Job Description
Intern - Sri Lanka
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Duration: 3 months (full time)
Organizational Description:
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an international, nonprofit organization that supports the building of democratic societies. IFES promotes democratic stability by providing technical assistance and applying field-based research to the electoral cycle in countries around the world to enhance citizen participation and strengthen civil societies, governance and transparency.
Internship Program
The IFES Internship Program aims to provide young professionals and students with hands-on experience in the field of democracy and governance, while contributing to IFES' ongoing initiatives in Sri Lanka. This program is designed to offer interns a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of electoral processes, democratic governance, and civic engagement, while supporting IFES for its day-to-day operations.
Under the direction of the IFES Sri Lanka Program Officer, the Intern will operate under the following framework:
Responsibilities:
- Program
- Implement project activities assigned by the Program Officers and carry out tasks assigned by the Head of Operations.
- Co-ordinate the planning, administration and logistics of project activities and project related work.
- Help schedule meetings, prepare agendas, and take minutes.
- Support data gathering, conduct interviews and surveys as requested by the program team.
- Provide bi-weekly, monthly, and quarterly updates on the activities.
- Assist Program/Operations and Admin Teams when organizing visits/workshops/meetings and other related programs.
- Maintain a database of contacts.
- Maintain records/photos/meeting minutes of the project activities.
- Provide translations when required.
- Attend meetings/events on behalf of IFES when requested.
- Administration
- Support procurement, inventory, and general office management tasks.
- Support gathering quotations, hotel reservations and procurement related documents.
- Help coordinate logistics for internal meetings or small events such as scanning documents, checking the details participants, and coordinating seating and refreshments.
- Perform other administrative duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Experience
- Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Social Sciences
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Interest in nonprofit work or program administration
Required Skills and Abilities
- Fluency in English, Sinhala or Tamil (both written and spoken) is essential.
- Demonstrated skills in translation and document preparation in Sinhala, Tamil and English.
- Computer literacy, skills in designing, formatting and creative work is preferred.
- Interest in governance, democracy, or civic engagement programs.
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
- The ability to remain highly organized while handling multiple tasks under tight deadlines;
- Report writing and proposal drafting skills;
- Willing to travel outside of Colombo
- Field experience would be highly desirable.
If you are interested to apply for the position, please forward your CV along with a Cover Letter stating why you are interested to apply for this position to [email protected] on or before May 21, 2025. In your e-mail, please include in the subject line “Intern”. A monthly stipend will be provided.
IFES is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.
All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment/promotions and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
