Introduction

Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), a registered public interest environmental law organization established a think tank institute, the Africa Institute for Environmental Law (AIEL). AIEL was established to undertake the functions of research, training, capacity building and teaching aimed at influencing policies on natural resource governance and the environment. AIEL’s vision is to become a leading internationally recognized research-intensive institute on natural resources governance/ environmental law.

AIEL has four core objectives: To produce evidence-based researches that strengthen the capacity of natural resource governance institutions on effective implementation of laws and policies that promote sustainable utilization of natural resources; To design and deliver high quality training programmes that lead to systemic impact with regards to specific natural resources governance and environmental law issues; To raise stakeholder awareness on sustainable and inclusive natural resource governance and environmental laws by holding seminars, workshops, symposia and other awareness raising activities; To encourage government, CSOs and citizens to facilitate the utilization of local research findings to promote sustainable natural resources governance/management.

To deliver on its mandate and attain its strategic goals, AIEL is setting up an internal structure. It is against this backdrop that AIEL is recruiting for a Research Intern. This is an exciting opportunity for a committed individual, to contribute towards the growth and development of AIEL.The Research intern will thus play a critical role as AIEL seeks to position itself for growth through improved visibility, production of quality research outputs and provision of high level trainings and capacity building to key actors enlisted in the AIEL strategy.

Summary of key responsibilities

The Research Intern is expected to periodically conduct evidence based research on key issues shaping environmental law and natural resource governance guided by ZELA and AIEL’ s thematic areas. To deliver on this, the Research Intern will be expected to: Contribute in the development of concept notes, policy briefs, blogs, research and journal papers on key policy issues shaping environmental and natural resource governance; Undertake field and desk research on different thematic issues around environmental law and natural resource governance; Plan and organise AIEL workshops, academic seminars, policy dialogues and conferences; Contribute in the development of training materials and training reports; Support the development and design of AIEL programmes; Maintain a digital database and support the physical library of AIEL tools and resources; Assist in and perform overall programme activities as may be assigned under the reporting matrix.

Qualifications and professional requirements

Interested candidates should have at least the following qualifications: Degree in Social sciences, Political Economy, Law, Governance, Gender Studies, Environmental Governance or another relevant field; Experience working in a development role is an asset. Preferably one to three years of working experience for a non-profit, for-profit, or related professional experience; Strong administrative and organizational skills; Excellent writing, creative problem-solver and time management skills; Aptitude in presentation and public speaking; Knowledge and interest in environmental law, natural resource governance and international development; Experience working in a non-profit environment is an asset; Excellent command of English or any other local language is an added advantage; Strong writing and copy editing skills; Excellent organization and time management skills, including ability to juggle multiple tasks and respond rapidly to new events and competing priorities; Detail oriented, self-motivated and comfortable working in a small, collaborative team environment; Excellence in all MS Office Applications, particularly Word and PowerPoint.