Energy and Impact Internship
Energy and Impact Internship
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Title Energy and Innovation Intern Salary Between £15,257 and £16,261 per year, depending on age, in accordance with UK labour laws Reporting to Head of Energy Direct reports None Financial scope None Location Rugby, UK (Agile Working Arrangements considered) Duration 9-12 months Travel Not required
ABOUT THIS ROLE
Scope Clean energy is critical to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement. With decades of experience helping poor people gain access to modern energy services, Practical Action takes a leading role in shaping the energy access agenda and priorities at global, national and local levels. Our teams work across Asia, Africa and Latin America in programmes and partnerships that deliver energy for people living in poverty in an effective and sustainable manner, and to influence other organisations, including governments and business, to achieve the systems change required on energy. Building on our successful track record, we are looking for a dynamic individual to support the Head of Energy to drive Practical Action’s strategy on Energy That Transforms and support our teams across the world to make it a reality. You will work closely with the Head of Energy, the Influence & Impact team and the international and regional teams to catalyse strategic activities across the organisation (and sector), to speed up progress on energy access amongst key public, private, and civil society players. You will provide research and coordination support around topics such as productive uses of energy (especially with a focus on agriculture and improving rural livelihoods), humanitarian energy, clean cooking, last mile distribution and to explore new potential areas of focus for the organization. In addition, you will be the coordinator of the Energy Change Hub, which is the energy thematic internal platform for learning, innovation and thought leadership across our offices. We are looking for a passionate and committed individual, with strong research and communication skills, with a degree in a relevant subject and fluent in English (with knowledge of French, Spanish or Arabic an asset). We are committed to supporting you on your professional journey and offer a vibrant team atmosphere with strong engagement across teams and offices. This role would be the ideal opportunity for a recent graduate to gain experience and participate in a broad range of practices and activities within a leading international development organization.
In addition to your work within the Influence & Impact team, there will be opportunities to learn and engage with the wider Practical Action Group such as the Consulting arm of the organisation and our Regional and Country offices.
Key Working Relationships
• Reporting to the Head of Energy, you will be provided with training, guidance and support in various aspects of research applied to projects and business development and coordination of work across international offices. • You will have regular engagement across the Influence & Impact team, working closely with the Head of Energy to provide daily support to the thought leadership arm of the organization. • The role will also have ad hoc engagement with regional and country offices and the consulting team.
JOB FUNCTIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
• You will support the Head of Energy to develop a compelling offer for our priority areas of agriculture-energy, humanitarian-energy, clean cooking and last mile distribution. • Your contribution will be mostly through research, communication activities, and coordination of the energy change hub. • You will support mapping and intelligence-gathering across our networks and beyond, within our energy priorities. • You will provide demand driven project delivery support through technical research and analysis, production of project reports and briefing papers, design and facilitation of online events such as webinars and other events, knowledge capture and dissemination of project work and support to project management.
Learning and Development
• You will be supported to develop your skills and knowledge in energy and international development. • There will be a focus on mentoring/coaching and learning-by-doing, but there will also be opportunity to access some specific formal training in liaison with your Line Manager. We also have an in-house ‘academy’ where you will have access to a host of courses and resources. • You will be encouraged, supported, and provided with space to develop your technical expertise on one of the focus areas of our energy change ambition. • You will have the opportunity to learn from colleagues in Influence and Impact, and other offices across the world.
PERSON PROFILE
To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:
Knowledge and Qualifications
• A relevant postgraduate degree or equivalent in international development, humanitarian response, engineering, economics, energy, agriculture, climate change or other related topic. No direct professional experience is needed. • Ability to analyse, synthesise and summarise complex information, and write succinct and informative reports. • Knowledge of relevant international development issues (e.g. rural development in developing countries, sustainable agriculture, climate change). • Knowledge of Energy Access, small scale agriculture, micro-enterprise/SMEs/business models, humanitarian energy or clean cooking would be an advantage.
Skills and Experience
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. • Excellent research skills. • Strong team working and interpersonal skills with the ability to work co-operatively with others. • Data management/analytical skills. • Fluency in written and spoken English essential. A second language would be an advantage (e.g. French or Spanish). • Self-motivation, commitment and interest in Practical Action’s aim of using technology to challenge poverty and empower poor communities. • Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). • Strong organisational skills with the ability to multi-task and prioritise workload. • Interest/motivation to work with multi-cultural teams and engage with our global offices. • A sound understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion across all dimensions. • Some experience of administrative/co-ordination roles would be an advantage (this can be in the voluntary sector).
Key Benefits
• Full time roles are contracted at 35 hours per week. • Flexible working hours are encouraged and enabled. Most staff in the UK are currently working from home full-time due to coronavirus restrictions, and we expect to it be this way for the next few months. It is however our normal practice to operate an agile working policy, where flexible working hours are enabled as well as remote working (2 days per week depending on the role). • 26 days holiday, in addition to public holidays. • A pension scheme that new employees can join from day one of employment - employer contributes 10.5% of salary and the employee contributes 5%. • Enhanced family friendly policies, including maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental leave. • Life assurance (3 x annual salary).
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