Business Development Support Internship

United Nations Development Programme

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a 'leave no one behind' approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Unit of Information and Technology Management (ITM) in Copenhagen is responsible for supporting UNDP Country Offices around the world with ICT and Green Energy and other technical services and solutions under the Smart Facilities initiative. Our Unit offers a stimulating and versatile internship in an international environment with contact to various partners from more than 170 countries with the UN and UNDP's presence. We are a team who work in a dynamic and informal atmosphere, and we expect our interns to become vital members of the team. 

As an intern, you will be given tasks and opportunities that have a direct global impact on the development efforts of the international community. The UNDP/ITM internship programme enhances the academic life experience of passionate students as interns and empowers them to become socially responsible, innovative, and environmentally conscious leaders of tomorrow. We bridge the gap between textbook learning and real-life industry experience by taking interns behind the scenes of the world's leading clean energy and sustainability initiatives, while learning to take into consideration the local context.

You will join the Business Development Group, where creativity, collaboration, and curiosity are celebrated. From tackling exciting challenges to working on groundbreaking projects, your days will be filled with opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. Every new challenge is a chance to learn, and we aim at having fun when achieving results and developing new skills.
By being a part of our dynamic unit, you will also gain worldwide connections with other top-talented interns and UN staff from other agencies. Our office is located at the UN City in Copenhagen giving you the opportunity to interact with people outside the UNDP ITM Unit.

Duties and Responsibilities

- Coordinate with technical teams for marketing support and collaborate with UN Country Offices and other agencies on promotional efforts (banners, ceremonies, visuals, articles) to promote Smart Facilities projects and to inspire a movement.
- Facilitate and support on-going projects with project documents and agreements, market research reports, managing and updating project dashboards.
- Lead and support the coordination of internal communication between the different teams; organize internal and external workshops; improve processes and communications to ensure the implementation of Smart Facilities projects.
- Work directly with green energy engineers, ICT engineers, finance and administrative colleagues and translate technical knowledge into easy-to-understand material.
- Support the Chief of Smart Infrastructure analysing operational data, identifying trends, improving workflows, and assisting in process automation coordination in areas such as IoT, AI-driven infrastructure, and sustainability.
- Prepare and give presentations about Smart Facilities, Green Energy, IoT, Connectivity and Security products and services.
- Develop Smart Facilities services, catalogs, write knowledge management articles and create a strategy to guarantee professional overview of support services provided and ensure continuous improvement.
- Identify potential projects on the several procurement websites of the UN system (e.g. Procurement website); identify HQ initiatives and programs related to greening the UN and partners (e.g. Moonshot program); compile application documentations and make sure that ITM meets requirements and deadlines.
Improve templates/working documents/tools/websites/design files/figures used (e.g. Business Case, Presentations) for effective decision-making and working processes.
- Support ITM to develop a compelling narrative on implemented Smart Facilities projects (i.e. writing articles, interview stakeholders) and designing community engagement strategy and plan with a focus on capacity building and operation & maintenance.
- Develop and maintain external relationships for innovation and business expansion for Smart Facilities.
- Overall coordination and executive support to the Chief of Smart Infrastructure.
Duration: 6 months (1 August 2025 - 31 January 2026)

Competencies

- Interest in Sustainability and more particularly within the energy sector and information technologies.
- Interest in Digitalization and Innovation – understanding of different technologies and benefits.
- Proactiveness & independence - Ability to work in an independent, project mode and proactively push projects.
- Flexible and self-motivated – able to adapt to new situations based on business needs with high motivation.
- Goal oriented and decision-making skills – willing to push tasks to achieve results according to the plan.
- Teamwork and capacity building – able to share information and knowledge with teammates and project stakeholders to achieve a goal.
- Creativity and troubleshooting – ability to find solutions independently and positive mindset to find ways of overcoming challenges.
- Analyze data in Excel to promote growth, implement KPIs metrics to improve tracking, and enhance visualization into charts (via PowerBI or similar).
- Stakeholder management - Experience in Sales, Marketing, Project management/coordination, Customer Service or Buying would be appreciated. Good communication skills are strongly appreciated.
- Presentation and branding - good knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Canvas or similar, as well as SharePoint. Ability to create visuals in Photoshop or similar is a plus.
- Growth-oriented mindset – Experience in business development, organization of webinars would be appreciated.

Required Skills and Experience

- Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:
a. Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master's programme, or higher);
b. Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor's degree or equivalent);
c. Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
d. Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.
- Experience in using Adobe Suite and focus on design for professional visual materials and product is a strong advantage.
- Practical experience on using PowerBI to develop project budget and enable efficient project documentation is a strong advantage.
- Knowledge or experience with Office 365 tools and OneDrive (Dropbox, Google Drive) is a strong advantage.
- SharePoint knowledge, preferably SharePoint Online is an advantage
- Proficiency in Excel, SQL, or data visualization tools and experience working with gathering, consolidating, and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data from databases and reports is an advantage.
- Demonstrated professional or academic experience, especially on market research of technical solutions in UNDP Member States is an advantage.
- Fluent in written and spoken English is mandatory. Knowledge of additional UN languages (especially French/Spanish) is a strong advantage.
- Experience with circular economy, sustainability, engineering, smart cities is an advantage.
- Experience with programming and knowledge of Python is an advantage.

Conditions

- In accordance with the UNDP Internship policy, UNDP interns are eligible to receive a monthly stipend, with the rate that varies depending on the duty location. The stipend will be paid monthly, and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.
- Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will, subject to the rules of such institution, government or a third party, pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend.
- Where an intern is engaged in-person and is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, Government, foundation or scholarship programme, a stipend intended to help cover basic daily expenses related to an in-person internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station, is paid by the receiving office (monthly "in-person" stipend rate is USD 1,000). A remote reduced stipend (the rate is a subject to the duty station location) is intended to help cover expenses related to the internship, such as internet connections or other means to remain in contact with the receiving office, is paid by the receiving office.
- Except for the stipend, all other expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring government or institutions.
- Interns are not considered staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
- Interns are responsible for securing adequate medical insurance for the duration of their internship with UNDP and must provide a medical certificate of good health prior to starting the internship. UNDP will not reimburse the medical insurance of the intern. Any costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship assignment will be the responsibility of the intern.
- The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP, but to complement an intern's studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.
- UNDP accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship.
- The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed, accommodation etc.
- Interns are not eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of the internship.
- The intern must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan.
- You are expected to work full-time, but flexibility is allowed for your education programme.

How to apply

Do not miss out on this opportunity to be a part of this international team and apply by the deadline 27 April 2025, midnight (CET).
The application should contain:

- Cover Letter (in English) stating interest in and qualifications for the post;
- Current and complete CV in English;
 
Please group your CV and cover letter into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows you to upload a maximum of one document.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and called for interviews following the deadline.
If you have any questions, please write to us via email address itm.internship@undp.org

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders) 

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 

Scam warning

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Sector: Nonprofit/Community/Social Services/International Cooperation

Role: Other

Working hours (%): 80-100% / 100%

Job type: Internship

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