Human Resources Internship 2027

Department: Human Resources

Focus: Operations, Recruitment & Intern Experience

Mentors: Carlos Sopprani, HR Coordinator and Candy Williams, HR Manager 

Season: Spring 2027

The application period closes on November 30, 2026. Early applications are encouraged.

# of Internships available: 1

Planned start dates: February 1, 2027

Duration and hours: 3 months, 15 hours per week

Internship Type: Remote, nonprofit, unpaid internship with a learning stipend. 

Intern's expenses: The selected intern will receive a one-time stipend of $500.00 to assist with expenses such as phone, electricity, internet, office supplies, and other internship-related costs.

Overview

Cultural Survival's internship program provides mentorship, learning, and development opportunities for individuals interested in the non-profit sector, particularly in the vital work Cultural Survival performs to advance and defend Indigenous Peoples’ rights, lands, languages, and cultures. This initiative is one of the paths we take to demonstrate our social commitment to academic development and the provision of meaningful learning opportunities. Our internship opportunities welcome individuals from diverse nations, geographies, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, religions, spirituality, ages, experiences, viewpoints, and cosmovisions.

About the internship

We are accepting applications for a remote internship within our Human Resources team for Spring 2027. The selected intern will work closely with members of the HR team on a day-to-day basis and will receive mentorship and broader guidance from the HR Coordinator and the HR Manager throughout the internship. They will support a variety of administrative, recruitment, and employee experience initiatives over a 3-month period.

 
We are looking for a highly organized, proactive, and detail-oriented individual with a strong interest in Human Resources within the nonprofit sector. This role is ideal for someone interested in gaining hands-on experience with HR processes, including recruitment, onboarding, internal communications, and employee engagement, within a global, remote nonprofit organization.

 
Cultural Survival's team spans 21 countries, working across time zones, languages, and cultural contexts to support Indigenous Peoples' rights and self-determination. The selected intern will collaborate alongside a small Human Resources team of three, gaining direct exposure to people-centered HR practice within a global, remote-first, and Indigenous-led organization.

 
Fluency in English is required. Spanish is highly desired, and other languages might also be considered.

Key learning objectives:

• Develop practical experience in HR operations, including internal communications, documentation, and process coordination.
• Gain exposure to recruitment processes, including candidate communication, interview coordination support, and evaluation tools.
• Strengthen skills in drafting and reviewing professional documents such as job descriptions, internal policies, staff-wide communications, and onboarding materials.
• Build understanding of employee experience initiatives, including onboarding and engagement practices, in a remote, globally distributed, and multicultural environment.
• Learn how HR teams support organizational effectiveness while fostering inclusive and people-centered workplaces.

Key tasks:

• Support internal communications and knowledge accessibility efforts, including drafting staff-wide emails and developing clear, user-friendly summaries (e.g., one-pagers, FAQs) to improve understanding of internal policies and processes.
• Collect staff birthdays and work anniversaries, as well as relevant HR team updates, for inclusion in weekly internal reports shared with the global team.
• Contribute to recruitment processes, supporting candidate communications, assisting in the creation of interview evaluation tools, and participating in resume review and candidate shortlisting under HR guidance.
• Gain exposure to interview and selection practices by observing interviews and contributing to structured evaluation processes, strengthening understanding of equitable and effective hiring.
• Support onboarding and employee experience initiatives, including following up on onboarding steps with new hires, assisting in the coordination of internal engagement activities, and researching facilitators and proposing ideas to strengthen Wellness Get Together sessions and other initiatives.
• Support organizational learning and development initiatives by assisting with drafting individual development plans for assigned roles. 
• Contribute to the internship program and HR projects, serving as a point of contact for interns, supporting intern engagement spaces.

Weekly time commitment 

We will welcome a candidate who is interested in our work and can dedicate an average of 15 hours per week to the project.

Cultural Survival will accommodate the intern’s academic commitments and will provide opportunities for a monthly mentorship session within this department.

Upon successful completion of the internship, the intern will qualify to receive an internship certificate of completion. 

How to apply

To be considered for this internship opportunity, the candidate’s application must include the following:

1. A cover letter addressed to Carlos Sopprani, HR Coordinator and Candy Williams, HR Manager.
   1. Detail your interest in this internship, how you meet the criteria we are looking for, and why you connect with our mission. We want to understand your unique voice and writing style. Therefore, please refrain from using AI-generated content in your cover letter. The letter will be evaluated as your writing sample.
2. Resume

If you require a reasonable accommodation request to apply, please send an email to hr@culturalsurvival.org