Job Highlight
Regional Impact: Be the lead support architect of the first-ever integrated Energy Transition Knowledge Hub for South Asia, directly supporting the data needs of seven national governments. Strategic Networking: Work at the center of a high-level coalition, engaging with major international financial institutions (IFIs), UN agencies, and private sector RE developers.
Platform Incubation: Play a pivotal role in a "start-up" environment within the UN, helping to build the evidence base and donor relationships required to scale a multi-million dollar regional platform.
Role Purpose
The primary purpose of this internship is to support the structural development and content curation of the SA-ETCP Digital Knowledge Hub. As the platform has no active project funding yet, the Intern’s mission is to support move the ETCP from a conceptual strategy to a visible, data-driven reality.
The Intern will act as a Knowledge Broker, supporting the identifying and synthesising the most relevant policy and technical data to prove the platform's value to the region.
Furthermore, the Intern will support resource mobilization by transforming curated knowledge into "investor-ready" content (such as donor pitch decks and country factsheets). By organizing the repository into stakeholder-specific portals (for policymakers, financiers, and the private sector), the Intern ensures that the hub serves as an active tool for regional coordination, donor alignment, and the eventual mobilization of climate finance for South Asia.
Functions / Key Results Expected
- Support to Knowledge Hub Development & Management
- Assist with Stakeholder-Centric Curation: Support the mapping and cataloging of existing regional energy diagnostics, NDCs, and Net-Zero roadmaps to help organize a structured repository for policymakers, financiers, and the private sector.
- Contribute to Content Localization: Support the extraction of global best practices (e.g., cooling pledges, energy efficiency toolkits) from platforms like SEforALL, and support the project team in adapting them for South Asian regional contexts.
- Provide Digital Portal Development Support: Work under the guidance of the Project Manager and closely with the Developer to collect, clean, and organize data on energy mix, cross-border trade volumes, and avoided GHG emissions to populate the prototype, i.e. "South Asia Energy Transition Dashboard".
- Support Thematic Synthesis: Assist in synthesizing long or complex technical findings from reports and publications, i.e. the South Asia Energy Transition Status Report, into drafts for concise policy briefs and investor factsheets.
- Support to Partnership Building & Resource Mobilization
- Assist with Donor Mapping: Conduct desk research to identify potential alignment between ETCP objectives and the regional strategies of MDBs (ADB, World Bank) and bilateral donors (Germany, UK, Iceland).
- Contribute to Proposal Development: Provide operational support in drafting background materials, gather data points, and formatting pitch decks and "Donor Proposal Packages" aimed at converting high-level interest into multi-year financial commitments.
- Support Strategic Event Coordination: Support the Secretariat in logistical and administrative coordination of regional "matchmaking" events and technical working groups to help facilitate dialogues.
- Provide Outreach Support: Maintain, update, and quality-check the regional stakeholder directory and support the preparation of communications materials for official launches at major events like COP.
- Documentation and Project Coordination Support
- Support Feedback Integration: Gather and compile incoming data updates or feedback from national government focal points under the supervisor’s direction, ensuring the portal remains accurate and up to date.
- Assist in Knowledge Sharing & Tracking: Help document minutes, meeting outcomes, and operational lessons learned from the inception phase to support the platform’s smooth transition to its subsequent operational stages.
Training components and learning elements: The internship provides opportunities to develop skills in digital knowledge management, research synthesis, and partnership building within the context of the South Asia energy transition.
Interns will have access to UNOPS online training tools and are encouraged to participate in learning events organized by UNOPS and other UN agencies in Colombo, particularly those focused on climate finance, regional energy diagnostics, and sustainable development.
This experience will help build knowledge, professional networks, and practical skills relevant to a career in international development, energy policy, and knowledge management.
Participation in missions or training courses: In addition to accessing UNOPS online training courses and tools, the Intern is encouraged to attend and participate in learning events organized by UNOPS and other UN agencies in Colombo, especially on knowledge management, data visualization, and climate diplomacy.
Education Requirements
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Sustainable Development, Energy Policy, Economics, International Relations, or Information Management.
- Should be enrolled in a university programme such as Bachelor, Masters or Ph.D. (or the equivalent) or have graduated from such studies within three (3) years prior to the applications date of the internship.
Requirements
Experience Requirements
Desired
- Familiarity with the energy landscape of South Asia, including knowledge of national NDCs, renewable energy targets, or cross-border electricity trade challenges.
- Experience in conducting comprehensive desk research, synthesizing complex technical documents, and translating data into concise summaries or policy briefs.
- Experience in organizing and maintaining digital libraries, databases, or document repositories with a high degree of attention to detail and data integrity.
- Experience with Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets) and familiarity with content management principles for web-based portals or shared workspaces.
- Previous experience (through internships, volunteer work, or university projects) in stakeholder mapping, donor research, or supporting resource mobilization efforts.
