The Catalytic Finance Foundation's (Catalytic) mission is to accelerate the design and deployment of catalytic finance solutions for sustainable infrastructure. We identify and develop robust project pipelines and deploy technical assistance to support infrastructure projects to become more investible and impactful. Catalytic seeks to ensure positive social and environmental outcomes in addition to financial returns for impact investors, applying credible methodologies for the measurement and evaluation of impacts. In addition, Catalytic incubates and structures blended-finance funds aiming at scaling up and speeding up the implementation of urban infrastructure projects with positive climate impacts.

Catalytic is seeking a Project Intern for its Canopy Trust programme.

Canopy Trust is one of the programmes implemented by Catalytic, which provides blended finance solutions to attract private sector investments towards early-development-stage projects to limit deforestation and support socio-economic development in the Congo Basin in Central Africa. It supports sustainable agriculture and forestry, renewable energy, and sustainable cooking along with deforestation-free value chains, through technical assistance (TA) at the project level and catalytic investments at both project and investment fund levels. Canopy Trust is an initiative implemented by Catalytic with the funding support of multiple donors.

Reporting to the Canopy Trust Programme Manager and working closely with the Project Pipeline Manager as well as with other Catalytic’s colleagues and partners, the Project Intern has the following roles and responsibilities:

Roles & Responsibilities

• Take part in Canopy Trust internal and external meetings, take notes, and draft minutes for internal and external weekly meetings;
• Perform desktop searches on the Congo Basin ecosystem and expand/update the programme knowledge base on specific topics (country profile, stakeholder mapping, event mapping, risk assessment, sectoral assessment on relevant value chains including agroforestry, cassava, sustainable charcoal, cocoa, coffee);
• Draft the weekly news digest for the countries covered by the program (CRD, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea);
• Assist the Programme manager and the Project Pipeline Manager on project evaluation and selection for TA, liaising with project developers;
• Assist the Programme manager in missions (including but not limited to donors' relationship, project sourcing, meetings with project developers, preparation of events and presentations);
• Manage the programme set of data and update data tracking tools (Salesforce, Excel etc);
• Create and update communication materials (program presentation, donor's presentations, project memo, 2 pagers, Canopy Trust website).

Profile

• Minimum: currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master's degree or equivalent in environmental studies, climate finance, or International Relations, or another related discipline;
• Excellent writing, drafting, and editing skills;
• Prior experience and or knowledge of impact investment funds, international organisations, or NGOs; experience with similar financing facilities for climate actions and achieving other SDGs;
• A good understanding of business development and financial models for SMEs or infrastructure projects, in the context of emerging and developing countries;
• First-hand knowledge/experience of the Central African region will be considered as a strong plus;
• Soft skills and a strong analytical sense in making good judgments with project assessment in emerging and developing countries are some of the essential qualities required in this role;
• Passionate about climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, and reducing deforestation with a strong commitment towards a more sustainable world;
• Team player, highly organized, flexible, and experienced in evolving in a multicultural environment;
• Taking initiatives and thinking out of the box to find solutions to challenges is needed on a daily basis;
• Strong skills with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, graphic design applications, and AI tools;
• Proficient in English and French in both writing and speaking.

Location:

The working station will be in Geneva with a home-office allowance.

The position will be remunerated.

Catalytic will not arrange accommodation, logistics or visa in Geneva, which are to be managed by the intern. Therefore, ideally the applicant is already based in Geneva or nearby areas.

This internship is part of an academic training program, a professional training program, or a socio-professional integration program, and must meet the conditions set by the Conseil de surveillance du marché de l'emploi (CSME).

Application Process:

Interested candidates are invited to complete the online application form and send their CV and a Cover Letter to secretariat@catalyticfinance.org by 20th February 2026.