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

2024-05-01

Job Posting End Date

March 11, 2024

Terms of Reference

Title: Global Survey Intern
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Duration: 01/05/2024 to 31/10/2024 (with possibility of extension)

Organizational Context

The Statistics and Demographics Section (SDS) which is located in UNHCR’s Global Data Service (GDS) in Copenhagen, oversees the production of global statistics on refugees and other populations of concern to UNHCR. Access to reliable, timely and accurate data is essential to achieve the aims of the Data Transformation Strategy 2020-2025, that is, to position UNHCR as a trusted leader on data and information related to refugees and other populations of concern.

Global Survey Team within the SDS is leading on the UNHCR’s agenda on improving how the surveys are designed and implemented in order to improve the quality of survey-based evidence and to improve the credibility of the evidence derived from them internally and externally.

Refugees and asylum-seekers, and particularly those in protracted situations, have been increasing year on year. Addressing their self-reliance and the ambition to finding durable solutions requires a shift from a humanitarian to a development approach, supported by the collection of high-quality data for solution programming and advocacy. More specifically, socio-economic data is required to inform policies, to contribute to national development plans and to report on international commitments, like the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), the Common Country Analysis (CCA) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

UNHCR’s Forced Displacement Survey (FDS) is a new global standardized multi-topic nationally representative household survey programme suited to low- and lower-middle-income refugee hosting countries, which is coordinated and led by the Global Survey Team. As a means of comparison, the survey also focuses on resident population living in proximity of the refugee population, whether in camps or in communities. According to country priority interest and needs, other population groups can be added (i.e. returning refugees, internally displaced persons, former refugees).

UNHCR’s Global Survey Team also supports the development and implementation of the Results Monitoring Surveys (RMS), a survey programme focused on corporate reporting and accountability to the populations UNHCR serves and to the international community as a whole.

The Global Survey Intern will work under the direct supervision of the Senior Statistics and Data Analysis Officer – Survey Coordinator responsible for design, implementation and innovation of survey work within SDS, based in Copenhagen. The intern will support the work of the experts in the GST on design and implementation of surveys, particularly the new Forced Displacement Survey programme, as the main source for the production of official statistics as well as for programming, targeting, and monitoring activities. She/he will work on supporting the improvement of existing and development of new survey instruments according to international statistical standards and survey best practices with a strong respondent focus. This work will lead to contributions to questionnaire design, evaluation and testing and related methods for various surveys across the organization.

Duties and responsibilities

• Support the survey design, such as help with questionnaire organisation and testing the instrument’s flow on a tablet; support with preparing interviewer training materials and other survey related guidance.
• Support work on the understanding of the quality of collected data such as using the scripts for data checking or monitoring data quality dashboards and discuss observations with the analysts and survey experts.
• Support utilisation of surveys and the evidence they produce by support on drafting survey reports and other research outputs produced by the unit.
• Support the coordination activities such as preparation of survey missions and support in preparation of relevant documents pre- or post-mission as well as help with organisation of other workshops and meetings.

Eligibility

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.

NOTE: An individual whose father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister is a staff member of UNHCR, including a Temporary Appointment holder or a member of the Affiliate Workforce, is not eligible for an internship.

Desirable qualifications and skills

• A Master’s degree (MA, MSc) in Statistics, Demography, Survey methods, Empirical Sociology, Economics, Social Science, Public Policy or any other related field;
• Demonstrated ability in applied statistics, particularly in relation to the analysis of survey data.
• Demonstrated ability to develop written material (reports, notes from meeting and advocacy material), particularly survey reports and research papers based on survey data;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with different audiences both technical and non-technical;
• Knowledge and experience using at least one statistical and data software such as STATA, R or SPSS;
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office suite, especially Excel;
• Interest and understanding of official statistics and operational data, including different data sources (surveys, administrative data and census) would be an advantage;
• Interest to pursue career in humanitarian/development action, forced displacement, migration or related field.
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members from different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Fluency in English language (knowledge of another UN language is an asset).

Location and Conditions

The successful candidate will be based with the team in the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The internship is for six months, with the possibility of extension to eight months, and the expected start date is 1 May 2024. It is a full-time role with 40 working hours per week.

Shortlisted candidates might be required to sit for a written test. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified. No late applications will be accepted.

For non-EU candidates, D-visa needs to be obtained prior to traveling to Denmark which could takes up to 8 weeks. The office will provide assistance on visa-related issues.

Allowance: Interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party will receive an allowance to partially help to cover the cost of food, local transportation and living expenses.

Unless provided or paid by their sponsoring entities, UNHCR reimburses interns’ travel costs to/from the duty station.

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.

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.