Conference, Events and Operations Intern

ILGA-Europe is looking for a Conference, Events and Operations Intern

Deadline for applications: Sunday, 19th April 2026 (23:59 CEST).

About ILGA-Europe

ILGA-Europe is a driving force for political, legal and social change at European level. Our vision is of a world where dignity, freedoms and full enjoyment of human rights are protected and ensured to everyone regardless of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. ILGA-Europe are comprised of over 700 member organisations throughout the European and Central Asian Region.

We work with extraordinary activists to bring about real change for LGBTI people. Our strong team based in Brussels empowers activists, connects key change actors at regional and national levels, leads on thinking and responding to important trends for the LGBTI movement. And we ensure our people remain our greatest asset. We pair the responsibilities of the Intern with planned and structured learning on tools, approaches and operations, and opportunities to engage in other areas of work of ILGA-Europe as support or observer.

We look forward to you joining our team!

Our commitment to equal opportunities

As an organisation working for the benefit of the LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia in all its diversity, we value the knowledge and expertise that come with lived experiences of injustice and systemic oppression. We particularly welcome applications from trans, gender non-conforming and non-binary individuals, and those targeted by racism, classism and disablism.

We are also keenly aware of the barriers faced by many people when applying for internships, especially those experienced by members of under-represented groups and related to disability, ethnicity or national origin, colour, race, language, creed, gender, marital status, domestic circumstances, age, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sex characteristics, among others.

We do all within our power to remove as many of these barriers in our day-to-day operations and in our practices. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments and providing various kinds of support and learning. Please see further information about the and about the benefits at the end of this advertisement for specific measures we’ve put in place to fill some of the gaps caused by oppressions. Beyond these, we daily strive to maintain an organisational culture that is aware and sensitive to marginalisation and exclusions and their impact on staff.

The role

This is a learning position, aimed at both supporting ILGA-Europe’s work and providing an individual with training, professional development and experience valuable in further workplaces or volunteering opportunities.

The primary role of the Intern will be to support ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference organising and delivery process, as well as a number of other events, and a range of operations of the finance and admin team.

The Annual Conference is the largest annual gathering of LGBTI activists and allies in Europe and Central Asia. It brings together of 400 participants from over 50 countries, for 3.5 days of strategizing, learning, networking, and inspiration. The Intern will play a crucial role in preparing the event, and making sure it is fit for purpose.

The Intern will report to the Finance Director and have an assigned mentor to support daily immersion and work. They will also work closely with a range of different staff members in the areas of programmes, partnerships, finance, administration, and operations.

The Intern will, among other things:

• Support participant registration, verification, and record-keeping;

• coordinate travel arrangements and assist with reimbursement processes;

• communicate with participants and partners on logistics and requirements;

• maintain and update contact lists and participant information;

• assist with CRM data entry, tracking, and basic data management;

• help monitor payments, financial records, and supporting documentation;

• support event planning, including liaising with suppliers and ordering materials;

• contribute to participant communications and event-related content;

• provide on-site support during the conference (registration, logistics, coordination);

• assist with overall event delivery, including follow-up and reporting tasks.

The final list of tasks will be decided upon based on the profile, competencies and learning potential of the selected candidate.

At ILGA-Europe, we recognize competencies and experience gained in formal and non-formal education, and in paid and unpaid positions. We are not necessarily looking for candidates who fulfil all criteria perfectly – learning and training is a crucial component of the internship, and we value transparency about gaps and professional accountability in learning. In our assessment, we will be looking for the following competencies and experiences:

• A good standard of written and spoken English. While a “native speaker” standard is not required, you would need to be able to formulate thoughts verbally and in writing, understand persons using English at different levels and coming from different language and other backgrounds, participate in conversations, write with correct spelling, punctuation, and good formatting.

• Ability to collect, organise, and maintain information from multiple sources, such as participant registrations, travel information, financial documentation, and database (CRM) records.

• Strong ability to conduct online research on various topics and compile relevant information.

• Ability to identify practical issues and propose solutions, including recognising missing information, following up with participants, and escalating issues when necessary.

• Ability to work both in a team and independently, including coordinating with colleagues, managing assigned tasks autonomously, proactively sharing relevant information, and following-up on outstanding actions.

• Ability to plan and manage own time, including keeping track of diverse tasks and interdependencies, prioritising tasks, and performing multiple duties in parallel.

• Reliability and sense of responsibility, including completing assigned tasks on time, knowing what “good quality” means, and communicating progress or difficulties to colleagues.

• Ability to interact with participants politely and professionally, and to contribute to a welcoming and well-organised event atmosphere, also in situations of tension, stress or disagreement.

• Good communication abilities; to listen actively, draw conclusions, and take notes for yourself; to provide clear and relevant information; to summarise information accurately and correctly in writing; to ask clarifying questions when information is missing or unclear; to keep relevant colleagues copied or informed.

• Organisational skills, including the ability to maintain records (participant lists, payment tracking, travel information), pay attention to detail and correctness, follow established procedures, and keep documentation clear and up to date.

