Fall internships, multiple departments at Ceres

Ceres’ Capital Markets Systems program works with companies, investors, regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders on levers that will facilitate improved integration of material sustainability factors into decision-making. This includes Ceres’ work on enhancing sustainability disclosures (covering our engagements in this regard with stock exchanges, financial regulators, standard setters and others) and integrating sustainability into corporate governance systems (covering our work with corporate boards).

The Capital Market Systems program is seeking a graduate student researcher to help support key projects on how companies and investors are integrating sustainability into their governance and disclosure practices. While providing some administrative support, this research intern will primarily work in the following areas using skills ranging from research, quantitative analysis and writing (short memos, case studies, etc.) on:

• Literature review of research on how corporate boards are integrating sustainability into oversight of corporate risk evaluation,
• Tracking board governance and disclosure practices of priority U.S.-based companies,
• Conduct comparative analysis of Ceres’ sustainability disclosure program and create recommendations for growth,
• Tracking investor engagement of companies engaged during the 2019 proxy season, and
• Other projects on disclosure and governance as needed for the Capital Market Systems team.

The Company Network team engages with the 50+ members of the Ceres Company Network to help them develop sustainable business strategies that address key challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and pollution, and human rights abuses throughout the value chain. Ceres’ advocacy is rooted in the expectations for corporate sustainability outlined in The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability. These expectations address four critical dimensions of a company’s approach to sustainability: governance, stakeholder engagement, disclosure, and performance as it relates to company operations, supply chains and products. The Company Network seeks an intern who will support our corporate engagement work by:

• Using publicly available information to research and analyze the sustainability performance of individual companies and sectors through the lens of the Ceres Roadmap expectations;
• Providing in-depth research support for ad hoc projects on key topics such as the link between sustainability performance and executive compensation, sustainable supply chains, or modes of stakeholder engagement;
• Researching, compiling and presenting industry trends and leading practices;
• Developing research briefs for potential member companies, including analyzing performance against the Ceres Roadmap expectations and identifying opportunities for engagement.

We are looking for candidates with solid research skills (preferably with experience reviewing corporate sustainability reports), an ability to work independently, excellent verbal and written communication skills and familiarity with key environmental and social sustainability issues that influence, and are influenced by, the private sector. Graduate students preferred, but all will be considered.

The Company Network is seeking an intern to support Ceres’ work advancing corporate human rights disclosure to drive improved performance, including by engaging companies on the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGP) on Business and Human Rights and scaling implementation of the UNGP Reporting Framework. Specific opportunities to support this work include:

• Researching and analyzing current corporate reporting on human rights, including investor expectations on human rights disclosure;
• Researching and analyzing specific issues within the realm of corporate human rights management, such as forced labor, supplier engagement, and remediation systems;
• Researching and identifying potential funding and/or project opportunities; and
• Preparing summary briefing documents and presentations for key project milestones.

The preferred candidate will possess a familiarity with the Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability and the UN Guiding Principles. Familiarity with corporate disclosure frameworks, such as the Global Reporting Initiative, is a plus. Demonstrated ability to take initiative, prioritize responsibilities, and work independently while being part of a team is also important.

The Electric Power Team at Ceres seeks to encourage electric utilities and large corporate energy consumers to adopt modern 21st century sustainable practices and technologies. Specifically, we will urge companies to increase their renewable electric generation, improve their energy efficiency, and reduce their reliance on carbon-based electric generation. The Electric Power Team is seeking an intern for the Fall 2018 period to assist the team in providing research and fact-checking to help develop and prioritize our targets for corporate engagement.

The intern will also assist with the development of materials to support corporate engagement on renewable energy and energy efficiency including presentations, fact sheets and other advocacy materials. These materials will help us make the business case to companies for adoption of renewables and efficiency as well as the case to investors on the importance of engaging with companies on these issues.

We are seeking an undergraduate or graduate student with interest, experience, knowledge and desire to work in the clean energy field and who has excellent communications, research, writing, Excel and database skills.

