Intern, Business Development (Financial Services Sector)

Conservation International’s (CI) Internship Sponsored By The Trott Family Foundationseeks students interested in gaining career skills in the non-profit sector.   As a leader in conservation, local capacity-building, and partnership work, Conservation International offers a unique learning platform and environment for interns to gain real-world, practical experience. We believe that developing emerging talent is an important way for CI to invest in the future and to sustain conservation goals for the benefit of humanity. Our internships are designed for committed individuals who want to serve the organization in a field and discipline needed to successfully advance our mission.   We provide opportunities for future professionals and leaders to become familiar with our mission, strategy, and values and expose students to the business and management of an NGO, field work and research, and partnerships.  For more information, please visit Conservation International atwww.conservation.org

The Intern for Business Development (Financial Services Sector) will support the design of Conservation International’s strategy with the industry.  The financial services industry constitutes the largest group of companies in the world in terms of earnings and equity market capitalization. The diverse array of businesses, ranging from commercial and investment banks and asset management institutions, to reinsurance, credit insurance and direct insurance groups has a critical role to play in building safeguards and best practices in sustainability for its operations, including its policies and procedures around lending and investment, particularly in high conservation value countries. 

The Intern will assist the Sr. Advisor for Corporate Leadership Strategies in conducting research to better understand the impacts of the industry on the environment and to analyze opportunities for utilizing the industry’s array of products, services and expertise in directing investments to build healthy sustainable economies that value and protect ecosystem services (clean water, stable climate, food security, etc).  The Intern will also provide assistance in the writing of CI’s institutional strategic plan for the sector.

Specific deliverables include:

• Serve as researcher for topics linking the financial services sector with the protection of ecosystem services.  Topics include accounting for natural capital; lending and investment standards; the role of FS institutions in scaling the production of responsibly sourced commodities, building safeguards for client loans, and designing innovative funding mechanisms that protect ecosystem services.
• Conduct benchmark review of products and services currently offered by private financial institutions that support the protection of ecosystem services.
• Support Business Development group within CELB in the writing of the institutional strategy with the financial services industry.

Learning Objectives:

• A deep understanding of the financial services sector and their environmental and social footprint
• Be involved in the design of a framework/roadmap the sector can adopt to manage risks and take advantage of opportunities to build healthy sustainable economies in the regions where they operate.
• Process for designing and drafting an institutional strategy for an NGO

Working Conditions

Normal office environment.  No travel required.

Qualifications & Experience:

• A successful candidate should be working towards an undergraduate or graduate degree
• MBA or experience working with the financial services industry
• Experience in business plan design 
• Understanding of developing country economies
• Interest influencing the financial services sector’s role in protecting the environment
• Good research, writing, and communication skills

Intern, Business Development (Financial Services Sector)