Terms of Reference (ToR)
Internship opportunity with UNHCR Country Office Sarajevo (Administration Section)
1. Introduction
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Country Office Sarajevo, is currently looking for a talented and motivated candidate, with an outstanding interest to perform an internship in the field of general administration, supply and finance. UNHCR started its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) during the war, with one of the biggest relief operations ever organized. Since 1992, UNHCR has been the leading agency with regard to humanitarian assistance and protection of displaced persons and other persons of concerns in BiH. Today, in response to the unprecedented increase of arrivals of refugees and migrants to BiH, UNHCR in BiH worksin cooperation with the authorities, United Nations agencies and national and international civil society to coordinate and implement projects aimed at strengthening identification and referral of people in need of international protection, access to free legal aid, psychosocial assistance,
accommodation and recreational/educational activities for vulnerable asylum-seekers. UNHCR also supports BiH in the integration of recognized refugees and persons under subsidiary protection including the upgrade of the legal framework. Furthermore, UNHCR supports the authorities within the context of the Regional Housing Programme – initiated by UNHCR and designed to find solutions for the protracted displacement situation from the conflicts in the nineties. UNHCR is also working together with BiH institutions to end statelessness in the country.
2. Time of the engagement
- The internship will be initially granted for a period of two months and could be extended, subject of operational needs, available budget and successful performance, up to the maximum duration of eight months;
- The internship is on a full-time basis;
- The starting date of the internship can be immediate.
3. Description of activities
The intern will work in the Administration Section of UNHCR Representation in BiH, duty station Sarajevo. S/he will provide assistance to the Head of Administration Section to ensure that routine services and activities within the general admin, supply and finance domain are properly implemented. Subject to the nature of the task/assignment in hand, the intern will receive regular guidance from his/her supervisor. S/he may liaise with local suppliers and/or officials and/or UNHCR Partners on routine subject matters under the direction of the supervisor, to ensure effective delivery of services and achievement of objectives. The nature of certain administrative tasks requires discretion and confidentiality as per UNHCR standards and practices. The intern will contribute to the following tasks:
- Assists in maintenance of admin and supply records;
- Assists on general procurement matters; Maintains contacts with suppliers; Assist on preparing tender documentation; Assists on preparing payments to suppliers, etc;
- Assists in requisitions of office supplies and equipment locally and abroad and arranges for control of distribution and maintenance of appropriate inventory records;
- Drafts correspondence and reports, as required, on general administrative and procurement tasks which may be of a confidential nature within the assigned area of responsibility; Type correspondence, documents and reports, some of which may be confidential;
- May assists in the preparation of office budgets applicable to staff and servicing costs and maintains budgetary control records;
- Provide offline assistance to finance staff on various finance matters, inlcuding preparing documents for VAT refund;
- Searches office files and records relating to a variety of topics for information and reference. Select information and records in specified format or on the basis of general instructions for use by others in preparing reports, correspondence, technical papers, project or programme plans and general reference documents;
- Assists in maintaining of an archive system and implementing UNHCR Records and Archives procedures and guidelines to ensure that the office’s records are managed through their life cycle in accordance with the procedures and guidelines. The task may include arranging of transfer of archive records from UNHCR units and offices to archive repositories, maintaining of archive repositories in good order and use the space efficiently, activities related to destruction of records in line with the procedures and guidelines, etc;
- Provides administrative and logistical support to the Unit, including with organizing meetings, events and translating documents;
- Participates in meetings and events as required, drafting minutes and reports;
- Prepares attestations and certificates required by the staff members for signature of senior officer;
- Performs any other duties as required.
4. Eligibility
In order to be considered eligible for an internship, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
- Be a recent graduate (persons who completed their studies within one year of applying for an internship with UNHCR) or be a current student in a graduate/undergraduate school programme from a university or have completed at least two years of undergraduate studies in the field of Business Administration, Office Management or other related field;
- 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 with UNHCR.
5. Essential Minimum Qualifications and Competencies Required
- National of BiH or a holder of a valid residence/work permit in BiH;
- Good computer literacy (MS Office) and excellent written and oral communication capacity;
- Fluency in English and official languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Autonomy in work and readiness to work as a team member;
- High level of interest and motivation;
- Good analytical thinking, planning and organizing skills;
- Demonstrates flexibility, both intellectually and behaviourally, to adapt to and work effectively in a variety of situations, often under demanding conditions and with short deadlines, and to cope with the unforeseen or unexpected.
6. Desirable Qualifications
- Previous relevant experience dealing with general admin/supply matters;
- Certificate/training in Business Administration, Office Management or other related field;
- Familiarity with UNHCR mandate in BiH.
7. Application process
Your CV and a motivation letter in English, certified copies of diplomas or proof of enrolment in graduate/undergraduate studies, including recommendation letter from the graduation educational institution, should be sent by e-mail to bsnvacancies@unhcr.org . In the subject line please indicate “UNHCR BiH Administrative Internship 2021”. Deadline for application: 02 December 2021, 23:59 CET. Due to a large number of applications, only short-listed candidates will be contacted and invited for the panel interview.
8. Administrative Note
- UNHCR provides a Food and Local Transportation Allowance to those interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party (non-sponsored interns);
- Doctor's certificate attesting to interns’ good health must be submitted to UNHCR prior to the start date of the internship;
- Interns are fully responsible for arranging their own medical insurance covering the full internship period. Copy of proof of a valid medical insurance covering the period of the internship must be provided to UNHCR.
9. Supervision
With the guidance of the intern's designated supervisor, work plans are to be discussed and agreed once the internship begins.
10. Subsequent Employment by UNHCR
An internship with UNHCR does not create any expectation or entitlement to employment with UNHCR at the conclusion of the internship.
Sarajevo, 24 November 2021