CAC-21-005: Founder Intern / Co-Founder (Immediate Opportunity)

The consensus is clear that Climate Change driven by an accumulation of greenhouse gasses (GHG) in the atmosphere is an existential threat to the entire planet. The Climate Action Center is dedicated to accelerating solutions to reduce GHG emissions and prepare communities across the world for the impacts of Climate Change. We do this by applying advanced Digital Engineering techniques and digital modeling to accelerate, de-risk and improve the outcomes of complex projects being undertaken by government and private sector organizations. Moreover, we are building a global knowledge sharing network that enables organizations to freely share their Climate Change solutions by making our models free and open-source to ensure their widest possible reuse.

Do you want to be a part of our dynamic team that is working to solve world-class problems using advanced technology? We provide you the opportunities, resources and guidance if you are passionate, focused and dedicated to the mission.

Reporting directly to the Managing Director (MD), the Founder Intern provides executive support with respect to all aspects of launching and scaling the Climate Action Center. The Founder Intern organizes and coordinates organizational outreach and external relations efforts; and oversees special projects. The Founder Intern must be creative and enjoy working within a small, entrepreneurial environment that is mission-driven, impact-oriented and community focused. The ideal individual will have the ability to exercise good judgment in a variety of situations, with strong written and verbal communication, administrative, and organizational skills, and the ability to maintain a realistic balance among multiple priorities. The Founder Intern will have the ability to work independently on projects, from conception to completion, and must be able to work under pressure at times to handle a wide variety of activities. As this is a startup organization the Founder Intern will be considered a co-founder of the organization (this explains the name of the position).

As a Founder Intern, you will:

• Complete a broad variety of administrative tasks for the MD including: managing an extremely active calendar of appointments; composing and preparing correspondence; and arranging travel plans, itineraries, and agendas.
• Communicate directly, and on behalf of the MD, with a wide range of stakeholders including partners, customers, government staff and others on matters related to MD’s programmatic initiatives.
• Research, prioritize, and follow up on issues and opportunities for the organization and recommend appropriate courses of action for consideration by the MD.
• Provide leadership to build relationships crucial to the success of the organization and manage a variety of special projects for the MD, many of which may have significant organizational impact.
• Successfully complete critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, including drafting correspondence, organizing events and other tasks that facilitate the MD’s ability to effectively lead the company.
• Prioritize conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously, proactively, and follow-through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.
• Follow up on contacts made by the MD and support the cultivation of ongoing relationships.
• Edit and complete first drafts for written communications to external stake holders.

To promote further acceleration and de-risking of Climate Change related projects, the Climate Action Center offers an inclusive work environment that supports diversity, out-of-the box thinking, calculated risk-taking and people that do not fear disrupting normal ways of working in order to achieve 10x gains in effectiveness (think SpaceX).

Our culture also promotes:

• Work/life balance
• Career development
• Mentoring and mentorship opportunities
• Rewards & recognition

Basic Qualifications and Desired Skills:

• Strong organizational skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, customers, external partners and investors
• Expert level written and verbal communication skills in both English and Dutch
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability
• Emotional maturity
• Highly resourceful team-player, but with the ability to also be extremely effective independently
• Ability to be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of customer/client service and response
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Forward looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions
• Strong understanding of one or more of the following
  • Climate change, including the drivers of climate change
  • Renewable and low-carbon energy sources
  • Climate resiliency solutions
  • Public sector finance
  • Public sector project management

Education and Experience Level:

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree (or working towards a Master’s degree) preferred
• Interest in internal and external communications, partnership development, and financing startups
• Committed to the environment and driven to find solutions to the most challenging climate-related problems
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point), Adobe Acrobat, and Social Media web platforms.

Founder Designation:
The Climate Action Center is a pre-revenue / high-impact startup. Launching the organization will require a staff of three to four people who are willing to volunteer a minimum of two days per week with no pay but with the ability to earn equity in the company for time worked. As soon as we secure a paying launching customer, investment or a government grant, we will convert volunteer staff to paid staff. At the moment, we cannot anticipate an exact date for this, although we expect to reach one of these milestones in early 2022. If you join in this capacity, you will be officially designated as a “Founder” of the Climate Action Center.