Environmental Science Intern Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

Founded in 1961, WWF works to help people and nature thrive. As a global conservation organization, WWF operates in more than 100 countries, partnering with communities, companies, and governments to protect wildlife, conserve vital habitats, and advance sustainable solutions. Grounded in science and driven by collaboration, WWF works to help nature by conserving biodiversity, supporting resilient communities, and addressing climate change. Nearly 1 million people in the United States and more than 5 million globally are WWF members.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world's leading conservation organizations, seeks a Private Sector Engagement Due Diligence & Research Intern.

Major Function 

Due diligence is part of the full lifecycle of our corporate engagement process and helps WWF assess the potential areas of risk and opportunity and the strategic value of every WWF corporate partnership. WWF's corporate due diligence approach examines potential corporate partners' structure and operations as well as its environmental, social and governance policy, performance, and impacts. This paid internship provides an opportunity to practice project coordination and administrative skills in a professional setting, gain knowledge about corporate sustainability, global environmental issues, and contribute to WWF's mission. The intern will work closely with members of WWF's Private Sector Engagement and Development Teams. The work will involve processing requests and developing internal WWF resources and tools for corporate due diligence. In addition, this role will use tools like the Risk Filter Suite (Water Risk Filter and Biodiversity Risk Filter) to research corporate supply chains in support of the Private Sector Engagement team's research function.  

Responsibilities 

• Manage queue of due diligence research requests. 

• Prioritizing incoming requests based on coordination with WWF Private Sector Engagement and Development teams and external consultants.  

• Update SharePoint databases with incoming information and decisions. 

• Pull due diligence reports from licensed ESG databases and make recommendations on how to use the database resources to improve due diligence business process. 

• Plan and train WWF corporate relationship managers on interpreting corporate due diligence research, and evaluate training success  

• Collaborate with expert consultants to update the due diligence process.  

• Collaborate with Due Diligence lead on strategic changes to due diligence process.  

• Document business process changes, post guidance materials to SharePoint site, and recommend business process and SharePoint site improvements. 

• Schedule internal consultations for the development of new due diligence resources. 

• Conduct occasional desktop prospect and due diligence research on potential partners. 

• Coordinate with relevant WWF US goal team staff. 

• Research relating to agricultural commodity sourcing, material production, and sustainability, as well as public policy and standard setting. 

• Other research duties as assigned such as updating research related trainings, pitch decks, and resources as needed. 

• Develop sustainability expertise in diverse sectors and contribute to business intelligence resources for Private Sector Engagement team.  

• Graduate degree in a relevant field such as corporate sustainability, business administration, natural resources, supply chain management, environmental science, environmental policy, or sustainable development are preferred; highly qualified undergraduate students may be considered. 

•  Full-time (35 hours per week) for 6 months with an extension to 1 year considered. 

• Attention to detail-Whether helping to create presentations, draft reports, or analyzing data, strong attention to detail is needed.  

• Organizational Skills-Administrative and project management experience, requires a high level of organization and follow-through to manage competing priorities. 

• Adaptability-The evolving nature of our work requires a tolerance for ambiguity and the ability to occasionally change direction on tasks with little notice. 

• Initiative-We seek interns who are proactive problem-solvers, who will ask questions and identify opportunities to make valuable contributions  

• Proficiency in Microsoft SharePoint, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. 

• RScript capabilities/proficiency desired 

• Fluency in English. 

• Demonstrated familiarity with database management, enterprise risk management, global 
  environmental impact trends, business-related environmental impacts, or corporate sustainability strategy is preferred. 

• Identifies and aligns with WWF's Core Values--Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration. 

• Demonstrates courage by speaking up even when it is difficult, or unpopular. 

• Builds trust with colleagues by acting with integrity, owning mistakes, and holding oneself accountable. 

• Welcomes other points of view and ideas, recognizing and embracing different and contrary perspectives with kindness, curiosity, and encouragement. 

• Teamwork-Makes conscious efforts to promote cooperative practices, behaviors, and ways of working across many groups and individuals. Ability to work productively on both independent research assignments and as part of a team.Helping each other succeed, collaborating across teams, and volunteering to help wherever needed is how we achieve extraordinary results.  

Please note: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired willbe required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. 

WWF does not provide VISA sponsorship to interns.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) promotes equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals regardless of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.