The Policy Team at Ceres works with companies through Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) and investors in our Investor Network on Climate Risk to advance climate and clean energy policies at the federal level.  The Policy Team is looking for an intern to assist in its work with companies and investors on energy and climate policies – focused on federal work. This position will support the Policy Team primarily through research and writing projects focused on key federal policies, participation and note-taking in strategy meetings, legislative analysis, and other tasks, possibly including data collection and organization.  Additionally, this position will also assist with our BICEP Partnerships program.

We are looking for candidates with strong organizational, research, and writing skills, an ability to work independently, and some familiarity with environmental and sustainability policies.  This position will report both to the Director of Federal Policy and the Director of Stewardship and Partnerships.

The Policy Team at Ceres works with companies through Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) and investors in our Investor Network on Climate Risk to advance climate and clean energy policies at the state level. This position will support the State Policy Team primarily through research and writing projects focused on (1) key state emissions reductions, clean energy and clean transportation policies, as well as (2) the key actors and decision makers in our priority states. Work will also include participation and note-taking in strategy meetings, legislative analysis, and other tasks, including data collection and organization.

We are looking for candidates with strong organizational, research, and writing skills, an ability to work independently, and some familiarity with and interest in public policy and/or efforts to decarbonize the electricity and transportation sectors.

 A clean and efficient transportation system is critical to a strong economy; its benefits include saving consumers and businesses money as well as reducing our dependence on oil. Transportation is also a significant contributor to carbon emissions. In fact, in 2016, the transportation sector surpassed the electric power sector as the largest emitter of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States, accounting for 28% of GHG emissions – more emissions than any other nation’s entire economy, with the exception of China.

To adequately reduce emissions associated with the transportation sector, we need to focus on three components: vehicles, fuels and infrastructure. In the next year, Ceres’ Transportation Program‘s primary focus will be on promoting clean fuels, vehicles and relevant policies, and increasing corporate uptake and deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging stations. Fall 2018 projects will include advocating for Low Carbon Fuel Standards, supporting passenger vehicles and truck fuel economy standards, and promoting advanced technology vehicles. In addition, this position will assist in preparing materials for and engaging companies on the business case for EVs with the goal of securing large-scale corporate electrification commitments. This intern will be asked to perform research on various transportation issues, draft educational materials and perform some administrative tasks. This intern will work with both the Director of Transportation and the Senior Manager of Clean Vehicles at Ceres. Graduate students preferred, but all will be considered.

Ceres is working with companies, investors, water providers, policymakers, environmental organizations and other stakeholders to improve water management and increase reporting on water issues that pose risks to businesses, communities and the environment. For more information, see Ceres’ Water Program.

The Water Program is seeking a graduate student this fall to help us advance our work on analyzing and addressing water risks related to two pillars: the food and beverage sector and the investment community. While providing some administrative support, this research assistant will primarily work across various topic areas using skills ranging in research, marketing, quantitative analysis and writing (short memos, case studies, data narratives etc.). Program areas of work include:

• Providing support to the Agriculture and Water Risk initiative, with a focus on the ongoing rollout of Feeding Ourselves Thirsty and the AgWater Challenge.
  • This includes conducting research and analysis on food companies, supporting the team with tracking news flow and pulling examples of risk, building out power points for external presentations, and doing company/investor research on the Bloomberg terminal.
• Assisting in the rollout of the Investor Water Hub Toolkit, a water-risk integration tool for the mainstream global investment community.
  • Topics covered in the Toolkit include systemic risks and materiality of water, investment beliefs and policies, asset class allocation and water-related shareholder engagements.
  • This research assistant will provide specific support with social media efforts related to the Toolkit and will assist with tracking news flow relevant to investors on water.
• Other general water-related research to support the Water Program, such as a conducting research and analysis of big data and artificial intelligence sources and services as a means to capture ESG data and ESG analysis, and assisting in preliminary research of industry water risk analysis.

Desired Background:
Knowledge of social media strategies a plus (but not required).
Interest and experience in sustainability and responsible investing.