Policy and Capacity Building Intern, Restoration

World Resources Institute

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

World Resources Institute (WRI) is one of the implementing partners for the GEF-8 Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program (ERIP), a global initiative working to strengthen enabling conditions for ecosystem restoration in 20 countries. As part of ERIP’s work to strengthen policy and enabling conditions for restoration, WRI is developing and delivering a capacity-building program to strengthen policy coherence through inclusive multistakeholder and cross-sectoral processes. The capacity building program will include multistakeholder and cross-sectoral processes, the Restoration Diagnostic Tool, and regional and global learning dialogues for representatives of the 20 ERI countries to inform policy and restoration planning and support exchange of learning and best practices. During the first half of 2026, WRI will focus on shaping the overall learning journey for country cohorts—including curriculum design, module sequencing, learning objectives, content curation, facilitation guides, and resource packages—as well as preparing the first rounds of virtual sessions and planning for in-person regional dialogues to be held later in the year. This internship will provide hands-on experience supporting the WRI team in the design and operational setup of the capacity building program, including helping develop training materials, organizing content, managing knowledge resources, and capturing learning for adaptation. This is a hybrid position which requires 4 days per month in the office. You can be based in our office in Washington DC. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position. To be eligible for this position, you must be a resident of DC, Maryland or Virginia at the start of employment.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing or recently completed an undergraduate or graduate degree in environmental policy, international development, sustainability, governance, education, or a related field.
• Organizational and project management skills; ability to coordinate multiple inputs and deadlines.
• Written and verbal communication skills in English, with editing and proofreading abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize and organize information (e.g., literature reviews, briefing notes, annotated outlines).
• Experience supporting trainings, workshops, learning programs, or curriculum development (academic, professional, or extracurricular).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; comfort organizing shared drives and collaborating on documents.
• Ability to work independently and effectively in multicultural, international environments and across time zones.
• Knowledge of or interest in Gender Equality, Equity, and Social Inclusion (GESI) and inclusive facilitation practices.

Nice To Haves

• Written and spoken proficiency in French, Portuguese, or Spanish may be advantageous.
• Familiarity with biodiversity and ecosystem restoration and/or multistakeholder platforms preferred.
• Experience using online learning platforms, survey tools, or event management tools (e.g., Zoom, Miro, Mentimeter, others).
• Basic design skills (e.g., Canva) for formatting learning materials and visual summaries.

Responsibilities

• Support the project team at WRI to design and organize the ERIP capacity building program including curriculum, defining learning objectives, modules, sequencing, and session plans and support the deployment of the Restoration Diagnostic Tool.
• Conduct background research and content reviews on topics such as policy and governance for restoration, multistakeholder processes, cross-sectoral experiences, GESI-responsive approaches, effective mainstreaming and resources mobilization among others to help curate relevant examples, readings, and case studies for the curriculum.
• Contribute to the development of training materials, including slide decks, participant workbooks, facilitation guides, short briefs, and activity templates.
• Help the team organize and maintain a structured repository of learning content and resources (e.g., SharePoint, knowledge hub), ensuring version control, consistent formatting, and accessibility across languages, information management, and support for note-taking on all meetings and sessions.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to gather inputs, review draft materials, and integrate feedback into the curriculum and session products.
• Assist with preparing the virtual learning sessions, including building run-of-show documents, participant packs, session agendas, speaker briefs, and technical checks.
• Support learning and quality assurance processes, including compiling feedback from pilot sessions, synthesizing lessons learned, and proposing adjustments to improve content and delivery.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern