Position description
The CFC is seeking to recruit an Intern, based in its Amsterdam office, to support the work of the Operations Unit. This is an excellent opportunity for a Bachelors / Masters student, or recent graduate, resident in the Netherlands, with an interest in impact investment, sustainable agriculture and (agro)forestry. This position is especially interesting given the work of the CFC with innovative agriculture projects in developing countries and the focus on social, environmental, financial and operational impact of food-and agribusinesses engaged in small-holder value chains. Applicants with interest and / or experience in the development finance sector are strongly encouraged to apply.
This position is being offered on a full-time or part-time basis of a minimum of 2 working days a week for a period of between 3 and 6 months. While the CFC is unable to pay a formal salary for internship positions, a monthly allowance of €50 per working day is provided to assist with living costs.
Duties, Responsibilities and Accountabilities
This internship opportunity focuses on supporting the development of comprehensive external funding proposals for submission to strategic partners of the CFC. The intern will gain hands-on experience in conducting research, analyzing funding mechanisms, and developing structured proposals to support CFC’s external funding efforts. Additional duties may be assigned based on interest, need and preference of the individual candidates.
The Project Assistant Intern will support the Operations Unit of the CFC, and her/his specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Conduct desk research on the forestry and agriculture sectors, with a strong focus on the Congo Basin region, including key statistics, trends, and policy developments.
- Support the development of performance-based funding mechanisms (such as results-based payments [RBP], Payment-for-Environmental-Services [PES] and REDD+ schemes).
- Research benchmarks for carbon and PES payment levels on a $/tonne CO2 equivalent or $/hectare basis for (agro)forestry, avoided deforestation, and other modalities of projects.
- Analyse and evaluate reports submitted by project partners and consultants, identifying key insights and ways to integrate findings into program design and funding proposals.
- Review and proofread programme documents, reports, and proposals for consistency and quality.
- Support the definition of targets, KPIs and risk metrics for programme monitoring and evaluation.
- Administer a pipeline of potential projects, including developing concept notes and develop support materials and presentations.
- Identify grant funding opportunities and strategic partners for the implementation of regional or thematic investment programmes initiated by the CFC.
- Assist in organizing meetings, and take, transcribe and administer stakeholder meeting minutes.
- Support the External Funds Programme Coordinator and Investment Manager/s in routine administrative tasks and project administration.
- Perform other tasks as required to support the Operations Unit.
Qualifications
- Student, or recent graduate in Business Administration, Development Studies, Forestry, Circular Economy, Economics, Econometrics, Finance, or related fields.
- Knowledge of financial matters associated with of loan and equity oriented agriculture / SME projects.
- Demonstrated exposure carbon markets, results-based payments mechanisms, PES / REDD+ projects, or other similar financing mechanisms in the agricultural and/or forestry sectors.
- Familiarity with the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) lending principles with focus on supporting small-scale/ small holder farmers, including FPIC and benefit-sharing.
- Candidates with experience of living and or working in a developing country, or those who can provide insight into the workings of SME’s or smallholders are especially encouraged to apply.
- Experience in planning and reporting on projects.
- Good interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
- Desire and experience of working in a multicultural environment.
- Willingness to travel if and as required.
- Strong team player with excellent client service orientation and openness to feedback and new ideas, contributes to a good working environment.
- Experience and proven ability in the use of databases, spreadsheet programs and word processing.
- Good command of written and spoken English. Working knowledge of French is preferred.
- It is important to note that the CFC can only offer internships to nationals of its Member States. For a full list of Member States please refer to the “About” section of the CFC website.
Application instructions
Applicants should complete this short form and send a brief cover letter (max 500 words) and concise curriculum vitae, in English, to [email protected] including their FULL name and Vacancy Ref (2025-04) in the email subject heading.
The closing date for applications is 18:00hrs (CET) on Friday, 11 April 2025.
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