WWF Overview  

For 60 years, WWF has worked to help people and nature thrive. As one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, WWF works in more than 100 countries, connecting cutting-edge conservation science with the collective power of our partners in the field – with one million members in the United States and five million supporters globally, as well as partnerships with communities, companies, and governments.   

At WWF, we are working to create an organization where the richness of all our unique views, experiences, and backgrounds combine to create the most sustainable and inclusive conservation outcomes possible, bringing the greatest benefit to the planet and every person who lives on it. 

Across the many cultures and individuals that represent WWF, we are unified by one mission, one brand, and one common set of values: Courage, Respect, Integrity and Collaboration. 

BRIDGE is WWF’s summer internship program. Launched in 2021, it is a paid internship opportunity aimed at a pool of talented undergraduate and graduate students who could bring fresh thinking and innovation to the environmental sector. In particular, WWF aims to employ interns who have not previously had a breadth of professional experience and have not previously considered conservation as a career pathway. 

Position Summary 

This internship is designed for a graduate student with a passion around corporate sustainability and influencing companies to take action for forests, and an interest in understanding WWF’s approaches to influencing the private sector, particularly around the forest/human health nexus. The intern will shadow a full-time program manager and support the teams’ efforts to engage a specific priority to reduce its impacts on forests and fund nature-based solutions in tropical forests around the world. The intern will also have one discrete project to refine information from a key tropical forest landscape to help our US office make the business case for landscape investments in critically important landscapes, aligned with the principles of WWF’s Forests Forward corporate engagement program and WWF’s Nature-based Solutions Origination Platform, a model for scaling up, aligning and mobilizing public and private finance for high-quality nature-based solutions.  

Internship Description: 

• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research on companies within a specified sector to understand current sustainability and NbS commitments and potential alignment with WWF programs and landscape investment opportunities 

• Distill information about key landscape opportunities into specific proposals and pitch decks  

• Shadow a WWF staff member at meetings (including with team leadership and other WWF colleagues), take notes, participate in strategy discussions and follow-ups 

• Present lessons learned from internship and findings from research project at the end of the internship. 

• Attend weekly check-ins with intern manager to track progress and learning objectives.  

Minimum Requirements: 

• Pursuing a graduate program related to business, supply chain management, sustainability, biopharma, or economics. Those studying outside these areas are still highly encouraged to apply. Must be an actively enrolled student and not received degree at time of internship start date (June 16, 2025). 

• Experience in performing qualitative or quantitative research.  

• Excellent writing and presentation skills. 

• Knowledge of corporate sustainability, forestry, and current trends in nature-based solutions. Academic experience will count in-lieu of work experience.  

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint. 

• Able to conduct themselves professionally and with discretion on sensitive matters. 

• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values: Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration.  

• Demonstrates courage by speaking up even when it is difficult, or unpopular.  

• Builds trust with colleagues by acting with integrity, owning mistakes, and holding oneself accountable.  

• Welcomes other points of view and ideas, recognizing and embracing different and contrary perspectives with kindness, curiosity, and encouragement.  

• Makes conscious efforts to promote cooperative practices, behaviors, and ways of working across many groups and individuals.  

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Subject expertise in one or more of the following areas is preferred, but not required: 

• Basic knowledge of conservation finance 

• Experience working in corporate sustainability 

• Experience making the business case for conservation action 

• Experience working overseas 

Learning Outcomes 

• How WWF approaches corporate engagement and influencing the private sector 

• Specific interventions in at least one tropical forest landscape that are being advanced to support corporate goals and WWF’s conservation goals 

• An overview to different WWF teams and exposure to the different types of roles and experience needed in a conservation organization. 

• An understanding of the connection between forest health and human health and how companies can be part of the solution.  

WWF interns will be offered a set of professional development opportunities, aimed at increasing their exposure to conservation and sustainability careers. This includes: 

• Development discussions with their manager; 

• Up to two online courses through Cornell University’s eCornell program; 

• Speed mentoring with different WWF teams; 

• Opportunity to present their work to intern peers and WWF staff; 

• Session on resume and interviewing best practices. 

Interns will also have access to an array of networking opportunities. This includes meetings with WWF’s staff and leadership team. 

Location: 

This position is flexible on location. The intern may complete the internship either in Washington DC or other states, with the exception of: Hawaii, Kentucky, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Wyoming.  

Compensation: 

Paid - $22.50 per hour (full-time, 35 hours per week) 

Internship Dates: 

Internship will run from June 16, 2025 to August 22, 2025 

How to Apply: 

Please submit a resume & cover letter through our Careers page. In your cover letter, please describe: 

• Your relevant skills and interest for this position 

• Your connection to nature and the environment  

• What obstacles have you experienced trying to break into the field of environmental conservation? 

• How you could contribute to the field of conservation. 

If selected for the role, you will need to provide 1 letter of recommendation as part of the WWF application process.  

Please note: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.  In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.