Intern - Volunteer Engagement: Communications, Training and Support

Housing and Development Board; Singapore; On-site; SGD 11,000 - 17,000; Part time

Job summary

Housing and Development Board (HDB) in Singapore offers an internship with the Community Partnerships Department to support the Friends of Our Heartlands (FOH) Network Secretariat. You will gain hands-on experience in volunteer communications, development, and programme evaluation while contributing to community engagement initiatives.

You will review communications materials, engage volunteers through surveys and interviews, and help map touchpoints in the volunteer journey.

Qualifications

• Interest in community event engagement and volunteering management.
• Familiarity with design tools (Adobe/Canva) preferred, video editing an advantage.
• Disciplines include Communications, Social Sciences, Education, Public Policy or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Support FOH Network Secretariat and volunteer networks in communications and outreach.
• Assist in developing communications strategies and materials for volunteers.
• Conduct surveys/interviews to understand volunteer experience and identify gaps in support.
• Research to map volunteer touchpoints and propose retention communications strategies.
• Help design peer mentoring and training programmes for volunteers.
• Review SOPs and assist in evaluating existing programmes and effectiveness.

Skills

Community engagement

Volunteer management

Design tools (Adobe/Canva)

Education

Communications / Public Relations

Social Sciences / Education / HRD

Public Policy / Social impact

MarComms / Visual Communications

Tools

Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator

Canva

Video editing

Job description

What the role is:

Under the internship programme, you will be attached to the Community Partnerships Department (Community Outreach East) in HDB's Community Relations Group, supporting the Friends of Our Heartlands (FOH) Network Secretariat.

What you will be working on:

This internship offers a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the development of the volunteer network that plays an active role in strengthening our HDB heartland communities. You will gain hands‑on experience across three areas —volunteer‑facing communications, volunteer development, and programme evaluation — giving you a well‑rounded exposure to how a secretariat manages both outward‑facing engagement and internal capability building. You will have the opportunity to conduct research with volunteers, develop communications strategies and materials that will be used by the organisation, and assess whether programmes are meeting objectives. You will have the opportunity to:

• Review and refresh communication materials including newsletters, EDMs, collaterals and recognition content
• Engage volunteers through surveys and interviews to understand their experience and identify gaps in communications and support
• Research and propose volunteer retention communications strategy, mapping key touchpoints in the volunteer journey with recommended channels, messaging, etc
• Research design, and develop training/mentoring programme structure that build peer networks and find support beyond formal training settings
• Review programme SOPs to understand current practices and surface recommendations for refinement where relevant
• Develop an evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of existing volunteer programmes and identify areas for improvement

Through the internship programme, you will get to:

• Gain practical experience in conducting primary research — including surveys, interviews — and translating findings into actionable recommendations
• Develop skills in communications strategy and content development, from auditing existing materials to producing new ones for a live audience
• Build an understanding of how volunteer programmes are designed and sustained, and the human factors that drive engagement and retention
• Gain exposure to programme design and development, including how to structure a peer mentoring programme from the ground up
• Develop skills in programme evaluation, understanding how ground-level feedback and data translate into stronger programme design
• Develop the ability to manage multiple workstreams independently, a skill that is highly transferable across any career path

What we are looking for:

• Strong interest in community event engagement, volunteering management, and social impact initiatives
• Intern may be required to work at events on selected weekends
• Applicants with background in design applications such as Adobe (Photoshop/Illustrator) and/or Canva are preferred. Familiarity with video creation/editing would be an advantage.
• Preferred Disciplines:
  • Communications, Media, or Public Relations
  • Social Sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Social Work)
  • Education or Human Resource Development
  • Public Policy or Political Science
  • MarComms, Visual Comms, Digital Media & Co mms and any other related design disciplines

Internship Period: 11 Jan 2027 - 11 Jun 2027

About Housing and Development Board

We are Singapore's public housing authority and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development. We take pride in creating homes and towns that form a quality living environment for the young and old. Throughout the years, our continuous innovation and upgrading programmes have ensured that the heartland remain our cherished home. Join us in making a difference to the heartlands and communities that matter to us. Take on the challenge of shaping the nation’s skyline and landscape. With the wide range of opportunities available in HDB, you play an integral part in redefining the future of public housing and improving the lives of Singaporeans.