Background
Shelter Centre, www.sheltercentre.org, is an international humanitarian NGO registered in Switzerland which collaborates with agencies in direct support of their operations, as well as building capacity in the sector. Shelter Centre is dedicated to supporting collaboration, consensus and capacity throughout the global technical humanitarian community of practice. We serve the global technical community of practice through regular global practitioners’ events and resources.
Shelter Centre’s current project in Pakistan is part of a broader collaboration with the Sindh Housing Recovery and Reconstruction Platform (SHRRP), https://shrrp.org/, which is taking care of data collection on the ground. The project is funded by a grant provided by the Swiss municipality of Carouge in Geneva. The end goal is to support local populations in Sindh Province by strengthening community humanitarian knowledge management, so they can best prepare for and respond to the crises they face, due to regular destructive floods. We will be developing with communities and SHRRP a knowledge sharing tool, suited to their needs, which we are currently assessing involving over 200 local NGO and government staff.
Internships Description and Requirements
Main Responsibilities and Tasks
Informed by preliminary feedback, the intern will participate in the development of the projects mentioned. This may involve activities including, but not limited to:
- Understanding the contexts and audiences of the guidance, as Shelter Centre always recognises affected populations as the primary responders
- If located in Sindh, potentially supporting the team with on-site data gathering
- Researching existing information available on the subject through literature review
- Drafting and redrafting of content and reports, involving multiple iterations in response to further comments received
- Train team on data analysis
Internship Opportunities
The internship opportunities offered are unpaid. Interns are expected to contribute to one (or more) of our ongoing projects and missions in parallel, including but not limited to:
- Developing the Humanitarian Library website (www.humanitarianlibrary.org) by adding new collections of resources and reviewing website functionalities
- Supporting the efforts of the Fundraising and the Human Resources teams
- Contributing to the Weekly Coordination teamwork, especially to organising the Weekly Meeting between all Shelter Centre volunteers
- Researchers and data-analysts are sought, capable of the analysis and synthesis of information. Whereas no technical or operational expertise is required, social scientists, engineers and architects with a proven research background are preferred
These voluntary positions are for those committed to a future career in humanitarian action, seeking experience and opportunities to inform their decisions in identifying directions. Our people are the foundation to our work, and we offer weekly bilateral personal development opportunities. Giving the opportunity of professional growth for all interns, including many Pakistanis and those with Pakistani heritage, former volunteers have gone on to work with donors, UN agencies, the Red Cross Movement, INGOs and CSOs.
Education, Skills, and Experience
Required:
- Commitment to humanitarian action, potentially seeking career transfer into the humanitarian profession
- Excellent research and writing skills, including methodologies and analysis
- University degree involving structured research, ideally in Social Sciences, Civil Engineering or Architecture. Applicants with general research and proposal development experience will also be considered carefully
- Strong organisation skills and demonstrated experience in project or content management, multi-tasking, prioritising and working accurately to set deadlines
- General computer literacy, including in Microsoft Teams and Outlook
Desired:
- Proven ability to work effectively and harmoniously in a team of colleagues of varied cultural and professional backgrounds
- Social scientists, engineers and architects with a proven research background preferred
Benefits
Volunteers and interns are fundamental to Shelter Centre’s work and receive personal development opportunities, including individualized mentoring sessions and career guidance. Additionally, volunteers and interns will receive a recommendation letter upon successful completion. They will also have opportunities to network remotely with professionals in international humanitarian action and benefit from a team-led programme for professional development, involving external speakers, team speakers, skills development such as around LinkedIn, and undertaking online trainings together.
Conditions
- Availability:Â The internship is meant to last four months; however, the duration can be extended at a later stage. Applications for part-time positions may be considered for a minimum of 4 full days a week. All positions will begin with a one-month probationary period
- Location:Â Fully remote, applicants can be from any part of the world. Applicants must hold or obtain a valid permit allowing them to reside and undertake the volunteership or internship where they are located. Shelter Centre, with over a decade of experience in remote collaboration, provides a structured and supportive environment for interns.
Successful candidates will bear their own insurance, accommodation and living costs.
How to apply
Applicants are encouraged to submit a CV and motivation letter as soon as possible, as recruitment will be undertaken on a rolling basis.
To apply, please send your CV (2 pages maximum) and a cover letter (1 page maximum) in English by email to recruitment@sheltercentre.org
Closing date: 15th of December 2025 (23:59, Geneva time, CET)