At Coopi, people are the key to the success of the organisation's work. In order to carry out our many worldwide projects, we are looking for humanitarian workers who, by adhering to our mission, are ready to make their experience and skills available.
Over the years, humanitarian workers have become more and more qualified: today, the evolution of the humanitarian professional and of international development cooperation have a deep impact on the required profiles and on the expertise sought.
Working abroad with COOPI means taking responsibility for the position held and representing the organisation in the country of destination, with local authorities and partners, government, donors and all the actors involved. Our interventions take place in emergency and development contexts and in situations that are often complex due to political, social and environmental conditions. Therefore, our humanitarian workers are asked to be prompt in making decisions and have a good ability to read and understand the place where they work, which often changes very quickly. Moreover, the contexts in which COOPI works are multi-ethnic: flexibility and respect for others are essential requirements, both for expatriate staff and local personnel. The isolated and uncomfortable environment and the long working hours require a lot of energy, resistance to stress and willingness to go beyond the assigned task, learning from past experiences and becoming autonomous in a realtively short time.
A large number of professionals are employed in development and emergency projects in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America and the Caribbean, COOPI's geographical areas of intervention: administrators, logisticians, field coordinators, country coordinators, psychologists, nutritionists, project managers with expertise in food security and agriculture, in WaSH and environmental projects, in protection and human rights.
SELECTION PROCESS
The recruitment process for both headquarters and expatriate staff is aimed at finding highly qualified personnel. The team involved in the recruiting and selection of staff examines both technical and soft skills, motivation and references through a transparent and non-discriminatory process. Since 2014 COOPI has adopted a code of ethics and every employee is asked to read it and to observe its principles.
COOPI adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual abuse, exploitation, and harassment (SEAH), and for this reason, it adheres to the "Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme." Before hiring new staff, COOPI reserves the right to contact previous employers to ensure that candidates, during their previous employments, were not involved in any disputes related to unlawful sexual conduct. All information gathered will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and in compliance with Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
The recruitment team receives applications through an online application form and after a careful review contacts pre-selected candidates for a first interview, after which professional references are always checked. Candidates who successfully pass the first interview will continue in the selection process and will have a second interview with the Area Manager or Regional Coordinator. Depending on the position, a technical skills test is carried out either as the first step in the selection process or between the first and second interview. The selected candidate receives a contract proposal based on an internal salary grid.
Our work contracts can have different durations, depending on the projects and the position: usually they range from a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 12 months, renewable following a good evaluation and if there is the will and the possibility of re-employment. We offer a contract of collaboration and a salary calculated according to an internal grid, health insurance, accommodation at guest houses where available, a flight ticket to the country of destination, as well as coverage of visa costs and internal transfer within the country from the capital to other bases on the ground.
Once selected, future employees will receive either online or on-site ad hoc training, depending on their function. The pre-departure induction aims to provide an introduction to COOPI's structure, tools and procedures, in order to ensure that staff are prepared for a more effective and rapid integration into their new work environment.
COOPI values young people and over the years has created collaborations and partnerships with several Masters and Universities in order to offer opportunities to young people who aspire to join the development cooperation and humanitarian aid sector.
Students of undergraduate, masters and specialisation school courses in the sectors relevant to COOPI interventions may have the opportunity to undertake internships and training both at the organisation’s offices in Italy and abroad. Generally speaking, the average duration of a traineeship lasts from four to six months, during which the trainee undergoes an initial period of theoretical and practical orientation so as to allow him or her to independently carry out the assigned tasks.
Occasionally, extra-curricular internship opportunities are offered to junior profiles who have already completed their studies, both for the headquarters in Milan and for missions abroad.
In addition, some departments at COOPI's Milan headquarters host programmes of “Apprendistato”, National Civil Service, “Leva Civica” and “Garanzia Giovani” of different durations.