Internship - Media and Communications, Partnership Team - WFP London Office, UK

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of extreme weather shocks.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

The London Office plays a key role in fostering strategic partnerships and engaging UK stakeholders, including the Government, parliament, media, private sector, academia, civil society and the public.

London is a global communications hub with many UK-based media outlets accessed across the world. As such, our engagement with the media in London is particularly important for WFP. We are looking for an experienced, dynamic Media and Communications Intern to support the UK Lead in raising awareness and support for our work. The Intern will assist with creating tailored content, both online and offline, and will help to build brand recognition among key stakeholders across the UK.

General Information

• Title of Post: Media and Communications Intern

• Supervisor: UK Media and Communications Lead

• Unit: Public Partnerships Division

• City and Country: London, United Kingdom

• Duration of internship: 8 Months
• Expected Start Date: Monday, 4 January 2027 (with some flexibility)

Duties and responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the UK Media and Communications Lead, the candidate will support WFP's London Office with the following key duties:

• Daily media monitoring, analysing the UK media landscape and identifying trends, risks and opportunities for proactive and reactive engagement.

• Production of social media content, including stories from the field, UK aid worker profiles and social media packages.

• Management of the London Office LinkedIn account and support to the London Director with content generation.

• Collaborate with WFP Country Offices to gather and produce stories, testimonials and multimedia assets that showcase the impact of WFP’s programmes.

• Liaison with the FCDO Communications team to amplify the visibility of UK-funded WFP programmes, regularly sharing content and coordinating with them around major visits, announcements and events.

• Occasional event coordination, managing logistics, invitations and preparations.

• Support the UK Media and Communications Lead to cultivate and expand relationships, particularly beyond traditional outlets and among influencers.

• Assist with the gathering of information for press releases, media advisories, Opeds, posts and talking points. Work with the London Office Director and UK Media and Communications Lead to coordinate outputs from WFP Goodwill Ambassadors, including preparation for announcements and consistent social media content.

In addition, the media and communications intern may also be required to:

• Monitor parliamentary debates, parliamentary questions tabled and wider political developments relevant to WFP priorities.

• Support the drafting of briefing materials, stakeholder engagement notes and parliamentary outreach activities as required.

• Attend relevant parliamentary, NGO, think tank and sector events to strengthen stakeholder engagement and identify advocacy opportunities;

Qualifications and experience

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate (minimum 2 years completed) or graduate programme, OR recently graduated (within 6 months prior to the application to the internship programme) from a recognized university;
• University course attendance in the past 12 months.
• Fluency in both oral and written communication in English. Working knowledge of another official UN language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian plus Portuguese) is an asset.
• Education: Communications, Journalism, Public Relations, International Relations or a related field.

• Understanding of the UK media landscape, ideally with some experience in a newsroom or communications department.

• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Required soft skills/WFP Competencies:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong news judgement and ability to see the bigger picture.

• Ability to use social media tools such as Canva to produce content.

• Ability to think creatively and strategically.

• Team spirit, good organisational and interpersonal skills and ability to take initiative.

• Knowledge of UK politics, foreign and development policy and current affairs would be an advantage.

Supervision

Under the direct supervision of UK Media and Communications Lead, the incumbent will be provided with close mentoring, guidance and technical supervision. Performance planning and reviews as well as learning and development discussions will be a key part of the supervision. The Director of the London Office will be the second-level supervisor. With the support of a comprehensive induction package, the Intern will rapidly become a productive member of the team.

Training components

Throughout their assignment WFP interns have access to an industry-leading learning platform, WeLearn. Depending on opportunities and availability of funds, he/she may participate in WFP workshops or seminars, as appropriate.

Learning elements

At the end of the assignment, the Intern should have a greater understanding of the World Food Programme’s work and its role within the wider humanitarian system.

Terms and Conditions

• Interns receive a monthly stipend from WFP up to the maximum amount of US$1000 per month depending on the duty station of assignment.

• WFP is not responsible for living expenses, arrangements for accommodation, necessary visas and related costs.

• WFP will reimburse travel tickets for candidates who are nationals of developing countries and are pursuing their studies in their home country.

• WFP will recognise candidates’ educational credentials from institutions that have been certified by competent international or national authorities such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) or Ministries of Education.

• Candidates who bear any of the following relations to WFP staff members are not eligible to apply: sons, daughters, brothers or sisters.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.