The position of Psychosocial Support Intern is located in the Operational Support Section (OSS) of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 (IIIM), located in Geneva, Switzerland. The OSS is responsible for ensuring that the safety and wellbeing of victims and witnesses is not adversely affected due to their cooperation with the Mechanism. The Psychosocial Support Intern will work under the supervision of the Witness Support Officer, assisting with evaluation of current staff support and exploring ways to introduce new service opportunities. The purpose of this internship is to enhance the IIIM's ongoing initiatives and contribute to the quality of psychosocial services provided to staff, while the intern gains valuable hands-on experience in the field of organizational psychology.


Position Details

📍 Work location: the hiring office is in Geneva, Switzerland. This internship is designed to be conducted in-person, hybrid or remote, and the modality is flexible, to be discussed with the successful candidate

🗓️ Expected duration: maximum six months, estimated start date 14 September 2026, with the specific start date and duration adjusted after discussion

💶 The IIIM internship is unpaid and full-time (40 hours per week). Regular working hours are 8:30 to 17:30, Monday through Friday, and overtime may be required to meet deadlines for specific projects

🏢 Department: Syria International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of the Psychosocial Support Intern include, but are not limited to:

📊 Assisting with the launch and data interpretation of the Annual Well-being and Employee Engagement Survey

🤝 Providing support to the IIIM Workgroup on Well-being and Employee Engagement

🔎 Conducting research on best practices of psychosocial support to staff

📘 Supporting the finalisation of the Psychological Preparedness for Deployment Manual

📗 Drafting the vicarious trauma prevention guide

🎨 Designing materials for staff support for the Support to Staff online page

📝 Drafting meeting minutes

At the end of the programme, the intern will design and conduct at least one presentation on the topic of staff support, assist the Witness Support Officer in data interpretation of the annual survey and produce one report on statistical analysis and interpretation of the survey, produce one article and assist with the population of the Support to Staff online page, and produce accurate and detailed meeting minutes for various meetings.

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Qualifications and Skills

Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: be enrolled in, or have completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's degree or equivalent). Interested candidates must be pursuing or have pursued their degree in areas related to this job opening: Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology or a related field. Applicants must have good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and MS Teams. Ability to design surveys and polls is desirable, as is a demonstrated ability to successfully interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds and beliefs.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the internship. Knowledge of Arabic or an additional official UN language is an advantage.


Additional Information

A complete online application is required, including two letters of recommendation, copies of university or law studies transcripts, a sample of the applicant's written work in English (preferably in a field relevant to the work of the IIIM and no longer than ten pages), and a cover letter setting out the motivation of the candidate and dates of availability. Interns must keep confidential any and all unpublished information obtained during the internship. IIIM interns are responsible for all internship-related expenses they incur, and are required to secure adequate insurance coverage. For in-person internships, candidates of certain nationalities must obtain a visa authorizing their stay in Switzerland. A person who is the child or sibling of a staff member shall not be eligible to apply. Please note that fulfilment of the responsibilities of this position may necessitate engagement with material and/or information that may be distressing.


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How to Apply

Deadline for applications: 20 August 2026. Please note that documents may only be in English, and that incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Apply through the UN careers portal.

🔗 https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/281347?language=en