Overview:

The Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights is an organization devoted to bringing knowledge about gender to bear on the quest to end armed conflicts and build sustainable peace. Founded in 2002, and now based at the University of Massachusetts Boston, its work is a result of collaboration between scholars and researchers, as well as NGOs and international institutions such as the United Nations. Through knowledge-building workshops, conferences, publications, speaker events, and fellowship and internship programs, the Consortium generates critical new thinking and engagement on gender, war and peacebuilding, providing a necessary bridge between research, activism and policy making.

Because we are a small, non-profit organization, our interns are integral to the successful execution of all of our core activities, from research to the management of the Consortium itself. Additionally, we see our internship program is a key part of fulfilling our mission to educate emerging scholars and professionals, so we strive to provide interns with educational opportunities and mentorship.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities vary and are determined individually for each intern. Our staff meets with each incoming intern to come up with a mix of assignments that best matches the intern’s learning goals and skills with the Consortium’s current needs. This internship provides interns with the opportunity to see how a small-NGO functions on a day-to-day basis as well as develop their own leadership skills as an essential part of this organization.

Typical intern tasks include:

• Assisting in the management of the organization, including serving as an administrative liaison between staff and potential interns, and providing HR and front office support.
• Supporting the expansion of the Consortium’s Research Hub.
• Assisting in research for Consortium publications.
• Conducting background research on topics relevant to the Feminist Roadmap for Sustainable Peace project.
• Supporting our presence and engagement on social media.
• Maintaining and updating the Consortium’s website.

Requirements

• Excellent organizational, research, communications and interpersonal skills
• Positive and proactive attitude
• A high level of initiative and sense of responsibility
• An expressed and/or demonstrated interest in gender and security
• Meticulous attention to detail
• The ability to multitask
• The ability to work both independently and in team settings
• Computer literacy (familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google documents)
• Most interns are current university students (sophomores through PhD or JD candidates) or recent graduates, though occasionally we do accept exceptional freshmen.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Hours are flexible, and most work can be completed on a personal computer.

• During fall and spring semesters, both part time (15-20 hours/week) and full-time internships (35-40 hours/week) are available, though strong preference is given to applicants able to make a full-time commitment and/or able to work both semesters.
• In the summer, most internships are full-time; ideally, interns should be able to commit at least two and a half months to this position, and end their internships no earlier than August 15th. Later end dates are preferred.

Summer 2021:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; however, for Summer 2021 internships, preference will be given to applications submitted by Friday, April 9th, 2021. Hours are flexible, and most work can be completed on a personal computer. This is a full-time position (35-40 hours per week) beginning in late May. Ideally candidates should be able to commit at least two and a half months to this position, and end their internships no earlier than August 15th; most successful candidates are available until the end of August.

Due to COVID-19, internships will be entirely remote in Summer 2021.

Please note that due to the volume of applications received, only finalists will be contacted.

How to apply

1. Complete the online information form.
2. Submit a cover letter, resume, and 2-3 page writing sample to the Consortium’s Director, Dr. Carol Cohn, at volunteer@genderandsecurity.org.
3. Arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent directly to Dr. Carol Cohn at, volunteer@genderandsecurity.org. These letters should come from either two professors or a professor and an employer and must be emailed directly by the recommender.

*Please note, applications will not be reviewed until all three steps have been completed.