Intern position in the Team Europe Democracy Initiative

The Team Europe Democracy (TED) Initiative is a global thematic Team Europe Initiative launched in 2021 to promote democracy and human rights worldwide. Led by the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) in cooperation with participating EU Member States, TED aims to strengthen the coordination, coherence and effectiveness of European democracy support. The TED Secretariat, jointly staffed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Belgian development agency Enabel and co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supports the implementation of the Initiative in close cooperation with DG INTPA and its European partners.

Our offer:
The Team Europe Democracy Initiative works to strengthen European cooperation on democracy support through three interconnected pillars: generating and sharing knowledge on effective democracy support policies and practices; facilitating the TED Network; and providing technical expertise to EU Delegations and Member States in partner countries.

The TED Network brings together EU institutions, Member States, implementing agencies, civil society organisations, think tanks, research institutions and universities to facilitate knowledge exchange, strategic dialogue and joint initiatives. Its activities focus on three thematic priorities: Rule of Law and Accountability, Political and Civic Participation, and Information Integrity.

At partner country level, the TED Secretariat supports the development and implementation of coordinated European approaches to democracy support by facilitating technical expertise, knowledge exchange and cooperation among European partners.

As an intern within the TED Secretariat, you will gain practical insights into European development cooperation and international democracy support, working in a dynamic international environment at the intersection of EU institutions, Member States and civil society organisations.

You will work at the interface between EU ministries, the European Commission, NGOs and think tanks, focusing on topics of democracy, good governance, human rights, civil society and information integrity. Your responsibilities will include contributing to:

• Internal and external communication to increase the visibility and impact of TED’s work and results
• The substantive preparation of country engagements, for example country analyses and concepts for relevant instruments
• The preparation of presentations, briefings and background papers on democracy support measures
• Participation in multi-stakeholder exchange formats and meetings
• Preparation of meeting notes and minutes for internal and external meetings
• Mapping of relevant publications on democracy support topics

• You hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in political science, public administration, social sciences, law, economics, business administration or a comparable field of study. Enrolment in or completion of a relevant Master’s degree programme would be considered an asset
• You have strong communication skills and are able to prepare information in a linguistically accurate and target-group-oriented manner
• You have strong analytical skills and are able to quickly understand new and complex issues, and you are interested in developing and implementing innovative approaches
• As we provide services for the EU, you are required to have strong English-language skills. Proficiency in German language would be an asset
• You have strong organisational skills, enjoy working as part of a team and are comfortable switching flexibly between different subject areas
• You also have good time-management skills and are able to deliver high-quality results under pressure
• You have very good command of commonly used IT applications, particularly Excel. Data analysis and visualisation skills are a strong asset
• Ideally, you already have knowledge of German and international development cooperation as well as subject-matter knowledge related to democracy. Practical experience in developing countries is an advantage, but not a requirement

GIZ is a signatory of the Diversity Charter. Recognition, appreciation and inclusion of diversity in the company are important to us. All employees shall be valued - regardless of gender and gender identity, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, social background, age or sexual orientation. 

Please be informed that you are only allowed to apply for this internship, if you are currently enrolled as a student or graduated not longer than six months ago from the start of your internship.

 We pay a monthly stipend of €2.349,- (gross).

We support equal opportunities and welcome applications from people with disabilities. 

For further information, please contact (thomas.taraschewski@giz.de)