• Ability to compile and process numerical information, ensuring very high level of accuracy, including to perform basic arithmetic calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division; to verify totals and identify discrepancies).

• Sensitivity to working in an environment composed of people from different backgrounds, languages, and with different experiences, and commitment to promoting respect for equality and diversity.

• Ability to operate word-processing programs and basic functions of Microsoft Outlook.

We expect to receive a high volume of applications for this internship. If this exceeds our capacity, we will prioritise applications supported by formal and non-formal civil society organisations where the candidate worked or volunteered.

Useful additional experience/knowledge includes:

• Basic understanding of concepts and issues related to SOGIESC and human rights*.

• Ability to communicate in written and spoken in Russian, Turkish or Ukrainian.

• Ability to input and manage data in CRM systems*.

• Ability to use MS Excel at low-intermediate level*, including: enter, organise, and maintain data in spreadsheets; use basic formulas (SUM, simple addition /subtraction /multiplication /division); calculate totals and subtotals; sort and filter datasets; copy, format, and clean data (from CRM exports); verify calculations and identify inconsistencies in numerical data.

• Experience supporting the organisation or logistics of events, conferences, meetings, or workshops.

• Experience volunteering or working with NGOs, civil society organisations, or activist networks, especially those working for LGBTI persons.

• Sensitivity to specific barriers under-represented and marginalised communities face, and how that may impact their participation in the work of ILGA-Europe.

The points below marked with an asterisk (*) can be folded into professional immersion as specific staff-led trainings or briefings, see the section below.

Training and professional immersion:

During the internship, depending on your existing competences and experience, we will provide training and professional immersion. The foreseen items include:

• Workplace basics (especially if this would be your first workplace): routines, expectations, responsibilities, what cooperation with colleagues and line-management look like, using office tools and systems, appropriate workplace behavior and conduct, time management and reliability, learning from mistakes and asking for help.

• MS Word and Excel, CRM systems, Outlook, other systems, incl. book-keeping and payment processing, if relevant.

• Basics of budgeting, budget execution, cost tracking and reporting.

• Introduction to eligibility rules of various funders, compliance, and processing financial documents. Procurement processes and record-keeping.

• Data management: legal requirements, good practices, sensitivities.

Beyond specific trainings and briefings, you will have the opportunity to participate in daily work and some of our activities as an observer or support person, and learn:

• How organisations plan and deliver large, strategic, international events.

• What does advocating for human rights of LGBTI people look like in the context of European Union and Council of Europe institutions.

• How do organisations build and maintain relationships with the private sector.

• How relationships with member organisations and activists are built, maintained and supported across a diverse network.

• How civil society organisations build and sustain coalitions and alliances across countries and movements.

• How organisations develop strategy and prioritise work in a complex and changing political environment.

• What does crisis support for movements look like.

• How do risk planning, mitigation and security measures look like for organisations.

• How teams shape public narratives, media engagement, and messaging around human rights issues.

• How organisations maintain accountability, transparency, and compliance in their work.

• How different teams within an organisation coordinate their work and manage interdependencies across programmes, advocacy, operations, finance, fundraising and communications.

• How organisations work to ensure participation and accessibility, particularly for individuals and communities facing barriers to engagement.

Internship information

Fixed term internship (6 months, ideally starting between June 1st and June 15th, to be agreed) under the Belgian professional immersion scheme.

Therefore, the candidates must be eligible for a Convention D‘Immersion Professionelle (CIP):

• Must have the right to work in Belgium;

• Must be at their first CIP for this kind of work;

• Must not consider this internship as part of their academic credit or undertake as a part of a degree.

Under Belgian law, such an internship doesn’t allow a salary, but a compensation paid by the employer. This will be a monthly net amount of 1250,00 €. Additionally, you will receive meal vouchers for each day worked, and a monthly allowance for costs of working at home of 50,00 €.

This position entails a work week of 37.5 hours, within set daily hours, usually from Monday to Friday with occasional work on weekends required, and with a presence of at least 3 days a week at the ILGA-Europe office in Brussels. A period of 2-3 weeks of remote working during July or early August may be agreed.

You will also be entitled to 10 days of leave, public holidays, and periods of office closure occurring in the internship period.

Limited financial relocation support will be provided if the selected candidate would need to move to Belgium for this opportunity. We will cover one-time travel costs to Brussels and a flat fee reimbursement of other relocations costs of up to 300,00 €.

The type of contract and the duration of this position do not allow to obtain a work permit for the successful candidate – this position is open only to candidates who already have the right to work in Belgium.

Closing date for receipt of applications: Sunday, 19th April 2026 (23:59 CEST). Please submit your CV and application by e-mail to recruitment@ilga-europe.org.

We will inform you via email about the results of our assessment by April 28th. Selected candidates will be invited to an online interview lasting approx. 1h to take place on May 7th. Final decisions are expected to be taken by May 13th, but the selected candidate and the contract of professional immersion will need to be approved by a relevant public authority within 10 days of submission.