Intern, WASH Knowledge Management

Introduction Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants. IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move. IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration The Internship Programme aims at attracting talented students and graduates who have a specific interest in, or whose studies have covered, areas relevant to IOM programmes and activities. Interns must be between 20 and 36 years old and should have less than two years of relevant working experience. In general, the Internship Programme aims at attracting talented students and graduates who: a) have a specific interest in, or whose studies have covered, areas relevant to IOM programmes and activities; b) are holding a scholarship for internship placements in international organizations and/or for whom internship is required to complete their studies; or c) are sponsored by governmental/non governmental institutions and/or academia to work in specific areas relevant to both IOM and the sponsor. d) are either enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent) or have graduated in the last 12 months. e) are between 20 and 36 years of age. Background Information The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading United Nations agency on migration, working to ensure safe, orderly and humane migration. Within IOM's Department of Humanitarian Response & Recovery (DHRR), the Global WASH Unit provides support to over 65 countries on WASH programming in over 80 countries. This internship supports a critical organizational need: managing documentation systems, coordinating the WASH Community of Practice (CoP), and producing communication/visual products to support global WASH coordination and knowledge sharing. Supervision Under the direct supervision of the Global WASH Officer (Research & Innovation Lead), the Intern – WASH Knowledge Management will manage knowledge systems, coordinate cross-office communications, support the WASH Community of Practice, and develop visual knowledge products to advance WASH programming visibility and learning across IOM. Responsibilities Folder structure audit & reorganization: • Conduct a comprehensive audit of WASH-related shared drives, document repositories, WASH Community of Practice) (CoP) and project folders. • Map current folder architectures, identify gaps, duplications, and obsolete content. • Implement standardized folder structures in line with DHRR SharePoint requirements that improve discoverability and enable efficient knowledge retrieval. WASH Community of Practice (CoP), POEM peer exchange and learning on migration, and SharePoint coordination: • Disseminate relevant WASH news, resources, and emerging issues to CoP members across global offices and partner organizations. • Develop project SharePoint sites. • Coordinate with Innovation and Knowledge Management Unit on updating POEM. Logistics for global workshops or meetings: • Support management of logistics for WASH virtual and in-person meetings (agendas, calendar invites, recording/documentation). • Maintain shared meeting notes, action items tracking, and decisions log. • Manage meeting registration, participant communication, and venue logistics as required. Visual knowledge products & communication materials: • Develop visually compelling infographics, data visualizations, and promotional materials to communicate WASH programming highlights, impact metrics, and innovation examples. • Create presentation slides, flyers, and web-ready visual assets summarizing WASH field activities, case studies, and sector updates. • Support visual storytelling to enhance internal communication and external visibility of WASH work. • Perform such other duties as may be assigned. Learning Objectives • Strengthen knowledge management skills by organizing and standardizing shared folders and repositories to improve information access and retrieval. • Improve coordination and administrative skills by supporting the WASH Community of Practice, facilitating communication with other units, and providing logistical support. • Enhance communication and visual storytelling skills by developing infographics, presentations, flyers, and other visual products that communicate WASH highlights to diverse audiences. Training Components and Learning Elements Through this internship, you will gain experience and knowledge in the following areas: • Humanitarian WASH in displacement settings: Exposure to WASH programming in protracted displacement contexts, and post-disaster recovery. Understanding of linkages between WASH access, public health outcomes, and humanitarian response effectiveness. • UN System & international coordination: Direct insight into how the UN humanitarian system operates, IOM's mandate and role, coordination with other UN agencies (UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO), and partnerships with implementing partners. • Global WASH innovation & emerging technologies: Learn about cutting-edge approaches to WASH service delivery through exposure to IOM's innovation portfolio (solar thermal systems, IoT monitoring, blockchain tools, fintech solutions, sustainability mechanisms). • Knowledge management in complex organizations: Practical experience in documenting, organizing, and sharing knowledge across large distributed organizations. Learn best practices in folder architecture, metadata standards, information governance, and community of practice coordination. • Project coordination & administrative skills: Develop skills in meeting organization, stakeholder communication, documentation management, and coordinating across time zones and regions. • Visual communication & data visualization: Practical skills in creating infographics, slides, and visual materials to communicate complex information effectively to diverse audiences. • Networking across global operations: Opportunity to interact with WASH specialists, programme managers, and coordinators across IOM's global offices, regional operations, and in-country programming. Potential to participate in technical meetings and discussions. • Access to online training courses available to all IOM employees through the Learning Management System (LMS). Qualification Education • Enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent from an accredited institution) in project management, knowledge management, information science, engineering, public health, communications, graphic design, business administration, organizational development, or a related field; or, • Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or Graduated within the last 12 months with a Bachelor's degree or higher (from an accredited institution) in project management, knowledge management, information