WWF Overview

For 60 years, WWF has worked to help people and nature thrive. As one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, WWF works in more than 100 countries, connecting cutting-edge conservation science with the collective power of our partners in the field – more than one million supporters in the United States and five million globally, as well as partnerships with communities, companies, and governments.

Our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion at WWF is an organization as diverse as the world we protect; where the richness of all our unique views, experiences, and backgrounds combines to create the most sustainable and inclusive conservation outcomes possible — bringing the greatest benefit to the planet and every person who lives on it.

Across the many cultures and individuals that represent WWF, we are unified by one mission, one brand, and one common set of values: Courage, Respect, Integrity and Collaboration.

BRIDGE – Building Relationships, Inclusivity, Diversity, Growth, and Excellence

WWF’s diversity-focused internship program, BRIDGE, aims to recruit professionals early in their careers who bring fresh thinking and innovation to the environmental and conservation sector and are well positioned to develop into the next generation of leaders. Our mission is to increase exposure of students from underrepresented populations to conservation and environmental careers, provide professional development opportunities, reduce the barriers to attracting a diverse pool of internship candidates, and develop a pipeline for future WWF hires from underrepresented populations.

Position Summary

The Sustainable Commodities Intern will help WWF–US to develop tools that will support companies in complying with requirements of recent supply chain regulations related to deforestation and human rights. Specifically, the intern will analyze the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and German Supply Chain Law and outline which environmental, social, and governance (ESG) values are relevant for the laws’ implementation. The intern will then do a crosswalk with the WWF ESG scorecard to identify gaps. The intern also will research which existing data sets could be used to assess the social risks of sourcing deforestation-risk commodities that are dependent on smallholder production (cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and rubber). This data will be incorporated into WWF’s traceability and risk tool, Hamurni, to complement its existing environmental and legal data sets. In addition to working with the WWF–US Forest Team, the intern will engage with staff from the WWF–US Policy and Government Affairs Team, plus other staff from the WWF Network working to address threats from these four commodities.

Internship Description:

• Review requirements of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and German Supply Chain Law and outline which environmental, social, and governance (ESG) values are relevant for the laws’ implementation.
• Do a crosswalk of WWF’s ESG scorecard with the EUDR and German Supply Chain Law to identify gaps in the scorecard.

• Recommend questions/data to add to the scorecard to fill the gaps and align the tool with legal requirements.
• Research and synthesize data sets on social risks (human and labor rights violations) in priority-sourcing countries related to the production of the following commodities that rely heavily on small farmers: cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and rubber.

Minimum Requirements:

• Must be an actively enrolled student and not received degree at time of internship start date.
• Pursuing a non-doctoral Graduate program.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Interest in corporate sustainability and/or environmental policy.
• Experience with comparative analysis.

• 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.
• Makes conscious efforts to promote cooperative practices, behaviors, and ways of working across many groups and individuals.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Research, policy/advocacy, and or/supply chain experience.

Learning Outcomes

• Increased understanding of cocoa, coffee, palm oil and rubber supply chains and their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks.
• Improved ability to analyze regulatory policy language.
• Hands-on experience with helping to develop WWF tools to assist companies in compliance with supply chain regulations addressing deforestation and human rights violations.

• Enhanced experience with synthesizing social risk data related to human and labor rights violations in coffee, cocoa, palm oil and rubber supply chains.

WWF interns will be provided a set of professional development opportunities, aimed at increasing their exposure to conservation and sustainability careers. This includes:

• Development discussions with their manager;

• Up to two online courses through Cornell University’s eCornell program;
• Speed mentoring with different WWF teams;
• Opportunity to present their work to intern peers and WWF staff;
• Session on resume and interviewing best practices.

Interns will also have access to an array of networking opportunities. This includes meetings with WWF’s CEO, the senior management team, Employee Resource Groups, and representatives from other departments.

Location:

US-DC-Washington or US Remote – WWF employs interns in all states with the exception of: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Wyoming.

Compensation:

Paid – $21 per hour (full-time, 35 hours per week)

Internship Dates:

Internship will run from June 5, 2023 to August 11, 2023

How to Apply:

Please submit a resume & cover letter through our Careers page, Requisition# BR-2316. In your cover letter, please describe your relevant skills and experience for this position and include a discussion of 1) how you have demonstrated a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and 2) what you hope to gain from the internship.

If selected for the role, you will need to provide 1 letter of recommendation as part of the WWF application process.

* Please note that intern must have U.S. work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa.

WWF is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace and requires all US-based staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. WWF will consider requests for accommodation from the vaccine requirement based on disability, medical contraindication, sincerely held religious belief, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

As an EOE/AA employer, WWF will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status.