Buildings and Cooling Unit Intern

About the role

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is seeking two interns for a six‑month, unpaid placement in its Buildings and Cooling Unit, based in Paris. Interns will support the Unit’s work on sustainable buildings, cooling, and extreme heat mitigation, reporting to the Head of the Buildings and Cooling Unit.

Key responsibilities

• Assist in engaging Japanese government bodies, sub‑national authorities and Japanese companies on joint sustainable building and cooling initiatives.
• Help organise technical workshops and webinars on Whole Life Cycle Carbon, covering both embodied and operational carbon aspects.
• Contribute to the drafting of technical papers on embodied carbon (steel, cement, timber, bamboo) and operational carbon (passive and active cooling, heat resilience).
• Support communications for joint activities through GlobalABC, Cool Coalition social media, website and newsletters.
• Translate technical materials into Japanese and provide interpretation for Japanese stakeholders during virtual meetings.
• Assist with other country‑level projects, such as the GEF‑8 Nature for Cooling Challenge.

Required profile

• Final‑year university student or recent graduate (Bachelor, Master or Ph.D.) in architecture, engineering, urban planning, environmental studies, climate change or a related field.
• Fluency in English and Japanese; knowledge of French is highly desirable.

Required skills

• Strong understanding of whole‑life‑cycle carbon concepts.
• Familiarity with embodied carbon issues in steel, cement, timber and bamboo.
• Knowledge of operational carbon, passive and active cooling strategies.
• Experience in organising workshops, webinars or similar events.
• Ability to translate technical documents into Japanese and interpret in meetings.