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 Tech4Wildlife Communcations Intern will help WILDLABS expand our signature #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge event through media outreach, community engagement leading up to the event, and content creation. The intern will work closely with the WILDLABS Communications and Community Associate Specialist to pitch and create original content focused on the WILDLABS community and WWF’s conservation tech projects (this may include content such as articles, photo essays, videos, and social media threads), build a database of past challenges’ photos, and increase engagement within our community through promotional materials, direct outreach, and events. This intern will also have the opportunity to connect with communications team members from all of WILDLABS’ partner organizations, including WWF, to build a promotional strategy across international conservation networks, and to connect with journalists from media outlets to pitch conservation tech-focused features. Finally, this intern may also work alongside other WILDLABS team members across projects that have collaborative potential; for example, if this intern is interested in pursuing stories of biologging, they may find ways to link our ongoing biologging research work with the #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge.

Content:

• Pitch and create content that highlights our conservation tech community’s global projects and WWF-specific projects. Content may include articles, case studies, photo essays, videos, and social media threads and stories.
• Develop a strategy for conducting the #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge across multiple platforms concurrently (X, Instagram, LinkedIn), identify key stakeholders and influencers to engage across each platform, and create a social media content calendar leading up to the event.
• Gather and plan photo exhibit content for future events, including the conservation technology conference and World Wildlife Day 2025.

Media Outreach:

• Expand the database of photo permissions from previous years’ entries for use in media outreach campaigns.
• Conduct outreach to major media outlets to pitch and promote conservation tech stories.

Communications and Event Promotion:

• Assist with the creation of our bi-monthly digest, as well as individual mailers about the event.
• Coordinate with comms teams across WILDLABS’ partner organizations, including WWF, to build a promotional strategy.
• Attend WILDLABS virtual events to engage the community with the #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge and conduct one-on-one outreach to community members to encourage participation.

Minimum Requirements:

• Pursuing an Associate’s or Bachelor’s program in communications, conservation science, or journalism. Those studying outside these areas are still highly encouraged to apply. Must be an actively enrolled student and not received degree at time of internship start date (June 17, 2024).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written, verbal and visual), including ability to liaise across teams and cultures.
• Interest in conservation technology (i.e. camera traps, drones, biologging tags, machine learning, eDNA, etc.).
• Ability to plan, organize and prioritize workload.
• Ability to learn about new topics quickly and transform them into content that can speak to general audiences while capturing the importance of scientific or technological information.
• Flexible to needs of working with an internationally-based team across timezones.
• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values:
  • COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
  • INTEGRITY – We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
  • RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
  • COLLABORATION – We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Speaking or reading fluency in a language other than English.
• Previous experience in media relations, social media, or journalism.

Learning Outcomes

• Develop engaging, informative, and impactful content that connects with both conservation tech audiences and general audiences.
• Collaborate with others across disciplines, teams, and major international conservation organizations.
• Handle and support a wide portfolio of topical areas and deliverables, ranging in level of urgency and timeliness.
• Build a portfolio of content to highlight your skills.
• Learn about and gain a deeper understanding of strategic and programmatic communications, through a conservation lens.
• Gain firsthand exposure and experience to communications, wildlife programs, and conservation technology in one of the leading conservation NGOs in the world.

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

Compensation:

Paid – $17 per hour (full-time, 35 hours per week)

Internship Dates:

Internship will run from June 17, 2024 to August 23, 2024

How to Apply:

Please submit a resume & cover letter through our Careers page, Requisition #BR-2421

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 interns must have U.S. work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa.

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.