FELLOWSHIP TITLE: Humanitarian Assistance Fellow
HOST ORGANIZATION: Global Communities
LOCATION: Hybrid (remote and in-person) in Silver Spring, MD
DURATION: Two-year fellowship program
Employment Type: Full Time
FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION
Introduction:
Generation Next Humanitarian fellowship is seeking Minority Serving Institution (MSI) graduates to become the next generation of humanitarian professionals.
More about humanitarian assistance: https://youtu.be/W2ITDOBQiTI.
This two-year Fellowship aims to create a unique avenue for graduates of Minority Serving Institutions to enter the humanitarian field and develop the skills and the networks necessary to establish a long-lasting career.
The Fellow will be placed at Global Communities a major international development organization based in the U.S, with a strong humanitarian assistance portfolio. They will participate in a rotational structure that supports their foundational understanding of the humanitarian sector by being exposed to both the operational/support functions and the technical sub-fields that comprise the profession. Within these rotations, the fellow will develop a core set of technical and professional skills needed to pursue a career in humanitarian assistance.
The Fellow will have an opportunity to develop, learn and explore the humanitarian sector while working with the sector’s leading organizations. Fellows will learn firsthand while exploring the full gamut of departmental functions and considerations as it relates to humanitarian assistance programs (donor strategy, policy, fund administration, international humanitarian protocols, humanitarian finance, program design, and proposal development) and have the opportunity to learn and develop in one of the humanitarian sectors of intervention (e.g., Food Security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter and Settlements, Emergency Response, and Nutrition). Fellows will also participate in research, analysis, report writing, and other duties related to Humanitarian Assistance programming while developing their understanding of the humanitarian sector and related competencies.
Reporting structure:
The Humanitarian Assistance Fellow will receive technical and professional direction from a host organization representative, who will serve as their Onsite Representative. In addition, the Fellow will be coached, trained, and supported by industry experts providing career and technical guidance.
Essential Duties and Outcomes:
The Fellow supports the successful completion of humanitarian related program activities for the team under guidance from a senior level staff within a variety of technical and support functions. Other activities may be identified based on the strengths and interests of the Fellow.
Outcome 1: Develop foundational skills in humanitarian assistance support departments:
- Support teams in the design and development of donor proposals.
- Support country teams and the organization in identifying and analyzing new funding opportunities.
- Support humanitarian finance, emergency preparedness, monitoring and evaluation, procurement, and operations departments in the development of standard operating procedures, training, information gathering, research and analysis.
Outcome 2: Develop technical humanitarian assistance programming skills through rotations within humanitarian sectors of intervention:
- Support program start up, implementation, and close out, while learning key donor requirements.
- Assist with coordination and submission of program deliverables.
- Write/update content for background briefs, talking points, fact sheets, and communications materials.
- Support country and technical teams in research, reporting and coordination.
- Contribute to information gathering, research, and analysis.
- Represent host organization in Humanitarian working groups discussions and share findings.
- Participate in donor and international community fora, learning events, and content specific meetings.
Outcome 3: Develop humanitarian assistance field experience:
- Develop skills in backstopping program teams and providing implementation support to in-country teams.
- Collaborate with field teams to create data dashboards or other communication briefers that showcase program achievements and results.
- Travel and support in-country teams as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.
LEARNING OUTCOME
At the end of the fellowship, the Fellow will develop a presentation that reflects their new skills and knowledge that contributes to the organization’s humanitarian efforts, showing their ability to be reflective, coordinate with colleagues and analyze complex situations to be presented at the annual symposium.
In addition, at the end the program, they will:
- Develop an understanding of the range of career paths and technical areas (sectors of intervention) within humanitarian assistance.
- Develop an understanding of the humanitarian architecture, systems and processes.
- Identify and leverage a broad network of peers and mentors within the humanitarian assistance field to enhance peer support learning and professional development.
- Develop or strengthen leadership, communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
- Develop or strengthen technical knowledge of specific humanitarian assistance sectors based on Organizational core competencies, project management, knowledge management, business development and monitoring and evaluation.
FELLOWSHIP REQUIREMENTS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree from a federally recognized minority serving institution with no more than 2 years post-graduation.
- At least one year of combined experience to include volunteering at civic, social or non-profit organizations, internships, research projects, and school projects among others.
Other Qualifications
- Demonstrate collaborative interpersonal skills to work across a variety of cultures and also with remote team members.
- Strong oral communications and written skills.
- Ability and willingness to travel internationally.
- Must be able to pass a background check required for this position.
- Potential candidates may need to successfully complete assessments and provide a writing sample as part of the job requirements.
- Prospective candidates must be able to relocate if they are not currently residing in the vicinity of the position before the start of this position.
- Proficiency in Spanish is required for one of these fellow positions. For other positions, proficiency in Spanish is not mandatory but is strongly preferred.
- US citizenship or US permanent residency required.
Additional skills (preferred)
- Proficiency in Spanish language is strongly preferred.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Fellow will be placed at Global Communities for the full two years of the Fellowship. They will be employed by PHI and eligible for their benefits during Year 1 and will be employed by Global Communities and eligible for their benefits during Year 2.
You can find information and benefits about the organization by following this link: Global Communities.
For a list of Minority Serving Institutions follow this link: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/edlite-minorityinst-list-tab.html.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
- Select the organizations you would like to be placed and apply. Applications to multiple organizations are welcome.
- Submit an updated resume demonstrating work history including school projects, volunteer, internship work etc.
- Submit a 500-word essay on ‘Your most meaningful achievements and how they relate to your field of study and future goals.’ This essay should be included on your resume as an additional page.