship. Proof of insurance will need to be submitted before the internship begins. UNFPA does not provide medical insurance for interns.
How to apply:
Interested candidates should share a cover letter and resume to fenker@unfpa.org with the subject header “LAST NAME LMA Intern Application 2022.”
The deadline to apply is January 26th, 2022 at midnight EST.