About the organization

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) strengthens transatlantic cooperation on regional, national, and global challenges and opportunities in the spirit of the Marshall Plan. Founded in 1972 as a non-partisan, non-profit organization through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has offices in Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, Bucharest, and Warsaw. GMF also has smaller representations in Bratislava, Turin, and Stockholm.

The Bucharest office serves as the headquarters for the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation (BST). The broad goals of the Black Sea Trust include building trust among citizens in their public institutions and to strengthen this critical set of institutions; affirming the value of citizen participation in the democratic process; promoting involvement of civil society in conflict resolution and fostering regional, cross-border ties in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The countries included in the Black Sea Trust’s work are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine.

The Bucharest office also conducts policy programs promoting regional views on issues of importance to both the region and international community (security, democracy, European policies toward the neighborhood, conflict resolution, etc.) and deepening the knowledge of the region in transatlantic policy circles. The Bucharest office organizes regular study tours to countries in the region, coordinates research, and organizes other events.

Qualifications and requirements

The ideal candidate should possess the following minimum requirements:

· Academic background in political sciences (international affairs, European studies, security studies, etc.) or international economic relations; students enrolled in a communication, sociology, law or journalism program can apply for this position provided they can demonstrate their interest in working in an international non-profit. It is desirable for the applicants to be enrolled in a BA or a MA program.

· Fluency in English, Russian is a plus

· Strong interest in democracy building processes

· Flexibility to multitask, have an eye for detail, ability to perform under tight deadline and work independently

· Good organizational skills

· Proficiency with Microsoft Office

· Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment

Key areas of responsibilities

· Produce daily press reviews and weekly briefings for issues of relevance to and interest for the GMF and BST

· Conduct background research on topics of interest to the GMF and BST

· Assist with the grantmaking activities

· Help maintain the Bucharest Office’s database of contacts

· Assist in organizing conferences and other convening/fora

· Provide administrative/clerical support

· Other duties as assigned

Why apply?

The internship is a great opportunity to learn more about the Wider Black Sea Region, current global political issues, the inner workings of an international non-profit, as well as firsthand experience in what grant-making is and how it is done. Additionally, the program facilitates interaction and dialogue with experts, officials and scholars from the fields of international relations, security and policy through a number of policy events and conferences interns help organize and attend.

Throughout the duration of the internship, interns have aces to our offline and online library. More importantly, GMF can facilitate the interaction with top experts for research purposes.

By the end of the program, interns gain a deeper understanding of the areas they are studying, develop a readiness to adapt and respond to any kind of challenges related to organizing successful conferences as well as a full set of skills in the work space: higher attention to detail, increased ability to find solutions to different problems and a substantial experience in working in a team as well as independently.

At the end of the program, interns will be provided with a certificate which will attest the completion of the program. We provide references upon prior request.

How to apply

Please send your resume and a cover letter in English by June 6th, 2020 to ineagu[at]gmfus.org, with email subject INTERNSHIP APPLICATION. Interviews will be scheduled on June 23 – 25 June 2020 and will take place at GMF’s Bucharest Office.