Exciting Paid Internship Opportunity: Join UNDP as a Strategic Engagement Intern

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Closing Date: 24 March 2026

Exciting Paid Internship Opportunity: Join UNDP as a Strategic Engagement Intern

Background

UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States.

UNCDF’s new structure includes a Strategic Funds Unit (SFU) to augment its capacity to deploy grants, loans, and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. The SFU is dedicated to developing and overseeing trust funds, in partnership with UN agencies and other partners, that deploy blended finance approaches to leverage investment and sustainable revenue streams to mobilize capital at scale, expand pipelines of investable solutions, and strengthen alignment with global climate, biodiversity, and SDG commitments. The SFU integrated secretariat services, include:

Provision of technical and administrative support to Strategic Funds Steering Committees ;
Management of day-to-day operations of funds;
Development the funds’ resource mobilization strategies and engages with contributing partners;
Provision logistical and operational support to the respective funds’ steering committees;
Ensure the monitoring of the operational risks and Funds performance;
Support the development of high-quality proposals and facilitate collaboration and communication between partner UN agency and other partners to ensure programmes are implemented effectively;
Management of calls for proposals and appraisal processes;
Consolidation of annual and final narrative reports;
Liaising with the administrative agent on fund administration issues, including issues related to project/fund extensions and project/fund closure.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and supervision of the External Relations Advisor, the Strategic Engagement Intern will work closely with SET Team, and support the ongoing workplan and goals of the unit, including but not limited to institutional positioning, resource mobilization, and engagement with Member States and other partners.

The Strategic Engagement Intern will support the work of the Strategic Engagement Team across the following areas:

1. Strategy and Partner Engagement Development:

Support preparation of briefing notes, talking points, background materials, and engagement documents for senior management.
Assist in developing partnership notes and tailored materials for donors, UN entities, multilateral partners, and private sector stakeholders.
Support in conducting research and analysis on donor priorities, development finance trends, and evolving global policy processes.
Support the team in refining UNCDF’s value proposition and positioning across priority countries and thematic areas.
Support coordination of inputs across teams to ensure consistent and coherent messaging.
Provide analytical support for high-level meetings and consultations.

2. Resource Mobilization:

Collect background research and donor intelligence to support core and non-core resource mobilization efforts.
Assist in preparing presentations, briefing decks, and outreach materials for donor meetings.
Support mapping of partnership opportunities, including with non-traditional and private sector actors.
Contribute to tracking donor trends, policy shifts, and funding landscapes relevant to UNCDF.

3. Investment Committee Secretariat and Gender Strategy:

Support secretariat functions of UNCDF’s Investment Committees, including meeting preparation and follow-up.
Assist in reviewing and organizing investment memos and briefing materials.
Support preparation of presentations and summaries for internal decision-making processes.
Help maintain internal trackers and dashboards related to the investment pipeline.
Support the Corporate Gender focal point through research and partnership support to advance women’s economic empowerment priorities.
Contribute to analytical work related to portfolio oversight and institutional learning.

Required Skills and Experience

Field of Study required: International Affairs, International Development, Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, or another related field.

Eligibility: Applicants to the UNCDF internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

Be enrolled in a postgraduate degree programme (such as a master’s programme, or higher);
Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (such as bachelor’s degree or equivalent);
Have recently graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation;
Be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program.

Desirable Skillset & Experience:

Strong ability to develop high-quality PowerPoint presentations, Excel analyses, and written products that translate complex concepts into accessible language is highly desired.
Knowledge of and/or familiarity with sustainable finance and international development is highly desired.
Prior experience or internship exposure in a UN entity, multilateral organization, development finance institution, consulting firm, or banking/financial services environment is an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in English required.
Fluency in French very desirable; knowledge of other UN languages will be considered a plus.

Main Internship Conditions

Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan
UNCDF accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the UNCDF internship programme
Interns may be given a stipend according to the Internship Policy: the stipend is to help cover basic daily expenses related to the paid internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station
Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNCDF in any official capacity