Internal Communications and Membership Intern

Could you be our new Internal Communications and Membership Intern?

We are looking for an Internal Communications and Membership Intern to join the innovative and challenging work at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in the autumn of 2015.

Since our establishment in 1915, we have brought together women from around the world who are united in working for peace by non-violent means. Joining our team will enable you to transfer the skills you have learned in a class room to a professional environment and bring you in directly contact with a network of inspiring women grassroots activists.

We are launching a new Membership Discussion Forum, giving our members from our 33 National Sections a platform to discuss and come together on issues and actions in the field related to disarmament, human rights, women, peace and security. In connection to this, we are looking for an intern who can become part of the entire process.

About the Internship

Your internship will be centralised around administration and communications task related to our membership, counting both our National Sections and our international members.

As the Internal Communications and Membership Intern you will be deeply involved in the start-up of the new forum, but also in the entire process of strengthening and organising our membership, which is connected to the forum. Among your tasks will be:

• development and administration of the membership forum, hereunder being part of setting guidelines for the use of the forum, establishing a code of conduct for the forum, training the moderators etc.
• database management of our national and international membership
• membership service, hereunder answering emails, creating newsletters and other information materials directed our members, and sending out other electronic post targeting the membership, especially our governing bodies
• day-to-day maintenance of our mail boxes, mailing lists, emails and international directory
• filing and organising of documents related to the Sections and the international membership

The internship requires that you have an interest in IT, digital communication and social media, have a natural talent for using new platforms and interfaces, and is up-to-date with the latest trends in the field. You need to be able to think of structure, design and overall user experience.

The internship will give you experience with running a grassroots organisation secretariat and it is an advantage if you work systematically and are good to stay in control in a busy environment with different tasks, opinions and personalities.

About you

We expect you to:

• be pursuing or intend to pursue a Masters Degree in communications, information and technology science, library and information science, or a related field;
• have strong writing skills, a rigorous attention to detail, and a structured approach to how you solve your tasks;
• be interested in learning, or already familiar with, web editing (esp. Wordpress and BuddyPress);
• be or have been a member of a NGO, be familiar with online discussion fora, and have a strong interest in network building and supporting;
• be service minded, but also able to say no and move on with your prioritised tasks;
• be able to think independently and take responsibility;
• be fluent in English;
• have advanced skills in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint and Excel), knowledge of Photoshop and InDesign is a plus;
• be interested in WILPF’s aims and goals.

The practical stuff

The full-time internship will be from the 2nd or 9th September 2015 until the 17th December 2015.

You will work closely with our Communications Manager, who also will be your supervisor.

One day a week will be dedicated to administrative tasks, which are crucial to running the organisation.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please send a cover letter and your CV to internship@wilpf.ch by 27th July 2015.Please write: “Internal and Membership Internship Autumn 2015” in the subject field. Interviews will be held on July 28th-29th and we expect to have completed the entire process on July 31st. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications without cover letter and CV will not be accepted.

Please bear in mind that the internship is unpaid. A cheap accommodation solution can be provided upon request. The internship is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Non EU-nationals must be in possession of a valid work permit for Switzerland.

WILPF is an anti-war organisation with a specific focus on issues concerning women, peace and security. Read more about us on www.wilpfinternational.organd/or follow us on our social media.