Dear NCSG Members,

The NCSG Executive Committee (EC) is pleased to announce a Call for Applications for the NCSG Short-Term Policy Fellowship, a pilot initiative funded by the Public Interest Registry (PIR) aimed at strengthening the capacity, strategic planning, and communication of the non-commercial community within ICANN.

This Fellowship is an 8-month, part-time, paid opportunity designed to support the development of NCSG’s strategic communication and policy engagement. The selected Fellow will work closely with the NCSG leadership and community to produce communication materials, summarize key policy positions, and assist in planning the future direction of the NCSG. 

Fellowship Goals:  (i) Improve Communication: Develop clear and concise communication materials summarizing NCSG's ideas, principles, and ongoing activities to attract and engage newcomers; (ii) Strategic Planning: Assisting the leadership in formulating a strategic plan outlining NCSG's goals and objectives for the next 5 years, focusing on issues such as a) the privacy and other human rights of registrants, b) a more diverse registry ecosystem, c) consumers rights in the domain name industry, d) preserving ICANN’s remit while improving its transparency and accountability, e) holistic review (and other structural reviews), among others; (iii) Capacity Building: Identify potential newcomers' skills and interests, forwarding them to the policy priorities that will be identified, to contribute effectively to NCSG's work; (iv) Recognition from the community: Enhance the influence and representation of civil society organizations and individuals within ICANN's bottom-up policy-making processes and leadership selection; (v) Making the NCSG's policy dialogue more fertile, promoting thematic webinars, initiating discussion threads, setting meeting agenda with those topics etc.  

Duration: 8 months (part-time, 15 hours/week - the fellow will be accountable to the EC, and will have to demonstrate the work effectively done with results compatible with the time dedication)
 
Monthly Stipend: USD 800 | Additional Support: USD 600 for design, tools, or technical resources 
 
Eligibility Criteria: (i) Be active NCSG members in good standing, having participated in mailing lists, WGs, IRTs, or similar roles within the past 6 months; (ii) Have voted in the last NCSG election; (iii) Demonstrate alignment with NCSG’s mission and commitment to the Fellowship’s goals; (iv) Provide evidence of similar research, planning, or communication-related work in the past two years.   

 
Desired Qualifications: (i) Proven experience in communication, policy research, or outreach; (ii)Familiarity with DNS policy, ICANN’s structure, and multistakeholder governance; (iii) Strong writing and summarization skills; (iv) Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and communicate across a diverse community.
 
The Fellow should not be in a current leadership position within NCSG, NCUC, or NPOC to avoid conflicts of interest and maximize collective benefit.  
 
Selection Process:

Applications are open from Thursday, 17 July 2025 and will close on Thuesday, 31 July 2025 (2-week window). 

Please send your Statement of Interest, qualifications, and any relevant supporting documents to chair@ncsg.is and copy secretary@ncsg.is.   

Applications will be screened by the NCSG Policy Committee (PC). 

Evaluation will consider experience, expertise, and potential impact, with scoring based on clear criteria. 

Shortlisted applicants may be invited to interviews. 

The NCSG PC will submit a recommended shortlist to the EC. 

The NCSG EC will make the final selection within one week of receiving the PC’s recommendation. 

All applicants will receive feedback, and the process will be transparently documented. 

 

We encourage our members who fulfill the requisites and are passionate about strengthening the non-commercial voice in ICANN to apply and contribute to this strategic initiative.

Best regards,

The NCSG Executive Committee