Summer 2012 Collaborative Solutions Internship- Washington D.C.

Organization: RESOLVE

Job Title: Summer 2012 Collaborative Solutions Internship

Location: Washington D.C.

Hours and Compensation: Paid, hours may vary depending on the number of hours required by the student’s school

Benefits: Commensurate with experience and availability

Position Dates (if applicable): May 14, 2012- August 17, 2012

Application Deadline: April 30, 2012

Posted on: February 17, 2012

Organization Overview

RESOLVE is an independent organization focused on helping diverse groups solve environmental, social, and health problems by working on local, regional, national, and international projects. RESOLVE works with leaders in communities, governments, businesses, non-profits, academia, and foundations to find solutions that make a difference for society. RESOLVE assesses situations for collaboration possibilities, designs collaborative strategies and processes, facilitates dialogues, and mediates differences that lead to solutions. Our project areas include sustainable agriculture, product stewardship and certification, healthy ecosystems, energy, natural resources, climate change, public and environmental health.

Description

For Summer 2012, we are looking for an entrepreneurial Masters or Ph.D. student who has completed at least one year of coursework focused on green business, sustainability management, corporate social responsibility or environmental policy, and who has an interest in learning collaborative problem-solving.

The ideal intern would have interest and some experience with environmental or public health issues with a particular interest in the interface between business innovation and these issues.

Responsibilities

The intern would work closely with RESOLVE’s president and other RESOLVE staff to grow the Solutions Network, a program which supports business and NGO leaders as they learn from case studies and pilot test solutions to a pressing environmental, health, or natural resource problem. Anticipated responsibilities include:

• background research on target issues and to identify potential partners;
• research to support ongoing projects;
• project design for case studies and pilots;
• materials preparation;
• communications materials such as web based project descriptions;
• supporting meetings and phone calls;
• writing case summaries of finished projects; and
• updating and revising the business plan for the project.

The position will work closely with RESOLVE staff on a project basis.

Intern Opportunities

We work with interns so they observe a range of collaborative activities. The intern will observe professional staff as they:

• assess issues and convene collaborative processes;
• design collaborative processes with sponsors and stakeholders;
• manage complex collaborative projects;
• facilitate and mediate multi-stakeholder meetings; and
• design and implement collaborative projects.

Qualifications

A successful applicant will also possess the following skills and abilities:

Knowledge

• Command of English language and grammar;
• Knowledge of standard office equipment;
• Knowledge of CSR or “green” business issues;
• Some knowledge of data collection and evaluation methods.

Ability

• Ability to establish effective working relationships with diverse groups;
• Ability to “think outside the box”;
• Excellent ability to communicate well with the public on the phone and in person;
• Ability to multitask;
• Ability to organize work projects and complete tasks within assigned time frames;
• Ability to work independently as necessary to achieve high performance;
• Ability to work effectively within teams;
• Detail oriented; high degree of accuracy in all aspects of work.

Skills

• An entrepreneurial spirit and creative problem-solving skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Strong written and oral communication skills, in particular strong editing skills; and
• Proficient with the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

RESOLVE will work with the intern’s university to fill out any required forms and will evaluate the intern at the end of the semester. RESOLVE will also work with each student’s school to ensure that a student has fulfilled the required hours for the internship. RESOLVE provides a small stipend for interns; the amount depends on the number of hours required for an internship.

How to Apply: