Date of last update: 18/05/2021 2021-05-18
Part of the new SDG Youth Programme, this position is reserved for Swiss nationals/permit C holders with a bachelor's degree (University or FH/HES), or an Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education, or a Federal Diploma of Higher Education.
About the organisation
Helvetas is committed to a just world in which people are able to determine the course of their lives in dignity and security, using environmental resources in a sustainable manner. Helvetas is an independent organisation based in Switzerland with affiliated organisations in Germany and the United States. It supports poor and disadvantaged women, men, and communities in about thirty developing and transition countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Together with its partners, Helvetas empowers people and transforms lives by working at various levels:
Helvetas pursues three main goals in its work: ensuring basic rights, creating new perspectives, and strengthening good governance. It combines a humanitarian response with support for longer-term development, and adopts a multi-stakeholder approach to link civil society actors, governments, and the private sector.
Activities are focused in the areas of :
In addition to rural areas, Helvetas is increasingly involved in urban development and is focusing its work on young women and men.
In Switzerland, Helvetas promotes solidarity and participates in the dialogue on development policy.
Description of duties
The main task of the Trainee International Programmes and Digital Transformation will be to contribute to Helvetas' work on ICT4D (Information & Communication Technology for Development), which is central to the organisation's contributions to the SDGs. The SDGs acknowledge the potential of ICT to foster human progress, and several SDGs explicitly mention ICT as a driver of development, incl. SDG 5, 9 and 17.
The trainee's work will include: supporting the strategic positioning of Helvetas on ICT4D; co-creating and developing ICT4D solutions; and knowledge-sharing and communication around ICT4D. The traineeship also includes a field assignment to work on concrete ICT4D solutions that increase the impact and scale of Helvetas' work.
Furthermore, the trainee will support the overall management of Helvetas International Programmes department, providing the trainee with insights into concrete development cooperation work. A special task relates to the participation and collaboration in the innovations working group.
The distribution of tasks may be as follows:
ICT4D (50%-70%):
Main purpose: contribute to the advancement of Helvetas' engagement in Information & Communication Technology for Development – ICT4D, as part of Helvetas' digital transformation with focus on its development programmes in the global South.
This includes:
1) Support to Helvetas' strategic positioning on ICT4D, based on analysis of ongoing field engagements, research on donor priorities, and ICT4D initiatives by other organisations.
2) Contribute to the development and maintenance of a data base on a) Helvetas ICT4D initiatives, i.e. projects and project components, and on b) ICT4D partnerships.
3) Contribute to the further development of 1-2 strategic ICT4D initiatives, incl. through a field assignment of 3-4 months.
4) Establish detailed case studies of the 1-2 strategic ICT4D initiatives supported, incl. lessons learned and recommendations.
5) Contribute to knowledge sharing and communication on ICT4D by further developing the intranet space on ICT4D, writing blogs, and contributing to e-newsletters and other communications.
General support to International Programmes (30%):
Contribute to the overall management of Helvetas' International Programmes in line with the SDGs:
1) Assist the management of the International Programmes department in the quality steering of the country programmes in the global South.
2) Contribute to Helvetas' innovation workflow in specific country programmes by attending the respective working group, gathering and analysing innovation initiatives and supporting their progress in line with Helvetas' innovation strategy.
Digitalization is one of the mega trends of our time, opening up unprecedented opportunities for development but also bearing considerable risks. Leveraging digital technology through innovative solutions will be key to achieving the SDGs.
This traineeship is a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience with an INGO by working on a topic that is at the forefront of addressing humanitarian and development challenges. Furthermore, the traineeship provides the opportunity to work at different levels – from strategy to concrete projects in the field – thus offering insights into many crucial aspects of international cooperation.
About the SDG Youth Programme
The SDG Youth Programme was designed by the Mercator Foundation Switzerland, together with cinfo. It aims to offer students and aspiring professionals the opportunity to gain initial exposure and work experience with an NGO or social enterprise active in international cooperation (IC).
Selected candidates are allowed to work on new topics and innovative projects for one year, both at the headquarters in Switzerland and in an office abroad (or with a partner organisation of the host organisation). While doing so, the young talents can explore their motivation to follow a career path that allows them to contribute to the SDGs. At the same time, they can transfer the knowledge and competencies acquired to the Swiss labour market. Particular emphasis is placed on the career development of the successful candidates.
Learn more about the programme here.
Join date: 01/09/2021
Working hours (%): 80-100%
80-100%Type of contract: Internship
Duration: 1 year
Education level: Bachelor's degree
Macro-area: Multiple
Level of experience: Entry level, less than 1 year
Area of work Definition: Information and Communication Technology
Type of organisation: NGOs
For the SDG Youth Programme:
For this position:
Required competencies :
Demonstrated interest in:
Important details regarding your application:
Make sure your profile on cinfoPoste is complete and up to date:
Application deadline: 18 May 2021
First round of interviews: 1st June 2021
Start date : 1 September 2021