science, engineering, public health, communications, graphic design, business administration, organizational development, or related disciplines. Experience Applicants should ideally have experience in one or more of the following areas: • Knowledge management systems, documentation management, SharePoint administration, or experience maintaining digital repositories and organizing technical information; • Project coordination, administrative support, or event management in international, nonprofit, or UN settings, including experience organizing meetings and managing stakeholder communications; • Graphic design, infographic design, or visual communications; ability to create presentations, data visualizations, and promotional materials; • Data management, spreadsheet analysis, or experience supporting coordination, monitoring, or reporting functions in a professional setting. Skills • Microsoft Office proficiency: Advanced skills in Excel (data entry, formulas, sorting, filtering, basic pivot tables). Strong skills in Word (document formatting, professional documents, templates). PowerPoint (presentation design and storytelling). Familiarity with Office 365 tools (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive) is highly valued; • Knowledge management & organization: Ability to organize, categorize, and structure large volumes of information. Experience with or understanding of metadata, naming conventions, taxonomies, and information governance. Familiarity with SharePoint, document management systems, or similar platforms is preferred; • Visual design & communication: Competence in creating visual materials — infographics, slide design, data visualizations, promotional materials. Familiarity with design tools (Canva, Adobe Suite, or similar) is valued. Ability to communicate complex information visually; • Project management fundamentals: Understanding of timelines, task lists, action item tracking, and ability to coordinate across multiple priorities. Familiarity with project management tools (spreadsheets, task trackers, etc.); • Communication & writing: Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write clear meeting notes, summaries, and documentation. Comfortable communicating with diverse stakeholders across regions and organizational levels; • Attention to detail & organizational skills: Excellent attention to accuracy and quality. Strong ability to prioritize tasks, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment; • Basic WASH awareness: General understanding of water, sanitation, and hygiene services and their importance in humanitarian settings is helpful but not required — training will be provided. Languages IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish. All staff members are required to be fluent in one of the three languages. For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is an advantage. Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments. Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values: • Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion. • Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct. • Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges. • Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance. • Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated. Core Competencies – behavioural indicators • Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results. • Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes. • Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate. • Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work. • Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way. Eligibility and Selection This internship opportunity is part of IOM’s 2026 Global Access Internship Programme, which is a sub-set of IOM’s regular internship programme. The main condition to be eligible for this opportunity is that applicants be citizens of Member States not represented or with lower representation in IOM, as of June 2026. Additionally, IOM strongly encourages applications from persons with disabilities from those nationalities as well as other minorities. If you would like to explore all vacancies that are part of the programme and more details, please go to: Internship programme | International Organization for Migration In general, the Internship Programme aims at attracting talented students and graduates who are either enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent) or have graduated in the last 12 months. In general, the Internship Programme aims at attracting talented students and graduates who are either enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent) or have graduated in the last 12 months. • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and additional enquiries will only be addressed if the candidate is shortlisted. • Depending on experience and location, IOM provides a small monthly stipend to help offset costs. • Candidates are also encouraged to research and study the cost of living in the duty station prior to applying. • For this programme, IOM will also provide travel arrangements and will cover visa-related costs. • Selection will be based on demonstrated qualifications, relevant experience, technical skills, and alignment with core competencies. The evaluation process may include written assessment, and/or interview. Notes Depending on experience and location, interns are granted a small monthly stipend to help offset costs. Interns benefiting from an internship allowance or scholarship granted by their university or other sponsoring body that includes financial remuneration or credits for coursework will not be eligible for the stipend. IOM covers Interns against occupational accidents and illnesses under the Compensation Plan (CP), free of charge, for the duration of the internship. IOM does not provide evacuation or medical insurance for reasons related to non-occupational accidents and illnesses. Interns are responsible for their own medical insurance for non-occupational accident or illness and will be required to provide written proof of such coverage before commencing work. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation. Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, security clearances. IOM has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and IOM, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts. IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM e-Recruitment system (for internal candidates link here). The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application. No late applications will be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For further information and other job postings, you are welcome to visit our website: IOM Careers and Job Vacancies