Trainee, The Finnish University Partnership For International Development (Unipid)

We are seeking a (part-time) trainee to support the Coordination Unit of the Finnish University Partnership for International Development (UniPID). The trainee will mostly work remotely at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies of the University of Eastern Finland on the Joensuu campus. Please find more information below and submit your application by 28 October 2026.

UniPID is seeking a trainee to support the Coordination Unit, particularly in communications and the implementation of events. UniPID coordinates and participates in a number of externally funded projects. These projects serve to support the Finnish research community in their collaborative partnerships with counterparts in the Global South.

About UniPID

The Finnish University Partnership for International Development (UniPID) is a network of 10 Finnish universities, established in 2002 to strengthen the capacity of its member universities to enhance global responsibility and Global South perspectives in their education, research, and societal engagement. UniPID also promotes equitable and inclusive global partnerships that advance sustainable development. UniPID is coordinated by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies of the University of Eastern Finland.

Tasks

The trainee will assist UniPID’s Coordination Unit in communications and the organisation of events. The main duties of the trainee are described below.

• Communication: Assisting in the coordination of communications. This may include managing social media channels, drafting newsletters, and planning and implementing communications materials on the activities of the network and its projects in order to reach Finnish and international audiences.
• Organising virtual and on-site events: assisting in the planning and organisation of events and meetings, including participant registration and management, technical support and reporting.
• In addition to the above-mentioned tasks, there will be tasks associated with the Development Days 2027 Conference (DevDays2027), which is organised by the Finnish Society for Development Research (FSDR) in collaboration with UniPID and other stakeholders. The Development Days is Finland’s largest annual international conference dedicated to development research, practice, and activism. The conference will feature a broad spectrum of topics through working groups and panel discussions.

The responsibilities will include:

• Event organisation: Assisting with the planning and organisation of DevDays2027, managing conference registration, drafting the conference programme, aiding with travel arrangements, assisting in budget-related matters, and providing other technical support.
• Communication: Designing a communication strategy and actions for DevDays2027, updating the webpage, handling email communications, among others.
• Head of conference secretariat: Responsibility for heading the conference secretariat, including forming and leading a team of conference volunteers.

Position details

The trainee will mostly work remotely at the Coordination Unit of UniPID in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies of the University of Eastern Finland. The traineeship is a part-time position and will commence in November 2026 and continue until the end of April 2027. The starting date will be agreed upon on a case-by-case basis. A trial period is applied to new members of the university’s staff.

The trainee will receive supervision from both UniPID and FSDR.

The trainee is required to have a university internship subsidy. For more information on subsidy practices, see the Aarresaari website. The trainee’s salary will be EUR 750 per month for a part-time (50%) position.

Our requirements and expectations

We encourage Master’s level students from UniPID member universities who are entitled to the internship subsidy of their home university to apply.

We expect you to

• be eager to learn new things,
• be interested in scientific and development cooperation,
• have good skills in the English language,
• have good written and oral communication skills and
• have good teamwork and organisational skills.

How to apply

Submit your electronic application no later than 28 October 2026 by 24:00 (midnight) Finnish time (UTC +2) with the following attachments in English:

• a CV
• a short motivation letter
• a transcript of records

Also indicate the preferred starting date and duration of the traineeship.

We value authenticity, so please make sure that your motivation letter reflects your own thoughts and experiences. Applications created by using AI are often generic in nature and fail to reflect the applicant’s personal motivation. Please note that if your application appears to be AI-generated, this may have a negative impact on its assessment.

Further information

Reach out to Director of UniPID Kaisa Kurki by emailing to kaisa.kurki@uef.fi or calling +358 50 330 6154 between 13–14 and 19–20 October, or to FSDR representative, FSDR Chair Bonn Juego, bonn.juego@jyu.fi, +358 50 476 1005.

Harjoittelija

Haemme harjoittelijaa osa-aikaiseen tehtävään (50 %) Finnish University Partnership for International Development (UniPID) -yliopistoverkoston koordinaatioyksikköön. Harjoittelu tapahtuu pääosin etänä Itä-Suomen yliopiston yhteiskuntatieteiden ja kauppatieteiden tiedekunnassa Joensuun kampuksella syksyllä 2026 ja keväällä 2027. Palkka on 750 € kuukaudessa. Tehtävässä edellytetään hyvää englannin kielen taitoa. Lue tarkemmat tiedot tehtävästä ja hakuohjeet yllä olevasta englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta. Jätäthän hakemuksesi englanniksi. Hakuaika tehtävään päättyy 28.10.2026.

About us

UniPID is a network of Finnish universities that offers a variety of support services for multidisciplinary education and research in global sustainable development. UniPID’s member universities are: Aalto University, Hanken School of Economics, University of Tampere, University of Eastern Finland, University of Helsinki, University of Jyväskylä, University of Lapland, University of Oulu, University of Turku, and Åbo Akademi.

The Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies operates on two campuses of the University of Eastern Finland – in Joensuu and Kuopio. The faculty trains experts in the fields of history, geography, economics and business administration, law, social sciences, and social and health management. The faculty’s research is closely linked to the research areas identified in the university’s strategy. The faculty has 4,480 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students and approximately 500 postgraduate students actively pursuing their studies. The faculty has 550 staff members.

The University of Eastern Finland (UEF) is the most multidisciplinary university in Finland. Our university employs approximately 3,200 employees, and our community includes approximately 17,000 degree students and 16,000 adult education students. Our campuses are located in Joensuu and Kuopio. We represent the world’s cutting edge of research in many fields and produce research-based knowledge, which is made openly available to benefit everyone. Learn more about our university at www.uef.fi/en. Read also about UEF as a working community and employer and the career stories of our employees.

Työsopimuksen voimassaolo: määräaikainen työsopimus | Työsuhteen luonne: osa-aikainen | Paikkojen lukumäärä: 1 | Työllisyysaste: 50 | Paikkakunta: Joensuu | Maakunta: Pohjois-Karjala | Maa: Finland | Ilmoitusnumero: 1273/01.01.04/2026 | Julkaistu: 2026-10-14 | Haku päättyy: 2026-10-28