Intern - Global Programs & Operations

IIRR is one of the world’s leading rural development NGOs. Founded in 1960, IIRR’s programs have impacted more than 68 million rural lives across five continents. The organization’s programs address the health, education, and environmental conditions of rural communities and prioritize the delivery of sustainable and scalable solutions that empower people to improve their lives and livelihoods. IIRR maintains offices in Africa, Asia, and North America.

IIRR is looking for intelligent, strategic, and resourceful thinkers to support the organization’s global, regional, and country-level work. IIRR Interns have the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of organizational functions and projects, gaining practical experience in an international development organization while working with colleagues across a diverse global team.

Potential Areas of Support

Intern assignments will be tailored to organizational priorities as well as the intern’s skills, interests, and academic or professional goals. Depending on current needs, interns may support one or more of the following areas:

Fundraising & Development

• Support research and preparation of grant proposals, concept notes, donor materials, and other fundraising documents.
• Conduct research on prospective donors, funding opportunities, and relevant trends in international development.
• Assist with organizing and maintaining information and materials related to fundraising and donor engagement.

Partnerships

• Support research and outreach related to potential organizational, institutional, and strategic partners.
• Assist with partnership development activities, background research, and preparation of partnership materials.
• Support coordination and documentation of meetings, collaborations, and learning exchanges.

Research & Learning

• Conduct literature reviews and research on topics relevant to IIRR’s programs and organizational priorities.
• Support the identification and documentation of tools, approaches, and evidence related to measuring program outcomes and impact.
• Assist with research, analysis, and preparation of reports, briefs, presentations, and other knowledge products.

Projects & Programs

• Support project initiatives in IIRR’s focus areas: health, education, food systems, economic empowerment, and the environment.
• Assist with project planning, implementation, monitoring, documentation, and reporting.
• Support the development of new program concepts in collaboration with colleagues around the world.

Operations & Organizational Support

• Provide research, administrative, analytical, and coordination support to global, regional, and country teams.
• Assist with developing and organizing operational documents, systems, processes, and internal resources.
• Support ad-hoc organizational initiatives and assignments as needed.

Advocacy & Communications

• Support the development of communications materials, including website content, social media, newsletters, reports, presentations, and other publications.
• Conduct research to support advocacy and public engagement on issues relevant to IIRR’s mission and areas of work.
• Assist with documenting and communicating program results, organizational achievements, and stories of impact.

Interns may contribute to one or several of these areas during their placement. Because IIRR operates in a dynamic international environment, assignments may evolve over the course of the internship in response to organizational priorities and opportunities.

Internship Structure

This is an unpaid internship but is available for class credit. We offer two internship models:

1. Full-time: 5 days (40 hours) per week for 3 months
2. Part-time: 3–4 days (20 hours) per week for 6 months

This is a fully remote internship; however, it is not an asynchronous position. Interns are expected to maintain a consistent work schedule during regular New York/East Coast business hours and to be available and responsive during their agreed upon hours. 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in any discipline (completed prior to internship start date)
• Well-organized, reliable, and self-motivated
• Helpful and responsive, including when dealing with ad-hoc requests and providing support to colleagues
• Resourceful, creative, and comfortable with problem-solving
• Strong writing skills with meticulous attention to detail and organizational skills
• Curiosity, creativity, and willingness to contribute new and bold ideas
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to meet deadlines and effectively manage multiple tasks
• A willingness to learn from mistakes, adapt quickly, and incorporate feedback while respecting and valuing input from a global and diverse team
• Ability and willingness to work in a dynamic environment where responsibilities may evolve from week to week
• Intermediate experience with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google applications
• Responsive to manager’s feedback and able to take direction while executing work independently with minimal oversight in a remote working environment
• Passionate about making a positive difference

Application Instructions

Submit a resume/CV, cover letter, and contact information for three references. In your cover letter, please indicate whether you are seeking a full-time or part-time internship and identify the areas of work that are of greatest interest to you (e.g., fundraising/development, partnerships, research, projects/programs, operations, or advocacy/communications). Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

No calls, please. If you have not received a response from us in two weeks, you should assume that your application was not successful on this occasion.