Full job description

About the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is one of the world’s leading centres of research and innovation. It provides practical solutions to the growing challenges and opportunities of integrating environmental and social priorities with economic development. We report on international negotiations and share knowledge gained through collaborative projects, resulting in more rigorous research, stronger global networks, and better engagement among researchers, citizens, businesses, and policy-makers.

To learn more about IISD, visit https://www.iisd.org/.

Project Background and Internship

The State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) is an international transparency and capacity-building project, launched in 2008 and led by IISD, which aims to improve strategic planning and sustainable development outcomes related to voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) by providing in-depth, credible, and needs-based information related to VSSs (https://iisd.org/ssi/). In 2018, the SSI launched a new project entitled Leveraging Sustainable Markets for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development, aiming at facilitating poverty reduction among marginalized commodity producers by enabling more strategic and proactive entry into value-added sustainable markets for developing countries.

In a series of in-depth studies, the SSI provides global and regional reports on production and consumption trends and examines VSSs related to accessing affordable finance and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The SSI team is looking for a current student or recent graduate to support research conducted for two studies: 1) data collection and analysis on sustainable consumption information of leading buyers (traders, manufacturers, and retailers) in eight agriculture commodities, and 2) study on consumer preferences, trends, and behaviours of sustainable agriculture products in selected emerging economies.

Assignments and Tasks

• Support research, data collection, and analysis efforts to understand consumer preferences, trends, and behaviours in selected economies
• Conduct research and data collection on consumer preferences and trends of target commodities, focusing on end consumers in selected countries.
• Conduct data collection on consumption volumes and sustainable sourcing commitments from key industry actors in eight agricultural commodity markets (conventional and VSS-compliant) at the global level and in selected emerging economies.
• Research the identification of driving forces and enabling (or limiting) factors and provide recommendations to increase consumption of VSS-compliant products in selected economies.
• Identify, suggest, and follow up with potential partners and contacts in selected countries.
• Produce draft narratives on sustainable consumption, preferences, and market developments in a number of agricultural commodities.

Profile

Undergraduate or graduate students of international relations, international studies, sustainable development, environmental studies, economics, finance, or related disciplines.

Supervision

The selected candidate will report to the Lead II of the Sustainability Standards Workstream at IISD and/or the person designated by her and work in collaboration with other members of the IISD Standards team. The position is home-based, so the intern will be expected to participate in weekly online calls to follow up on work.

Qualifications

• Interest in IISD’s mission and related projects on sustainable development and agriculture
• Sound research, analytical, and writing skills (in English)
• Well organized and independent, with demonstrated initiative.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and other software for data analysis and visualization (optional)
• Be fluent in English speaking and writing. Knowledge of Spanish is an asset.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be in possession of an authorization or work permit for Canada.
• Be enrolled in an undergraduate, master’s, or Ph.D. degree program with an educational establishment during the dates of the prospective internship.
• Have excellent academic performance as demonstrated by recent university or institutional record.

Term and Location:

The contract is for 4 months (ideally from May 1 to August 31, 2024). We expect the selected candidate to work 20 hours per week. The student should be based anywhere in Canada preferably be located in Montreal, Quebec, Vancouver, or Ottawa

Compensation: CAD 21.13 - 24.18 per hour, depending on experience and education.

Application deadline: Sunday, April 21, 2024.

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for Canada.