Future Earth Vacancy: Six-month Internship (Paris)

Future Earth Paris Hub is currently seeking an intern for a six-month internship position starting in June or July 2019.

Please note the changed deadline for applications: now 15 April 2019.

The Future Earth Initiative

Future Earth is a major international research platform providing the knowledge and support to accelerate transformations to a sustainable world. Future Earth is a 10-year initiative to advance Global Sustainability Science, build capacity in this rapidly expanding area of research and provide an international research agenda to inspire  natural and social scientists working around the world.

Future Earth is managed by a global Secretariat, which consists of five Global Hubs based in Colorado, Montreal, Paris, Stockholm and Tokyo. The Secretariat is complemented by Regional Centres in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa.

The Paris Hub operates under the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). The hub offices are located at the Jussieu campus of Sorbonne University in the 5th arrondissement of central Paris. The current team has 6 full-time staff members.

Future Earth Paris Hub is currently seeking an intern for a six-month internship position starting in June or July 2019. The intern will have the following responsibilities.

Support to Facilitation of Water-Energy-Food Nexus KAN:

Future Earth’s Knowledge-Action Networks (KAN) are important mechanisms for delivering our research strategy. They are collaborative frameworks that facilitate highly integrative sustainability research, with the aim of generating the multifaceted knowledge needed to inform solutions for complex societal issues. KANs build on the broad range and diversity of specialist expertise represented in the Future Earth community of researchers and practitioners. Currently, there are seven KANs of which three (related to natural assets, the food-energy-water nexus, and oceans) are coordinated by, or have a strong involvement from, staff in the Paris hub. Of these, the food-energy-water nexus KAN is one of the most dynamic and requires a high level of coordination and support from Future Earth staff.

For this initiative, the intern’s tasks may include:

• Contributing to the preparation of a quarterly newsletter and other communications tools
• Organising online meetings of the Steering Committee.

Support to Science for Earth Targets Initiative:

One of Future Earth’s new strategic directions involves the development of an initiative called “Science for Earth Targets”. The initiative will seek to co-produce the knowledge needed to help develop science-based targets on local, regional and global levels (e.g. what knowledge does society need to design targets and pathways to protect biodiversity in France by 2030?), to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

This initiative is led by the Future Earth Secretariat globally, and will also be translated into a French initiative, to be launched in May in Paris (Future Earth Day) and followed by a series of thematic workshops in France and elsewhere.

For this initiative, the intern’s tasks may include:

• Synthesising existing knowledge on science-based targets and the SDGs and preparing background documentation
• Preparation of Science for Earth Targets “Water” and “Oceans” workshops in France (from content to logistics)

Support to Resource Mobilisation:

Future Earth is in a period of rapid growth and is actively seeking to mobilise additional resources and support within France and Europe to further its mission. For this initiative the intern’s tasks may include:

• Assistance with the development of funding prospectuses and other materials to raise the visibility of Future Earth with potential partners
• Assistance with the preparation of proposals and requests for support

Salary

568.76 € per month (legally bound) plus associated benefits (subsidized access to University restaurant and support to local transport costs).

Required qualifications

• Excellent level of written and spoken English and well developed French communication skills
• Currently enrolled in a Master’s level program in a relevant field (and will remain enrolled for the duration of the internship)
• Knowledge of sustainability and environmental challenges, and interest in transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research
• Motivated, organised and able to work independently to deadlines as well as to follow instructions, with attention to detail and good interpersonal and communication skills
• Experience using Google’s Online Office Tools (i.e. Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, etc.)
• EU citizens or in possession of a relevant French visa for the duration of the stage and eligible for a ‘Convention de Stage’
• Available for 6 months starting in June or July 2019

To apply

To apply, please send your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a one-page cover letter with the subject “Future Earth Internship” to: xavier.peres@futureearth.org  by 15 April 2019.

A convention de stage is a document required by the French government for any student interested in doing an internship in France. It is similar to a job contract, in that it specifies the missions and the expectations demanded of interns. It must be signed by the educational institution with which the student is affiliated.