Intern - Sustainable Investment And Responsible Business

Requisition ID: 7271
Grade: Intern
Category: Internship
Employment Type: NonStaff-Regular
Country: Austria
Duty Station: Vienna
Entry Date: 01-Jul-2026
Internship Duration: 6 months
Application Deadline: 31-Mar-2026, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)

Vacancy Announcement

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Under the overall direction of the Director General, and in close collaboration with relevant organizational entities, the Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), headed by a Managing Director, is responsible for the development of innovative UNIDO services in the areas of agro-industry and agribusiness, sustainability standards and fair production, and climate relevant or climate-improving technologies. It is also, in collaboration with ODG, responsible for developing innovative cooperation concepts, identifying new sources and means of innovative finance and entering into new partnerships with a broad range of relevant stakeholders.

The Directorate is responsible for the Divisions of Agribusiness and Infrastructure Development (IET/AGR), Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST), Climate and Technology Partnerships (IET/CTP), Innovative Finance and International Financial Institutions (IET/IFI), and Public-Private Partnerships (IET/PPP). Leveraging the diverse skill sets of UNIDO personnel and the services provided by the two TC directorates, IET collaborates closely with TCS to develop and implement programmes and projects, aiming at enhancing synergy and complementarity and maximizing UNIDO corporate performance and impacts on the ground. The Directorate also ensures close coordination and collaboration among the Divisions as well as with relevant entities in all Directorates across the Organization.

Under the supervision of the Managing Director, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET), and in close coordination with other organizational entities, the Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade (IET/PST) develops and implements an innovative service package in response to UNIDO's mandate for fair and responsible local industrial production and trade, with a particular focus on building the required skills and capacities, and foster a conducive business operating environment to ensure that such production and trade are inclusive, promoting – among others – the just adoption of sustainability standards and mandatory due diligence legislation as well as the development of human capital through vocational training and industrial skills development.

In collaboration with relevant organizational entities, the Division will conceptualize and negotiate services and raise funds from Member States, development partners, IFIs, and the private sector to 61 coordinate their effective implementation and devise ways in which their implementation can be brought to scale. This will include cross-cutting and sector-specific initiatives for sustainable supply/value chain and skills development in industrial sectors where UNIDO has, over the years, accumulated expertise. It will do so through close engagement with Member States, private sector associations, industrial enterprises, international quality, standards and trade-related governing bodies, other UN agencies, development partners, NGOs and consumer associations, ensuring solid and operational partnerships.

The Sustainable Investments and Responsible Business Unit (IET/PST/SIB) fosters the uptake of responsible business conduct in Member States across local, regional and global value and supply chains. To this end, it induces responsible investments into sustainable value chains working with multinational corporation networks and other platforms to advance socially-minded, youth and gender-responsive as well as responsible business conduct. The Unit supports Member States in enhancing their enabling institutional and policy frameworks and the ability to comply with international standards at the country and regional level to monitor the contribution of value chains to economic, social and environmental sustainability standards. To this end, it facilitates cooperation between firms, institutions and policy actors to advance required reforms and raise required investments. The Unit also supports the transition of public and private procurement to become greener and more socially balanced and to leverage positive market signals to facilitate supplier linkages, supplier development and transformative supply chain investments and investment-ready supply chains.

PROGRAMME CONTEXT

The EU-funded Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access (ATCMA) Programme, a Sub-Saharan African initiative aims at sustainably increasing intra-African and EU-Africa trade. In addition to a continental component, the programme comprises five regional components in the ECOWAS, COMESA, SADC, ECCAS and EAC regions, building on existing or previous regional programmes (WACOMP in West Africa, MARKUP in East Africa, PIQAC in Central Africa, RECAMP and SIPS in Southern Africa). The overall objective (impact) of the ATCMA Programme is to increase sustainable intra-African and EU-Africa trade through the pursuance of specific objectives (outcomes) of (i) enhanced market access for selected value chains and (ii) enhanced export competitiveness for SMEs in selected value chains.

The programme is thematically structured into five components leading to 5 outputs as follows:

In relation to Specific Objective 1:

Output 1.1: Market access barriers identified and reduced

Output 1.2: Strengthened quality compliance and standards

Output 1.3: Value-chain revision mechanism facilitated

In relation to Specific Objective 2:

Output 2.1: Enhanced value addition and diversification

Output 2.2: Enhanced SME capacities and opportunities for business and export

While UNIDO is in charge of implementing output 1.2 and 2.1., ITC is responsible for the implementation of output 1.1, 1.3 and 2.2.

The intern will specifically contribute to the ATCMA regional components of COMESA (Project ID 240108), ECOWAS (Project ID 240104) and SADC (Project ID 240325), and specifically support the thematic component on voluntary sustainability standards and sustainable supply chains (under output 1.2), and the access to finance and investment components (under output 2.1).

GENERIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the supervision of the project manager(s) and relevant technical staff, the intern will provide administrative, research, and coordination support across the following areas:

• Contribute to the implementation of the Access to Finance/Investment components and voluntary sustainability standards component of the ATCMA Programme in the regional economic communities of ECOWAS, SADC and COMESA, including but not limited to:
  • Provide general support in gathering, organizing, and reviewing basic projects and investment-related information, and in analyzing finance and supply chain ecosystems.
  • Assist with preparing background materials, summaries, and draft inputs for analysis and reporting.
  • Support meetings, workshops, and training activities through administrative and logistical assistance.
  • Help maintain organized records, databases, and contact lists related to projects and stakeholders.
  • Assist with outreach and communication activities, including maintaining contact databases and preparing simple materials.
  • Conduct desk research and background reviews on sustainability, policy, corporate responsibility and investment and finance topics, under guidance from project staff.
  • Assist in summarizing key information and preparing basic briefing and reference materials.
  • Help organize and maintain policy documents and internal resources for ongoing programme work.

The Intern will be required to prepare an end-of-internship report, which will be submitted to and cleared by HRM.

MINIMUM ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Internships at UNIDO are full-time and shall be for a period of three to six months. For internships fully sponsored through partner institutions, the maximum duration shall be twelve months, subject to prior HRM agreement. Extensions beyond the initially agreed duration are not permitted.
• Interns receive a monthly stipend based on their duty station.
• Interns are responsible for living expenses, accommodation, visas, and related costs.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Core Values

WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially.

WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner.

WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective.

Key Competencies

WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity.

WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world.

WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work.

WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: to stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.

LEARNING ELEMENTS

Become acquainted with the most up-to-date technical, economic and industrial developments in the relevant field of specialization of the Sustainable Investments and Responsible Business Unit. Furthermore, intern is expected to deepen their knowledge in the fields of data collection and assessing the feasibility and bankability of investment projects.

Gain experience in investment and international economic cooperation.

On the job training: participation in every phase of the working process.

Gain experience in working effectively in a diverse and multi-cultural environment.

UNIDO Interns are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity at all times, both at work and outside. Only candidates who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for internships at UNIDO.

All applications must be submitted through the UNIDO Online Recruitment System.
Correspondence will be undertaken only with candidates who are being considered at an advanced phase of the selection process.

Visit the UNIDO employment website for details on how to apply: www.careers.unido.org

Notice to applicants:
UNIDO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. If you have received a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Vacant positions within UNIDO are advertised on the official UNIDO website. Should you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of UNIDO and requesting payment of a fee, please contact: internship@unido.org