Intern, Projects Delivery Certificates · Florence, Italy

South Pole; Firenze; Hybrid; EUR 6,700 - 10,000; Part time

Job summary

South Pole is seeking an Intern in Projects Delivery based in Florence, Italy, to support emission reduction projects across Africa. The role involves data analysis, monitoring, and drafting documentation for Gold Standard certifications, with coaching and a view to potential permanent employment after six months.

You will work with the Projects Delivery team, access training, and gain hands-on experience in carbon market fundamentals and project tools in a dynamic, international setting.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Sustainable Development, Statistics, Data and Analytics, Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Tropical Rural Development or a related field.
• Strong interest in carbon markets and project development in Africa, particularly Sustainable Technologies such as safe water supply and efficient cookstoves.
• Good analytical and quantitative skills, with confidence working with survey data in Excel or similar tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to produce clear, high‑quality technical documents.
• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage several priorities at once.
• Proven team player, able to work effectively across cultures, teams and organisations.
• Proactive problem solver, able to build on existing knowledge and templates to develop new deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Support monitoring and certification processes across projects in Tanzania, Mozambique and Maputo, including data analysis and drafting monitoring reports.
• Draft the Project Design Document (PDD) for project extensions and contribute to certification cycles.
• Coordinate with VVBs and Gold Standard during validation and verification, and respond to their findings.
• Use project tools to keep data, milestones and documents up to date and accessible.
• Collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders to gather data and keep deliverables on track.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Team player

Problem solving

Organised

Education

Environmental Sciences

Engineering

Sustainable Development

Statistics

Data and Analytics

Economics

Monitoring and Evaluation

Tropical Rural Development

Job description

South Pole is an energetic, global company offering comprehensive sustainability solutions and services. With offices spanning all continents across the globe, we strive to create a sustainable society and economy that positively impacts our climate, ecosystems and developing communities. With our solutions, we inspire and enable our customers to create value from sustainability-related activities.

Job summary

As an Intern in Projects Delivery, you will support the Projects Delivery team in the generation and delivery of emission reductions across our African Sustainable Technologies portfolio, which includes safe water supply, borehole and efficient cookstove projects in Tanzania and Mozambique. Reporting to the designated Line Manager in our Florence office, you will contribute to several full certification cycles under the Gold Standard, from monitoring data analysis and report drafting through to responding to Validation and Verification Bodies (VVBs).

This is a six-month internship offering hands‑on project work, structured coaching and the opportunity to be assessed for a future permanent role.

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Support the third performance certification of the Tanzania safe water project and the design certification of its project extension, including analysis of monitoring surveys, water consumption field tests, census and baseline survey data.

• Draft the Project Design Document (PDD) for the Tanzania safe water project extension, building on the original PDD.

• Support the first and second performance certifications of the safe water project as well as the third performance certification of the improved cookstove project in Tete, Mozambique, including drafting the Monitoring Report.

• Contribute to the design certification and first performance certification of the new improved cookstove project in Maputo, Mozambique, and to the fifth performance certification of the original project.

• Analyse monitoring surveys and project KPIs, and draft monitoring reports to the quality required by South Pole and the relevant standards.

• Support the team in responding to requests and findings from VVBs and the Gold Standard during validation and verification.

• Carry out research for additionality analyses and perform QA/QC checks on project data.

• Use internal and external tools (e.g. the CarbonSink app and our internal project management tool) and keep project information, milestones and documents up to date and accessible on the drive.

• Coordinate with internal colleagues, project owners and other stakeholders to gather data and keep deliverables on track.

What you will learn

• Technical / domain: carbon market fundamentals, the full carbon certification cycle, and statistical analysis of survey data.

• Professional: technical writing, stakeholder communication, project planning and the use of carbon project tools.

• Analytical: additionality research, QA/QC of project data and data analysis.

You will be supported by a dedicated manager with weekly 1:1s, a buddy from the Carbon Technical team for day‑to‑day questions, and structured mid‑point and final reviews.

Requirements

Essential skills and experience

• Currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Sustainable Development, Statistics, Data and Analytics, Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Tropical Rural Development or a related field.

• Strong interest in carbon markets and in project development in the African context, in particular Sustainable Technologies such as safe water supply and efficient cookstoves.

• Good analytical and quantitative skills, with confidence working with survey data in Excel or similar tools.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to produce clear, high‑quality technical documents.

• Highly organised, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage several priorities at once.

• Proven team player, able to work effectively across cultures, teams and organisations.

• Proactive problem solver, able to build on existing knowledge and templates to develop new deliverables.

Desired skills and experience

• Basic knowledge of carbon standards (e.g. Gold Standard, Verra) or of carbon methodologies for water or cookstove projects.

• Good statistical skills (e.g. sampling, survey analysis) and experience with statistical or data tools.

• Working knowledge of Portuguese, French or Italian.

• Previous experience (including academic or volunteer) in development or sustainability projects in Africa.

What we offer

At South Pole, we care about our employees as much as we care about the planet. South Pole is not just an employer, we are a Team. By joining our team, you will find strong purpose and deep meaning in everything you do. You will have the chance to make a real difference for our clients and for the planet, working alongside a passionate team of like‑minded colleagues, while building your knowledge and skills in a fun, dynamic, international organisation.

We're a planet of billions of unique and different people. Our recruitment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business needs.