Intern, Project Facilitation & Support

Secretariat of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Project Facilitation and Support Division

Title and Grade\:                                Intern

Indicative Remuneration\:                Monthly stipend[1]

Duty Station\:                                     Remote Internship

The International Renewable Energy Agency is an inter-governmental organisation headquartered in Abu Dhabi, mandated to promote the widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy in the pursuit of sustainable development, energy access, energy security and low-carbon economic growth and prosperity. IRENA’s mission is to play a leading role in the ongoing transformation of the global energy systems as a centre of excellence for knowledge and innovation, a global voice of renewable energy, a network hub for all stakeholders and a source of advice and support to countries.  At present, IRENA has 161 Members (159 States and the European Union) that acceded to its Statute, and 22 additional States in the process of accession and actively engaged.

Within this mandate, the focus of the Project’s Facilitation and Support (PFS) Division is on the assessment of pre-feasibility and feasibility of projects, helping IRENA Members to access finance, up-scale investment and support Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) implementation, especially along relevant Renewable Energy (RE) investments. It will also provide related project-based fit-for-purpose technical assistance to support the development of a pipeline of projects, which is necessary to accelerate the energy transition.

The core of the PFS modus-operandi is to facilitate and support IRENA Members to achieve their NDC RE targets and projects by building a solid pipeline of projects for the entire spectrum of either utility scale project, commercial and industrial (C&I) level, micro & small (M&S) level, or for the wide spectrum of Energy Efficiency (EE) measures and then facilitating their realisation through a comprehensive set of operational tools including – but not limited to – project-based technical assistance packages, targeted de-risking instruments; and structured Capacity Building activities for improving Legal, Regulatory and Administrative (LRA) investment-related business environment.

Objectives of the Internship Assignment

The internship post is located within the PFS Division. The intern will provide support to the work done for the Climate Investment Platform (CIP) under the guidance of the Programme Officer managing the team, particularly to develop the country, project and partner databases and help to prepare projects so that they can be introduced to potential donors, lenders and investors. Information on the CIP is available at https\://www.irena.org/irenaforcip/.

Particular Functions[2]

In line with the objectives outlined above, the intern is expected to perform a range of technical and organisational functions, including but not limited to\:

Analytical project work\:

• Collecting, filing and structuring country related information
• Organising  the information related to renewable energy projects; filing the incoming and outgoing correspondence in the respective files, preparing summaries; preparation of the meeting minutes during which projects are reviewed
• Desk research on financial institutions and other entities that can support renewable energy projects
• Contributing to the development and the testing of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application that will support the work; contribute to the migration of data to the new application.

Communications and organisation\:

• Following up on communications with stakeholders\: project proponents, experts, Climate investment partners
• Updating the website on a regular basis, liaising with the communications and web development team
• Taking notes during meetings and calls and writing minutes
• Preparing webinars, presentations and workshops

Performs other duties as required and further developed.

Learning Areas

During the internship period, the successful applicant will develop an understanding of how renewable energy projects are evaluated for funding and the gaps in funding in developing countries. The applicant will also develop analytical, organising, monitoring, reporting, research and communications skills.

The internship is for a period of 6 months commencing as agreed with the intern/sponsor. The exact period will be determined based on the availability of the intern and the needs of the Division. The internship may be extended with an additional 3 months depending on performance and organisational needs.

Minimum Requirements

• Candidates shall have just completed their undergraduate studies or be enrolled in a Master's programme at a recognised university at the time of application. Recent graduates may also be considered provided the start date of the internship is less than six months since their graduation.   
• Preference will be given to those studying\: Development Economics, Statistics/Data Analysis, Renewable Energy Finance, Development Finance, Project and Programme Development, Environmental or Climate Finance and related fields.
• Candidates must be fluent in English (both oral and written) and either French or Spanish;  and demonstrate excellent writing and communication skills.
• Competencies\: Candidates should demonstrate solid teamwork, planning and organising, professionalism and communications skills.
• Candidates must be able to work in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment.
• Candidates should indicate in their cover letter the period of their availability.

Internship Conditions

Interns of IRENA are not considered to be staff members. The selected intern will work remotely on a full-time basis (40 hours per week).

For more detailed information about IRENA Internship Programme, please visit the internships section on our recruitment webpage.

IRENA wishes to encourage applications from qualified female candidates.