Internship – Visual Design Contributors (2) (Polio Programme), Islamabad, Pakistan (6 months)

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For every child, Polio drops!

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) operates under an emergency designation, reflecting the urgency, scale, and complexity of the polio situation in the country. In this complex environment, communications play a vital role in building public trust, promoting vaccine uptake, and countering misinformation.

To meet the demands of this evolving communications landscape, the programme seeks to engage interns as Visual Design Contributors to support the development of impactful, culturally relevant, and accessible visual content. The intern modality provides a unique opportunity to bring in fresh, creative energy while offering early-career professionals hands-on learning experience in a real-time health emergency response setting. These contributors will not only strengthen the capacity of the communications team but also gain insight into how design intersects with public health, social behaviour change, and humanitarian coordination in one of the world’s most complex emergency health programmes.

How can you make a difference?? 

The Pakistan PEI is a multi-agency public health initiative coordinated by the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) under the Government of Pakistan. As the programme continues to address the circulation of polio across the country, the NEOC plays a central role in coordinating provincial and national campaigns, ensuring alignment across technical, operational, and communication strategies.

Under the leadership of the Communications Specialist, the communications team produces a wide array of materials to inform and engage the public, support frontline workers, and elevate the voices of communities. The Visual Design Contributors will become part of this high-functioning team, directly supporting national campaigns by creating design products for print, digital, and community outreach. Their work will contribute to health promotion, social mobilization, and risk communication efforts, all within the framework of a designated public health emergency.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Intern Visual Design Contributors.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The Intern will be responsible for the following:

Interns serving as Visual Design Contributors will be immersed in the communications team and offered an opportunity to develop professional skills while contributing meaningfully to the programme’s outreach. Their responsibilities will provide exposure to real-world workflows, creative feedback processes, and multi-stakeholder coordination, particularly in the context of emergency response communications. Under the supervision of the Graphic Design Lead and in collaboration with the digital and outreach teams, the interns will particularly in the context of emergency response communications. Under the supervision of the Graphic Design Lead and in collaboration with the digital and outreach teams, the interns will:

1. Support Creation of Visual Design Outputs

• Develop a broad range of design products, including digital and print materials such as posters, social media visuals, event backdrops, infographics, and public awareness products.

Deliverables:

• Produce high-quality digital and print assets aligned with PEI branding and messaging.

2. Adapt Visual Designs for Local Contexts

• Participate in adapting national-level designs into culturally sensitive, locally relevant formats to support outreach in diverse provinces and districts.

Deliverables:

• Produce localized versions of campaign materials for at least 3 provinces per quarter.

3. Develop Visual Design Storytelling Products

• Gain experience creating illustrations, animations, branded items, and other promotional collateral for public health campaigns.

Deliverables:

• Create at least 5 storytelling assets (illustrations, animations, or branded items) per month.

4. Prepare Visual Design Print-Ready Assets and Maintain Design Systems 

• Assist in preparing print-ready assets and maintaining organized design templates and systems.

Deliverables:

• Ensure all assets are print-ready and maintain an updated design library.

5. Participate in Brainstorming and Planning Sessions

• Join planning sessions to contribute creative ideas and learn from experienced communications professionals.

Deliverables:

• Actively contribute at least one new idea or concept per planning session.

6. Support Behaviour Change and Public Trust Goals

• Learn how visual design supports behaviour change, fosters trust in public institutions, and contributes to progress in complex humanitarian settings.

Deliverables:

• Ensure all design outputs align with SBCC objectives and public health messaging priorities.

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or Ph.D. programme, or have graduated within the past two years.
• Academic background in communication, marketing, visual design, or journalism.
• Training or experience in design for public health communication is an advantage.
• Familiarity with designing for multiple platforms (e.g., social media, outdoor, print).
• No immediate relatives (e.g., parent or sibling) working in any UNICEF office, and no relatives in the reporting line of the internship supervisor.

Skills:

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
• Knowledge of the Urdu language is desirable.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

Two (02) interns are required to join the Polio Programme Section based in UNICEF Islamabad.

The duration of the internship is 6 months

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.