THE UNIT

The Environmental Sustainability Unit (ESU) provides advice and technical support services as well as develops, operationalises and provides technical oversight of the policies and strategies for environmental management, disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change (CC) resilience and is responsible for monitoring the Bank’s environmental performance requirements and to mainstream these areas across the operations of the Bank. ESU also designs, appraises and supervises discrete technical assistance programmes and projects in these areas. The Unit provides technical coordination of specialised initiatives and funds in environmental sustainability and develops knowledge products to support the integration of CC and DRM within the operations of the Bank and the projects undertaken by the borrowing member countries (BMCs). The work of the Unit is critical to achieving the Bank’s strategic objective of increasing environmental resilience in the BMCs. These countries are primarily small islands, developing and coastal states that are highly exposed and vulnerable to climate and disaster risks and impacts.

 

The intern will work with ESU and will focus on supporting the Unit to deliver on its DRM and climate resilience objectives.  

 

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

The objective of the internship is to strengthen and supplement CDB’s capacity to effectively support BMCs in the areas of DRM and climate change resilience. In particular, the intern will support the following specific areas of work:

 

1. New business development: The intern will assist ESU to identify leads and opportunities for new projects and finance to further the work of the Bank to support BMCs to improve governance on DRM and climate change adaptation, and strengthen evidence-based planning and decision-making, financial response and community infrastructure and livelihood resilience to climate change effects and natural hazard events.

 

2. Support to DRM and climate resilience project concept and proposal preparation: The intern will assist ESU in screening and reviewing concept notes and project proposals seeking financing from CDB. This will include inter-alia, (i) assisting with reviewing project proposals, including results-framework to ensure consistency among project expected outcomes, outputs and activities;  (ii) reviewing project budgets to ensure that they are realistic in keeping with proposed project components and activities; (iii) preparing project implementation schedule using Microsoft Project;  (iv) assessing project proposal relevance in respect with the source of financing and development priorities (country’s national priorities, regional priorities, sector priorities, etc.); (v) performing analytical work and undertaking relevant research on key areas such as early warning systems, ecosystem-based management, nature-based solutions, environmental risks and management, and (vi) conducting due diligence on potential entities to be involved in project execution.

 

3. Support to DRM and climate resilience project implementation and management: The intern will assist ESU in (i) preparing project workplan and budget, developing draft terms of reference, expression of interest and request for proposals for the engagement of consultants; (ii) supervising external consultants to ensure they produce technical deliverables in a timely manner and in accordance with high quality standards, and ensuring that comments and required revisions from CDB are adequately addressed; (iii) reviewing draft project progress reports from beneficiaries; and (iv) preparing technical and financial reports.

 

 

4. Other ESU tasks as required: The intern may be requested to provide other support to the ESU on an as-needed basis.

 

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

 

The intern will report to the Coordinator, ESU. The intern will also work in close collaboration with the Senior Programme Manager- African Caribbean Pacific, European Union- CDB Caribbean Action for Resilience Enhancement (CARE) Programme, and the Operations Officer (Environmental Sustainability) as well as other staff of the ESU.

 

EDUCATION AND COMPETENCIES

 

Competitive candidates should:

 

• Be enrolled in (or recently completed) a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme in a field that is directly relevant to the work of the ESU, including (but not limited to) disaster risk management, environmental management, natural resources management, project management or public policy/administration;

 

• Be knowledgeable about climate and disaster risks and impacts in the Caribbean and initiatives to build the region resilience to natural hazard events;

 

• Be knowledgeable about project proposal preparation and project management;

 

• Be familiar with the work of key institutions intervening in the DRM and climate resilience landscape in the Caribbean; and

 

• Have strong oral and written communication skills.