The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center, is seeking a highly motivated and skilled individual for an internship focused on office administration related tasks. The internship will be based at IWMI’s South Africa office in Pretoria.

Scope of internship

This internship provides a structured, learning-focused opportunity for candidates and offers supervised exposure to front office operations and executive office support within an international research organization. The intern will work under close supervision and will support the Administration team and the Office of the Country Representative through learning-oriented administrative activities, while gaining practical workplace experience in a professional office environment. The intern will also be able to gain insight into working with people from different countries and cultures.

During this internship, the intern will assist in the following areas:

• Support reception and front office operations, including welcoming visitors, handling general enquiries, managing access, and maintaining a professional office environment.
• Assist with meeting and boardroom coordination, including scheduling, room preparation, basic logistical arrangements, and ensuring meeting spaces are maintained to standard.
• Provide supervised administrative and diary support to the Office of the Country Representative, including calendar coordination, meeting scheduling, reminders, and draft basic correspondence as instructed.
• Support travel and logistical coordination, including compiling travel information, maintaining records, and assisting with compliant submission of travel-related documentation.
• Assist with workshop, events, and meeting logistics, including venue preparation, catering coordination, on-site support, and post-event reset.
• Provide general administrative support to the office, as assigned, aligned with the internship learning objectives.

Requirements

• Final-year undergraduate or recent graduate in Office Administration, Business Administration, Public Administration and Office Management, or a related field.

• Basic computer literacy, including Microsoft Word, Outlook, and general office applications.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally in English.
• Willingness to learn, follow instructions, and work in a professional office environment.
• Any prior exposure through internships, Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), vacation work, or part-time administrative roles will be an advantage.

Benefits

IWMI will provide a monthly stipend to the selected candidate during the internship period.

The duration of the internship is 08 months with the possibility of extension based on requirements of IWMI, and availability of funds as well as performance. This is a nationally recruited internship and only citizens of South Africa are eligible to apply.

To apply, visit www.iwmi.org/jobs. Applications must be submitted by 12:00 (SAST) on May 07, 2026 (Thursday).

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is an international, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society and the private sector to solve water problems in developing countries and scale up solutions. Through partnership, IWMI combines research on the sustainable use of water and land resources, knowledge services and products with capacity strengthening, dialogue and policy analysis to support implementation of water management solutions for agriculture, ecosystems, climate change and inclusive economic growth. Headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, IWMI is a CGIAR Research Center with offices in 17 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 55 countries. www.iwmi.org

IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.