We are recruiting: HR and administrative intern

Demos Helsinki is a globally operating, independent not-for-profit think tank and a community. We are a community of motivated experts who want to lead societal transformations for a fair, sustainable and joyful next era. We believe that change can only happen together. For this purpose, we conduct research and offer consulting services to governments, international organisations, companies, foundations, cities and other partners in Finland and internationally.

Over the last 20 years we have grown into a 70-person community with professionals from different backgrounds. Our teams work on different areas of societal change through a diverse portfolio of over 100 impact-driven projects per year.

We are now looking for an intern interested in HR and administration for a full time paid internship.  

Internship at Demos Helsinki

Our internship programme has been an essential part of our community for over 15 years. Our interns have an important role in both sharing new practices and perspectives on our existing ways of working, and contributing to our work as team members. We provide a lot of opportunities to learn and grow. During your internship you will have a dedicated mentor, support from a community of colleagues, and fellow interns for that extra peer support. 

Depending on your background, interests, and goals your work could include some or all of the following:

• Support for our people function, for example:
  • Onboarding practicalities and practices e.g. setting up new accounts, ordering new devices, developing the practices further
  • Various recruitment related tasks from opening the call to preselection and organising the interviews; support for onboarding
  • Supporting with drafting and managing employment contracts
  • Assisting with HR administration e.g. employee holiday calculation
  • Updating and maintaining HR materials
  • Supporting preparatory tasks and exploring new possibilities for improving HR processes.
• Support for office management
  • Support with event organising
• Support for diversity, equality and inclusion practices
  • e.g. compiling recruitment statistics
• Support for travel arrangements 
• Support for our finance & legal function
• Support for our project teams:
  • e.g. assisting with writing proposals and preparing project documentation
  • Support with organizing workshops and events

Requirements for the internship:

• Language: You should be comfortable working in both Finnish and English.
• Location: You should be able to work in Helsinki for the entire duration of the internship.
• You are a student or in training: You are enrolled in a university or university of applied science, or in other training that requires an internship or work placement, e.g. labor market training.

What we expect from you:

• Genuine motivation: Our purpose resonates with you, and you’re excited about the opportunity to be part of it.
• Proactive mindset: You’re not afraid to ask for help or clarification when needed, speak up about your interests, and communicate when you’ve completed your tasks.
• Can-do attitude: You’re eager to take on a variety of tasks, both big and small, and approach them with diligence and responsibility.
• Independence: You’re comfortable working on your own and taking initiative.
• Organizational skills: You can manage multiple tasks effectively, stay on top of deadlines, and work in a structured way.
• Relevant experience (a plus, but not required): Any background in HR, finance, or administrative processes would be valuable.

What Demos Helsinki can offer you:

• A three or four month full-time internship in Helsinki, Finland
• A compensation of 1560€/month plus six or eight days of paid leave during your internship
• A dedicated and committed mentor, and peer support from colleagues and fellow interns
• Our general working language is English but your team members speak Finnish. We expect a good command of both Finnish and English
• An autonomous and low-hierarchy environment that allows you to take steps to grow as a professional and learn by doing

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, a place where we can all be ourselves and feel like we belong. This means, for example, flexible working arrangements for different situations and a physically accessible office space. We treat others with dignity and respect, do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment and educate ourselves constantly.

How to apply?

This call for this internship is open until Friday 28.2.2025 To treat applicants equally, we do not accept late applications. Based on your application, we will select candidates for interviews taking place during March. All applicants will be informed whether they are invited to an interview or not by Friday 7.3.2025.

The first phase of the application process is anonymous. You apply for the internship by filling out an application form, but the details that are irrelevant for the preliminary selection (e.g., name, age, and city) are temporarily hidden when we read through the applications. The anonymous application process ensures that the preliminary selection is influenced only by the information that is relevant to the process.

Click this link to apply! Please fill in the application form carefully. We appreciate clear and concrete answers.

Questions & contact

If you have any additional questions regarding the internship, do contact Ifeoma Kulmala at
+358 50 365 8993 or ifeoma.kulmala@demoshelsinki.fi.