Internship Climate Resilience

Internship Opportunity – Climate Resilience

Location: ZOA HQ, Apeldoorn (The Netherlands) (hybrid a possibility)
Start date: September 2025
Duration: 5 months
Hours: 32 hours per week

Are you passionate about tackling the effects of climate change in humanitarian settings? Do you enjoy research and want to gain hands-on experience in the NGO world? Then this internship might be the perfect fit for you!

We are looking for a

Climate Resilience Intern

About ZOA and the internship

Climate change amplifies already existing humanitarian crises, with serious consequences for the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems. Over 80 million people are forced to flee, some in direct response to natural disasters, others as a result of the many conflicts caused by climate change. In ZOA’s Strategic Plan 2023 – 2026, climate resilience is defined as one of three strategic priorities. Climate change is seen as a ‘risk multiplier’ that not only contributes to more frequent and intense climate-related natural disasters, but also fuels conflict and drives displacement. Integrating climate resilience in ZOA’s humanitarian programming requires a combination of interventions that protect the environment, limits our environmental footprint, and constitutes an optimal contribution to climate resilience for local communities.

The Programme Development & Support team of ZOA is looking for an intern to support this work. The intern will assist the Climate Resilience advisors in the exploring and operationalisation of climate resilience interventions in a pre-disaster and post-disaster context. This could include, inter alia, conducting climate analyses, analysing the applicability of early warning systems and developing roadmaps for different climate-resilient relief and recovery interventions.

What you will do

• Map key climate change impacts (current and expected) in the countries where ZOA operates.
• Identify and analyze existing early warning systems for natural disasters.
• Conduct desk research on the effectiveness of early warning systems in humanitarian contexts.
• Support the development of a framework for analyzing climate risks within ZOA programmes.
• Contribute to roadmaps for climate-resilient relief and recovery interventions.
• Other support tasks based on your interests, background, and learning goals.

What we’re looking for

• Student of climate/environmental studies, international development, or a related field.
• Interest in linking climate data to social impacts and community resilience.
• Affinity with the humanitarian or development sector.
• Excellent organisational and multitasking skills.
• Strong communication skills in English, both spoken and written.
• Committed and fully supportive to the vision, mission and Christian values of ZOA.
• Culturally sensitive, collaborative, and eager to learn.
• A self-starter with a proactive and flexible attitude.

What we offer

• Insight into the day-to-day work of an international humanitarian NGO.
• Supervision by an experienced climate advisor.
• A meaningful role with room to tailor the internship to your interests.
• Internship allowance of 450 euro monthly.

Interested?

Click on the button ‘apply now’ to send your cv and short motivation letter.
For questions, feel free to reach out to Matthijs Wessels (Advisor Climate Resilience and WASH) via m.wessels@zoa.ngo.

We look forward to hearing from you!