Operations Spring 2026 Intern - Unpaid

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.

BACKGROUND
 
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities to restore safety, dignity and hope, the IRC leads the way from harm to home. Domestically, our offices across the U.S. ensure new arrivals have food, shelter, and clothing, and that they are connected to community support systems. The IRC works with refugees, immigrants, and survivors of trafficking to help them gain self-sufficiency.

SCOPE OF INTERN SERVICE: The Spring 2026 Operations Intern will work with the operations team to provide operational support within the Louisville office, including assistance with administrative tasks, logistics coordination, office safety and security management, inventory supervisions, and other operational tasks and related duties. 

This is an unpaid internship position that requires a minimum commitment of 10 hours a week for at least three months.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Gain exposure to interacting with diverse communities, cultures, and backgrounds.
• Deepen understanding of the unique barriers, challenges, and assets of the refugee and immigrant communities.
• Gain industry knowledge of the U.S. refugee resettlement program and its core services.
• Gain experience in working with clients to support their goals.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the Administrative Assistant with managing reception materials, answering client questions, and making direct requests to appropriate staff members.
• Assist with liaising with office and equipment maintenance providers and other external parties as needed to support office operations.
• Check out IRC staff and clients completing “shopping” visits to Contributions-In-Kind (CIK) stock room.
• Support in managing all incoming, existing, and outgoing inventory items, including data entry, recording client distributions, and stocking inbound donations. Conduct weekly vehicle inspections according to checklist.
• Data entry of inventory counts into Excel, Sortly, and other platforms.
• Comply with all policies, procedures, and protocols.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a current undergraduate student, graduate student, or less than 12 months past graduation.
• Access to a personal vehicle/reliable transportation; IRC Louisville cannot support securing transportation or housing for interns.  
• Candidates must be a U.S. citizen or must have active and compliant visas and work authorization status in the United States (the IRC must not be represented as a sponsor or host in any application, filing, or other context for an intern).
• Must be able to lift and carry items up to 50 pounds.
• Primary availability during IRC business hours (M-F; 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM).
• Ability to handle sensitive client information confidentially.
• Strong intercultural communication skills, including demonstrated ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and across language barriers.
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a team
• Comfortable with Microsoft Excel and willingness to learn to use new software for data entry.
• Adherence to IRC volunteer/intern and workplace policies
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written; Spanish language skills a plus.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.

HOW TO APPLY

All intern opportunities are contingent on clearing a background check*. Interns must adhere to the IRC intern and workplace policies, which include confidentiality and client safeguarding. Apply online at Rescue.org/Careers, selecting Louisville. Email questions to Volunteer.Louisville@Rescue.org.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Cookies: https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/cookiesettings

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 $143 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. 

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.