Blue Forest Finance and Investment Intern Remote · Full time

Apply for Finance and Investment Intern

Application Timeline: Application Deadline March 17, 2023

Location: Remote

Reports to: Julia Mazzola, Finance & Investment Analyst 

Compensation: $20-$30 per hour. Pay depends on education level and work experience. 

Expected Hours: 30-40 hrs/week

Internship Dates: 8-10 week program starting in June

About Blue Forest

Blue Forest is an innovative climate finance non-profit that addresses pressing environmental challenges by developing ecological investment opportunities. In partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the World Resources Institute, Blue Forest developed our signature environmental product, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), to overcome the funding gap for forest management. As a first of its kind public-private partnership, the FRB enables private capital to catalyze public land management on National Forest land by valuing the resulting ecosystem services, thereby reducing wildfire risk and promoting ecological sustainability. More recently, Blue Forest has also established Blue Forest Asset Management (BFAM), an investment management platform connecting investors to compelling, mission-aligned opportunities in a broader set of asset classes beyond FRB projects, such as private equity and private credit investments. 

Blue Forest is an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, foresters, finance, and communications professionals committed to the mission of “Financial Innovation for Sustainable Solutions” through our culture of learning, collaboration, diligence, and innovation. As we grow and develop new financial solutions to pressing environmental problems, we are committed to promoting social equity and amplifying historically excluded voices in the burgeoning field of conservation finance.

Internship Overview

Our project-based Finance & Investment Internship Program is designed for undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent graduates who seek to gain tangible experiences in conservation finance. Blue Forest expects to hire 1-2 Finance and Investment Interns and encourages all interested candidates to apply.

For 8-10 weeks interns will become integral members of the Blue Forest team and own real-world financial projects that support Blue Forest’s growth initiatives. Projects will be assigned based on the candidate’s interests, skillset, and experiences. This role requires attention to detail, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to work independently on multiple projects simultaneously. The Finance and Investment Intern provides research, modeling, and qualitative and quantitative analytical support across a variety of areas such as private markets investments, FRB project development, financial and resource planning, and financial operations. 

Potential Project Areas:

• Private markets investments
• Conservation finance project development
• FP&A
• Strategic finance

Potential Project Responsibilities:

• Investment analysis for conservation finance projects and private equity and private credit investments
• Market research into payments for ecosystem services, environmental policy, biomass utilization, the forest products industry, and wood supply
• Social, environmental, and economic impact analysis and reporting for portfolio investments 
• Price series data analysis for timber, biomass, forest products, and carbon offset markets
• Creation of financial model templates and applied analysis of conservation finance projects and private markets investments
• General support preparing investment and communications materials such as investment memos, pitch decks, and blog posts
• Forecast and analysis of quantitative information such as Blue Forest organizational spending, grant invoicing, and project costs
• Process improvements, recommendations, and best practices research for financial and operational items such as service provider selection, investment management, and budgeting
• Review and evaluation of financial due diligence materials for conservation finance transactions

Additional Information

Blue Forest is a remote company with staff distributed in some geographies where we can focus our impact as well as located across all four continental U.S. time zones. This job may be remote, however, preference may be given to candidates proximate to existing staff as that can support collaboration and team culture. The Finance and Investment Intern will be expected to be online during their respective standard working hours with occasional (i.e. once per month) morning or evening calls depending on their time zone.

Qualifications

Blue Forest will prioritize the following qualifications in the hiring process; however, we do not expect candidates to fulfill all criteria and encourage all interested candidates to apply.

• This internship opportunity is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent graduates
• Demonstrated interest in and commitment to environmental conservation and climate resilience
• Exposure to forestry, conservation finance, environmental markets, fixed income investments, private markets investments, and/or nonprofit financial management is a plus
• 0-2 years of finance and/or investing experience including coursework and internships
• Comfortable knowledge of Microsoft Excel and G-Suite
• Clear written and verbal communication, including distillation of complex quantitative information
• Dedicated work ethic, strong analytical skills, and the ability to work independently
• Major in forestry, business, economics, finance, accounting, or related field preferred but not required 

COVID VACCINE REQUIREMENT

All Blue Forest staff (employees and contractors) are required to be “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines that term. Proof of full vaccination shall be a condition of contract or employment and must be provided prior to starting work, except where prohibited by law. Blue Forest is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and the company will engage in the interactive process regarding reasonable accommodations for candidates who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability/medical condition; a sincerely held religious belief, practice or observance; or a claimed exemption under applicable state law.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply to this position, submit a resume. People from historically underrepresented populations and candidates with non-traditional career paths are especially encouraged to apply. Application will close on March 17, 2023.

If participating in the interview process would require you to incur additional expenses to participate, such as childcare, please let us know and we are happy to reimburse for reasonable expenses incurred up to $30/hour for twice the length of each interview in which you participate. There will be space to request this reimbursement upon offer of an interview.

Blue Forest provides equal employment and opportunities for advancement, compensation, training, and growth according to individual merit, without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, genetic information, disability, veteran-status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable Federal, state, or local law. Applicants must have authorization to work in the United States.