Deadline for application: 21 August 2022

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. We help make our member companies more successful and sustainable by focusing on the maximum positive impact for shareholders, the environment and societies.

Our member companies come from all business sectors and all major economies, representing combined revenues of more than USD $8.5 trillion and 19 million employees. Our global network of almost 70 national business councils gives our members unparalleled reach across the globe. WBCSD is uniquely positioned to work with member companies along and across value chains to deliver impactful business solutions to the most challenging sustainability issues.

Together, we are the leading voice of business for sustainability: with a vision of a world where more than nine billion people are all living well and within the boundaries of our planet, by 2050.

Guided by WBCSD’s Vision 2050, the Energy Pathway’s vision is a sustainable energy system providing reliable and affordable, net-zero carbon energy for all. The energy system transformation is undoubtedly underway, but the current rate of change and scale of change not rapid and large enough to limit warming to 1.5°C. The energy team is dedicated to addressing this climate emergency as well as the challenges posed by loss of nature and mounting inequality.

Job Overview

The Energy Pathway team is hiring a full-time or part-time (80%) intern for a duration of 6 - 9 months. The intern’s focus will be to support our workstreams on sustainable grids and electrifying industrial heat. Power grids are becoming a bottleneck in the transition to net-zero economies, halting renewable deployment as well as the electrification of key sectors across industry, real estate, and mobility. The intern is expected to spend 50% of their time on a particular piece of thought leadership which elaborates on this emerging bottleneck and specifies actions and investments needed to alleviate grid constraints and enable electrification.

The intern will be part of the larger energy team and can expect to work on various energy related projects over the duration of the internship. WBCSD’s work encompass activities that tackle systemic challenges of the energy transition, scale deployment of sustainable energy solutions as well as increase financing for sustainable business models.

Responsibilities and duties

• Support development and execution of on-going activities in our industrial heat electrification and sustainable grid work
• Perform data gathering and analysis, and draft key insights, feeding into written deliverables for above work
• Plan, coordinate and help deliver workshops, webinars, and other virtual and in person events related to above work
• Analyze key trends in the power market and the electrification of heat as well as key initiatives addressing these issues to help position our efforts within the larger global dialogues on these subjects
• Work with our communications team to prepare external presentations and publications

Qualifications

• University degree level education, ideally with technical/science (engineering, energy, environment) or an economical/financial background.
• Knowledge and expertise:
  • Understanding of the energy system and the energy transition
  • Knowledge of power grids and electrification is an advantage
• Ability to manage own projects and ad hoc demands simultaneously
• Capacity to be assertive and take initiative when appropriate
• Professional fluency in English (written and spoken) is critical
• Writing:
  • Writes convincingly in an engaging and expressive manner with clear language and in a well-structured and logical way
  • Structures information to meet the needs and understanding of the intended audience
• Good team spirit and ability to work effectively with diverse partners/stakeholders
• Experience of studying, working or volunteering on an international basis (e.g., to deal with different languages, time zones and cultural expectations).

The position is full-time or part-time (80%) and expected to be based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In exceptional circumstances, being based in our other WBCSD offices can be considered. The WBCSD is a purpose driven, forward-thinking and action-oriented organization, characterised by diversity of gender, nationalities, and work experiences.

The work environment

WBCSD offers a competitive, modern, and flexible working arrangement:

• Geneva-based organization with offices in Amsterdam, London, New Delhi, Singapore and New York City
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• State-of-the-art facilities and ICT-enabled working tools
• Flex-time and part-time possibilities
• Dynamic working atmosphere
• Open culture encouraging interaction and sharing of ideas and opinions

Please also note that WBCSD will only respond to candidates selected for the interview process.