Programme Support Intern

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Nairobi, UNOPS East and Southern Africa supports sustainable development across 14 countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. Since 1995, UNOPS has expanded its footprint in Kenya, delivering services in project management, infrastructure, procurement, and financial management. Across the region, the office implements diverse, partner-funded initiatives that respond to national priorities. In Mozambique, this includes delivering specialized equipment (EU), supporting health services (UNICEF), promoting agro-processing (KOICA), and advancing peacebuilding efforts through a Multi-Donor Fund. UNOPS also supports agricultural input distribution and the Northern Crisis Recovery Project, both funded by the World Bank. In Malawi, efforts include developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in partnership with the EU and the British Council. These initiatives reflect UNOPS’ commitment to strengthening national capacities, enhancing service delivery, and supporting progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

The Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) is an African country-led international partnership that brings together governments and stakeholders working to accelerate the deployment of renewables to enhance energy access, enable green industrialisation, and improve economic and societal resilience. To accelerate and optimize the implementation of APRA on the ground and enhance its operational and programme management capacities, UNOPS/ESAMCO is hosting the APRA Implementation Office.

The Interns support the APRA Implementation Office by providing multidisciplinary research, analytical, coordination, and communications assistance. The role contributes to evidence-based programme delivery, stakeholder engagement, knowledge products, and operational activities that advance APRA's objectives. Specific assignments will be matched, where possible, to the intern's field of study and demonstrated competencies.

Functions / Key Results Expected

1. Research, data and economic and policy analysis

2. Partnerships and stakeholder engagement

3. Communications and knowledge management

4. Programme and event planning and logistic support

5. Learning opportunity

Research, Data and Economic and Policy Analysis:

• Conduct desk research, literature reviews, data collection, and information gathering from credible government, academic, institutional, media, and international sources.

• Analyze and synthesize quantitative and qualitative information; identify trends, risks, opportunities, and policy implications; and contribute to briefs, concept notes, country profiles, reports, and meeting packages.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Support stakeholder mapping and relationships, partnership research, correspondence, meeting preparation, and delivery.

• Contribute to developing stakeholder briefs, consultation materials, and engagement products that communicate APRA priorities clearly and accurately.

Communications and Knowledge Management:

• Draft, edit, and format briefing notes, talking points, presentations, newsletters, web or social media content, and other communication products for internal and external audiences.

• Help maintain country information, contact lists, project repositories, calendars, databases, shared files, and other knowledge-management resources, while applying appropriate quality-control and confidentiality standards.

Programme and Event planning and logistics Support:

• Assist with programme coordination and the preparation of meetings, workshops, consultations, and events, including agendas, invitations, participant materials, presentations, note-taking, documentation, and action tracking.

Learning Opportunity

This internship offers a structured opportunity to build practical skills in an international development and renewable energy setting. Assignments will provide exposure to several of the following areas, depending on organizational needs and the intern's profile:

• Develop interdisciplinary research and analytical skills by gathering, validating, interpreting, and synthesizing information from diverse sources.

• Strengthen professional writing, presentation, communication, and data-storytelling skills for technical and non-technical audiences.

• Gain exposure to international cooperation, policy processes, advocacy, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement in an African regional context.

• Improve programme coordination, knowledge management, event support, teamwork, and other transferable professional skills through hands-on assignments and feedback.

Required: A minimum first-level university degree (Bachelor's or equivalent), or enrollment in a postgraduate programme, or graduation from such studies within three (3) years prior to the start date of the internship assignment.

Relevant fields include Economics, Statistics or Data Science,Energy or Environmental Studies, International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related field.

Desired:

• Relevant academic, volunteer, extracurricular, or internship exposure in research, data, economics, policy, international relations, communications, knowledge management, or programme support is desirable; no prior professional experience is required.

• Strong writing, organization, and presentation skills, demonstrated through reports, briefs, presentations, research papers, or digital content.

• Proficiency in standard office and collaboration tools. Familiarity with analytical tools (such as advanced Excel, R, Python, SQL, Power BI or Tableau) or communications tools (such as Canva, Adobe applications, content-management systems or social media platforms) is an asset, depending on the assignment.

• Interest in international development, renewable energy, climate action, green industrialisation, economic transformation, or African regional cooperation is an asset.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.