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OECD-OPSI Call for Interns 2023

Written by | 4 April 2023

Are you a motivated individual, eager to take on innovative projects and push the boundaries of what’s possible in the public sector? OPSI is searching for talented individuals to join our team for a six-month internship experience in Paris or remote (with the possibility to extend to 12 months)! 

The deadline for application is Sunday, 23 April 2023, 23:59 CET (instructions below). 

The OECD Internship Programme is designed to provide highly qualified and motivated students with diverse backgrounds the opportunity to gain valuable experience and hone their analytical and technical skills in an international environment. Preference will be given to interns being able to commit full-time, on-site for a period of six months. 

At OPSI, we value curiosity and learning and we ensure that project tasks match both the needs of the team at the time and the interests of our selected candidate(s). Potential public sector innovation projects include: 

  • Governance of public sector innovation, including analysing how government functions (policy, audit, procurement and funding) enable innovation
  • Anticipatory Innovation Governance, including supporting the development of strategic foresight capacities of government organisations in Italy, Malta and Lithuania
  • Behavioural Insights, including improving public understanding of and support for green reforms, tackling climate misinformation, and reducing behavioural biases and unintended consequences in the design and implementation of green agendas 
  • Innovative Capacity and country-specific innovation reviews (e.g. study of Brazil or our scan of Denmark)
  • Collecting innovation cases and identifying Innovation Trends, including those on Cross-Border Government Innovation
  • Mission-oriented innovation approaches, with a particular focus on mission governance and contributions to the green transition 
  • Supporting governments in implementing the principles  of the OECD Declaration on Public Sector Innovation through digital and offline tools 
  • Supporting experimentation processes and co-creation methods to explore innovative approaches with ecosystem stakeholders (e.g. bootcamps, hackathons etc.), and establishing “safe spaces” for innovation (e.g. innovation labs, test beds, etc.)
  • Innovation Measurement and Evaluation
  • Innovation management, including skills and competencies for innovation 

Tasks

For these projects, tasks will vary but often involve: 

  • Participating in the preparation of notes, reports, blogs and case studies
  • Carrying out research and reviews of background materials
  • Collecting, organising and analysing data
  • Assisting in the planning of, and participating in, meetings, events, seminars and workshops 
  • Contribute to building networks with officials in national administrations
  • Supporting content management (WordPress)

Pay and benefits 

  • Full-time OECD Interns are paid a taxable allowance of EUR 738 per month. 
  • Full-time interns earn 2.5 days of leave per month. 

Candidate requirements 

  • Must be enrolled in a full-time degree programme (in a related field or discipline) for the entire duration of the internship 
  • Must be a citizen of an OECD member country . 
  • Strong preference given to candidates able to commit full-time (40 hours per week) for a period of 6-months 
  • Fluency in English (knowledge  of Spanish, Portuguese, Latvian, Lithuanian and Romanian would be an asset) 
  • If selected, the candidate must be able to obtain a Memorandum of Agreement between their school and the OECD, which governs the terms of the internship 

Note: The OECD seeks to recruit a diverse workforce and as such, review of applications will take into account the nationality of applicants. 

How to apply

  1. Submit your application to the OECD centralised internship application by Sunday, 23 April 2023, 23:59.
  2. E-mail us at [email protected] to let us know that you have applied to the position. Please also:
    • Send us your OECD application number.
    • State your optimal start and end date.
    • Indicate if you have a preferred focus area(s) (see “potential areas for public sector innovation projects”).
    • Confirm your enrolment in a full-time degree programme for the full duration of the internship.

If you have any other question, you can reach us at [email protected].