Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Innovation Intern to join our global team.
Team and Job Purpose
Innovation is at the heart of Save the Children’s theory of change for how we will drive impact with and for children. Our team inspires and supports innovation across Save the Children with the objective to use new ideas, emerging technologies, and different ways of working to address complex problems and amplify our impact for children. The team is focused on accelerating innovation through:
- Adding fuel – driving initiatives that create a culture and practice of innovation across Save the Children
- Reducing Friction – building internal ways of working and systems that inspire and enable innovators
- Clear for Launch – discovering and scaling high potential solutions from both within and external to Save the Children
Role purpose
The Innovation Intern plays a hands-on role in developing, testing, and scaling of innovative solutions. As part of the Innovation Team’s Strategic Plan, the intern will help:
- Identify promising innovation solutions and opportunities.
- Support the mapping and development of fundraising and partnership opportunities.
- Build innovation capability across teams and country offices.
- Apply artificial intelligence and digital tools to increase the impact and efficiency of the Innovation Team’s work.
This role is designed for someone who is curious, proactive, and excited by experimentation. You bring fresh thinking and have a track record of making a positive difference whether in your community, studies, or work. You are adaptable, motivated by impact, and enjoy learning by doing, collaborating with others, and using new tools and technologies to solve real-world problems.
Job Title: Innovation Intern
Work Pattern: Hybrid/Remote with flexible working options available
Contract Length: 3 months
Location: Any approved Save the Children International office location. For a full list of locations that Save the Children International can hire in, please visit: SCI Careers
Time Zone (that the role holder must be available to work in): Any
Right to Work: The successful candidate must possess the unrestricted right to work in their current or preferred location for the duration of employment.
Language Requirements: English
Principal Accountabilities
The intern will support key innovation priorities across a range of workstreams, which may include:
Open Innovation Challenge
- Support the design and launch of an open innovation challenge to identify and source high-potential solutions aligned with organisational priorities.
Donor Landscape Mapping for Innovation Funding
- Research and map key innovation funders, including decision-makers, funding priorities, recent investments, and potential entry points for engagement.
Innovation Pipeline Research
- Conduct structured desk research to identify and catalogue 50+ promising innovations relevant to Save the Children’s work.
- Produce a shortlist of high-potential innovations, with concise assessment summaries to inform decision-making.
Innovation Astronaut Program
- Support the design and roll-out of the Innovation Astronaut Program.
Innovation Team AI-Enabled Workflows
- Weekly Innovation Trends Newsletter: Develop and produce a weekly internal newsletter summarising emerging trends, tools, sector developments, and opportunities to support the innovation team’s situational awareness.
- Automated Monthly New Business Development Email: Design and implement an automated system to generate monthly emails highlighting relevant funding opportunities.
- AI Funding Opportunity Bot: Enhance an existing AI-based tool to improve accuracy, broaden data sources, and introduce additional features such as deadline tracking and relevance scoring.
Business as usual
- The intern may support additional innovation tasks as defined by the Innovation team.
Experience and Skills
Essential
1.Research and Analysis
- Strong desk-research skills, including the ability to identify, review, and synthesise information from multiple sources.
- Ability to assess innovations, funding opportunities, and tools and summarise findings clearly.
2.Written and Verbal Communication
- Clear, concise writing skills, particularly for briefs, summaries, and internal communications.
- Ability to present ideas and findings in a structured and accessible way.
3.Digital and AI Literacy
- Comfortable using digital tools to support research, collaboration, and workflow management.
- Familiarity with AI-enabled tools for research, summarisation, or automation, or strong willingness to learn.
4.Project and Task Management
- Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritise effectively, and meet deadlines.
- Basic planning and coordination skills to support innovation challenges and research activities.
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Recently completed an undergraduate degree in a relevant field, such as:
- Design, innovation, or business
- Data, information systems, or related analytical disciplines
- International development, public policy, or social sciences
- Other relevant fields with demonstrated interest in innovation and social impact
- Equivalent practical experience, coursework, or demonstrated capability will be considered in place of formal qualifications.
Desirable
- Project work that shows initiative , personal projects, hackathons, case competitions, or research that demonstrates they can take an idea from concept to execution
- Exposure to design thinking or similar innovation frameworks
- Experience with prototyping or experimentation (could be digital tools, physical making, or process design)
- Cross-functional work – internships or projects that required working with different departments or disciplines
- Any involvement with start-ups, incubators, or entrepreneurship programs.
Working at Save the Children International
Save the Children is the world’s leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first.
We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children’s voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities
DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation.
We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply.
Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.
Application Information
Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found here via the job listing. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.
Our recruitment process:
- Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
- Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
- Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
- If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks
We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.
