Refugee Economic Empowerment Intern (Summer 2026)

International Rescue Committee • Silver Spring, MD

3d • Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

• 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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.

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.

Benefits

• US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed