Refugee Economic Empowerment Intern (Sprin 2027)

About the role

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.

Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions.

If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Scope of Work

The Economic Empowerment program assists refugees to become economically self-sufficient by placing humanitarian immigrants in entry level work in the United States. The goal of the program is to help clients reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and employment and assist clients in securing full-time jobs. The intern will work directly under the supervision of one of the employment specialists.

Responsibilities

• Assess new clients by creating their individual initial employment plan.
• Create individualized resumes and cover letters, assist with finding job leads, and complete job applications with clients.
• Strategically research potential employer partners and conduct outreach.
• Regularly track service provision through electronic data entry and organize required client documentation.
• Manage distribution and tracking of in-kind donations to clients.
• Other duties assigned by the employment team.

Learning Objectives

• Intern will gain experience conducting employment assessment
• Intern will gain insight into immigrant workforce programs.
• Intern will learn how to communicate effectively in a global environment including by utilizing interpreters.
• Intern will acquire knowledge of programs and public benefits available to humanitarian immigrants.
• Intern will learn how to effectively create resumes and job search for clients.
• Intern will gain skills in strategic research and outreach strategies.
• Intern will learn reporting requirements for resettlement agencies and how capturing this data improves services.

Qualifications

• Current undergraduate, graduate student or less than 12 months out of school. *
• Minimum 24 hours per week, three-month commitment and three full working days per week; full-time 32-40 hours per week highly preferred.
• Strong digital literacy skills and the ability to learn new software and tasks.
• Organized and attentive to detail.
• Ability to work independently and multi-task.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Works well in a fast-paced environment and adapts quickly to change.
• Interest in working with refugee and humanitarian populations.
• Fluency in Dari, Pashto, Spanish, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, Tigrinya, Amharic or other languages frequently spoken by the client base is a plus.
• Access to an insured vehicle preferred, but not required.

To Apply

• Click Apply Now at the top of this page.
• Please attach a resume, cover letter and list of (at least) three references to your application.
• The deadline for applying is 01/04/2027.

• This position is for the Fall semester and requires a minimum commitment of 24 hours per week. Ability to work in-person at the Silver Spring office and at a minimum of 15 hours per week is required.
• Spring 2027 interns are expected to begin their internship term by attending an in-person intern orientation on Jan 25th, 2027, from 9:15AM-3:30PM.

We currently offer internships during the following semesters

• Spring: January – May
• Summer: June – August
• Fall: September – December

Internships are typically posted 2-3 months prior to the anticipated start date.

• Note: Internships with the IRC in Silver Spring are unpaid.
• Spring 2027 interns may be eligible for per diem reimbursement at the rate of $15/day to offset the costs of food and travel.
• For information on scholarship opportunities, contact your university or the IRC Silver Spring Community Engagement Coordinator Lalah Ehrari.

*Candidates applying not enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and outside of 12 months from graduation are welcome to apply. These candidates will be processed as volunteers.

To protect our clients, the IRC requires all selected applicants to complete background checks. We ask that you make a $30 donation to help us cover the associated costs. Currently, 87% of our funding goes directly to programming to support our clients, and your help to cover this cost will ensure that no funding is directed away from serving our clients. Instructions will be provided after you have been selected to intern or volunteer.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation.

IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.