Vacancy: Climate Collaboration Intern

Would you like to be part of a global movement of changemakers?

Catalyst Now is seeking a collaboration intern with a focus on Climate

Catalyst Now is a dynamic global movement of social innovators transforming systems and driving sustainable change to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals worldwide.

Our mission is to co-create spaces where the world’s social innovators connect, collaborate and contribute to transformational change.

Our Vision for 2025- 2029

As we stand at the threshold of 2025, our world faces unprecedented challenges – a polycrisis that spans from climate change and conflicts to deep-rooted inequalities. Yet, in this landscape of complexity, we at Catalyst Now see immense opportunity to act differently and achieve the changes we stand for. Our journey, which began as a WhatsApp group of visionary social entrepreneurs, has evolved into a global movement of over 5,400 members representing more than 3,700 organizations across 144 countries.

About the Collaborations Team

Catalyst Now offers the Intern the opportunity to work with colleagues from various countries and to challenge themselves within the context of a vibrant and growing organization. The ideal candidate has a background in international relations/affairs, international law, international development, social sciences or similar. We also seek someone who has experience in the climate space. Network and collaboration weaving experience is a plus.

The Collaborations Team uses collaborations to accelerate systems change. We’re interested in testing different ways that impactful collaborations happen to see what works best. To achieve scale, we realize that we cannot work alone. We work with people within and outside the sector. The team's role is to support members in creating successful collaborations, proving that ‘me’ has to shift to ‘we’ in order to achieve systemic change.

One of our key collaborations is Catalysts for Climate - A collective of key Climate Action players led by social innovators from the Global South. Equipped with 70+ evidence-backed, community-centered solutions to climate change that are ready to scale globally, this collective is building the sector with solutions at its center.

At Catalyst Now, we bridge the gap between local solutions and global policy. Our dedicated efforts towards policy advocacy, led by experts like Sheela Patel, Shiv Kumar, and Helmy A, are trying to ensure that marginalized communities' voices are heard and prioritized in high-level discussions.

Responsibilities

Coordination & Community Engagement

• Provide administrative support for Climate Collaboration, including scheduling meetings, taking minutes, and maintaining the community platform to keep members engaged and informed.
• Lead the onboarding process for new members, ensuring a seamless integration into the collaboration.
• Conduct outreach to current and potential members to encourage participation and strengthen engagement.
• Respond to member inquiries, directing them to relevant opportunities within the Catalyst community and beyond.
• Track, evaluate, and report on the progress of collaborations using internal operational and management systems.
• Develop materials such as decks, websites, toolkits, and compendiums to showcase the work and impact of collaboration members.
• Stay attuned to emerging opportunities for connection and collaboration in the global climate space.
• Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with collaboration members through regular 1:1 engagement.
• Coordination, logistics, and support for the collaborations’ participation in COP and the G20 meetings in Brazil

Research & Strategic Development

• Support the growth of the collaboration by mapping existing members and identifying potential new stakeholders outside the network.
• Identify underrepresented issues within the network that may require attention and action from the collaboration.
• Engage thought leaders—both within and beyond the collaboration—to bring insights on complex issues to internal learning events and collaboration meetings.
• Work cross-functionally with policy, funding, and advocacy teams to ensure alignment with broader strategic goals.

Requirements and Skills

• Proven organizational skills and the ability to work independently, as well as within a team, in a fast-paced environment and across time zones
• An active interest in global issues and challenges, their complexity and nuances
• Preference for graduate degree with relevance to climate
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Attention to detail and willingness to learn from experience
• Desire to work collaboratively in a team, with a hands-on, positive attitude and ability to rise to challenges
• Fluency in English, and preferably another UN language
• Ability to work in a multicultural and global digital environment, with cultural sensitivity
• Flexibility and the ability to easily adapt to new tasks and assignments that might be given at short notice
• Some experience in the climate sector is necessary