Human Resources Intern

Deadline for Applications

January 29, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Internship

Target Start Date

Terms of Reference

The HR Unit of the HQ Support Section supports UNHCR's 3 headquarter locations in Geneva, Budapest, and Copenhagen with vacancy support and the management of affiliate workforce. The HR intern will be based in Copenhagen or Budapest and will support colleagues based in Copenhagen and Budapest.

The Position

We are seeking a dynamic and proactive team player, with a strong interest in Human Resources and refugee issues, to complete a six-month internship within UNHCR's HR team. This internship is a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience with HR practices within UNHCR and the UN in general.
The Human Resources Intern will be working under the supervision of the HR Officer and HR colleagues. The selected candidate will get hands-on recruitment experience and work in a multicultural team with colleagues from all over the world.

Duties and responsibilities

1. Administrative Support

• Managing HR documentation (e.g. contracts, onboarding forms, personnel files)

• Assisting with data entry in HR systems (e.g. Workday)

• Scheduling interviews, meetings, or training sessions

• Preparing reports or presentations for HR metrics
2. Recruitment Assistance

• Posting job openings on internal and external platforms

• Screening CVs and applications

• Coordinating interview logistics

• Communicating with candidates
3. Employee Services

• Responding to employee queries via email or ticketing systems

• Supporting HR helpdesk operations
4. HR Projects and Process Improvement

• Supporting ongoing HR initiatives (e.g. diversity programs, engagement surveys)

• Participating in process mapping or documentation
5. Learning & Development

• Coordinating training sessions and tracking attendance

• Updating learning management systems

• Preparing feedback forms and compiling results

Minimum qualifications required.

In order to be considered for an internship, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Be either a recent graduate (having completed their studies within two years of applying) or a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or higher education facility accredited by IAU/UNESCO ; and

• Have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in a field relevant or of interest to the work of UNHCR .

• Candidates with previous UNHCR Internship experience must not have exceeded the
maximum total cumulative full-time internship duration of eight (8) months.

NOTE: An individual who bears the relationship of parent, child or sibling or step-parent, step-child or step-sibling to a current UNHCR staff member or affiliate is not eligible for an internship.

Desirable qualifications and skills

The ideal candidate will:

• Be fluent in English, with advanced writing and editing skills. Additional languages are desirable, but not essential;

• Have a degree in areas of Human Resources Management, Business Administration, or related field;

• Have excellent communication skills with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills as well as be comfortable with working in an international environment;

• Have good experience using the Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint);

• Demonstrate a genuine desire to learn and develop;

• Be highly organised and have good attention to detail;

• Be able to multi-task and to priorities workload;

• Be a flexible team-player.

Conditions

It is a full-time role with working hours starting from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). The successful candidate will be assigned to support the team in Copenhagen.

Internships normally last two to six months, with the possibility of extension up to eight months for full-time internships and twelve months for part-time internships.

How to apply

The selected candidate will receive a link to the UNHCR recruitment portal to create a profile.

Obligations

Acquiring and renewing current visas, residence permits including all associated costs, obtaining medical certification and compliance with taxation requirements (if applicable), are the responsibility of the intern.

The selected candidate will need to provide UNHCR with a proof of funding from the sponsoring institution (if applicable), health insurance coverage applicable to the assigned internship location and a certificate of good health from a qualified medical practitioner certifying their fitness for work, as well as travel. In the event the candidate is not able to produce the required certificate, they will not be admitted to the Internship Programme.

Allowance and Travel: The Sponsoring Institution shall provide non-reimbursable financial support in the form of a stipend/scholarship/allowance/etc. for the period of internship with UNHCR. Travel expenses to and from the internship location shall be the responsibility of the respective sponsoring institution. UNHCR is not responsible for any renumeration for the intern during the internship period.

If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form.
There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process.

Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request.

All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, or training).
We welcome applications from candidates with a refugee or stateless background.

The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.Standard Job Description Required Languages English

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Desired Languages

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Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Remote

No

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