Graduate intern jobs in London, greater london

Policy & Public Affairs Intern   

Length: 32 weeks, estimated start in May

Salary: London living wage, £26,936 pro-rata

Working Pattern: Full-time, 35hrs Mon – Fri | Staff can opt to work 32hrs over 4 days each week (with either Monday or Friday as a non-working day). The BES is a 4-day work week organisation with no reduction in pay.

Location: Hybrid. We ask that staff spend at least 60% of their time at our London office. 

Closing Date: Thursday 2 April, 10:00am

Interview Date: Monday 27 April

Purpose of role: This role will provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain first-hand experience of working in environmental policy and public affairs. You will join our small friendly Policy team working across the BES’s policy priorities, ensuring scientific evidence is accessible to policymakers across the UK.  If you have strong interpersonal and organisational skills, demonstrable interest in environmental policy and a desire to learn about the BES’s policy work, we would love to hear from you.  

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES  

Policy & Research   

• Research and prepare a policy briefing on a topic aligned with the BES’s policy strategy.     

• Drawing from previous BES publications, help develop and refine the BES’s strategic messaging to support consistent and effective external communications.  

• Oversee the policy section of the BES website, including writing expert and engaging blogs and news items, and organising the contribution of external collaborators.   

• Working with the communications team, help to develop content to communicate key messages, including webinars, podcasts, newsletter content and social media.  

Public Affairs  

• Develop a database of contacts and stakeholders to help communicate our key messages.  

• Represent the BES, alongside other members of the Policy & External Affairs team, at meetings with external partners, workshops, parliamentary receptions and conferences, building relationships and forging effective partnerships.  

• Help with policy event management including policy roundtables, expert workshops, policy training and other online and in-person events.   

Support   

• Provide support to the BES Policy Committee and our national Policy Groups in England, Wales and Scotland. This includes organising meetings, as well as producing relevant papers, agendas and minutes.  

PERSON SPECIFICATION JOB DESCRIPTION   

Essential  

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage a wide range of audiences  

• Ability to analyse, interpret and summarise complex scientific information in an engaging manner  

• Self-motivated, with the ability to be proactive and work independently  

• Familiarity with social media with experience of writing webpages, blogs and social media posts.   

• Strong interpersonal skills, with experience of developing effective working relationships with a range of individuals.   

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to meet multiple deadlines and prioritise work with excellent attention to detail.   

• Good IT skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office.   

• Degree in natural sciences or social sciences.  

• A demonstrable interest in environmental policy.  

Desirable   

• Some knowledge of the environmental policy priorities of the UK and devolved governments.  

• Some knowledge of BES policy priority areas, including Nature Finance, Nature Based Solutions and Nature-Positive Infrastructure.  

• An understanding of the BES’s work and the role of learned societies.  

To apply for this vacancy, please submit:

• Your CV - no more than 2x A4 sides detailing your education, training and work history, as well as any relevant skills
• A cover letter no more than 1x A4 side explaining why you wish to undertake this particular role at the BES
• Your Equality & Diversity information - this voluntary information helps us to assess the diversity of our recruitment and further improve recruitment processes in the future. It has no bearing on the success of your application and is not considered as part of the shortlisting process.

We recognise that AI tools can support candidates in refining their job applications, particularly in improving clarity and language. if you choose to use AI to assist with your application, please remember you are responsible for the content and quality of your application.

Ai may be use to improve - but must not replace - your own voice and experience. Applications must reflect your own understanding, experience and and suitability for the role. We encourage all applications tor review their submission carefully before sending. 

BENEFITS

Four-day working week

• Along with our four-day working week to support a better work/life balance, we offer a range of flexible working options, including hybrid working and variable start and finishing times. 

Annual leave

• With a generous holiday allowance and office closure between Christmas and the New Year, we’ll make sure you have space for yourself. We also offer everyone a week working from anywhere.

Pension

• To help with saving for your retirement, we offer a generous pension plan.

Health and wellbeing

• With a supportive occupational sick policy, eyecare checks and seasonal flu jabs we’re here to keep your health a priority. We have regular wellbeing activities, a wellness room and annual away-days for all staff.

Internship opportunities for 2026-27

Are you a young *Christian who is passionate about issues of justice and peace? Do you want to explore the intersection of faith, policy, and politics, and potentially pursue a career in one of these fields? The Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT) is recruiting to two full time paid internship positions to start in September 2026.

Interns work as part of a small ecumenical team on a diverse range of tasks and initiatives including communications, policy, campaigning and supporter engagement, contributing to the public advocacy and political engagement work of the Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches.

JPIT is a partnership between the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church, and the Church of Scotland is an associate partner. Its purpose is to help the Churches to work together for peace and justice through listening, learning, praying, speaking and acting on public policy issues. It is a team which brings together around ten staff working across the denominations. In recent years it has focused on issues around poverty, the economy, refugees and migration, the environment, peace and conflict, and politics.

These internships provide opportunities to develop skills in campaigning, communications, research, and policy within a dynamic team environment. There will be opportunities for professional and personal learning and development to equip the intern for further employment after their time on the internship. Whilst we are looking for some evidence of certain skills and experience, candidates will have the opportunity to develop relevant skills during their time in the role.

They are full time paid roles with fixed-term contracts to the end of August 2027, and a salary of £26,936.00 per year (we are committed to paying at least the London Living Wage). The roles are based in the Methodist Connexional Team which offers hybrid working arrangements, with an expectation of spending at least two days a week at an office base in central London.

We welcome and encourage applications from a diverse range of people. You should be aged 21-30, have excellent communication skills, be enthusiastic and willing to take on new challenges, be interested in political engagement and be a practicing Christian. An Enhanced DBS Check will be required.

Our Culture, Values and Benefits

Thank you for considering joining our inclusive and welcoming team that strives for excellence and values employee wellbeing.

We value and support all those who join our team through a positive work-life balance augmented by generous annual leave (plus an extra 3 days over Christmas/New Year), TOIL, flexi-leave and an on-site Well-being Adviser service. We offer a generous occupational pension scheme, where the Methodist Church will pay double the employee contribution up to a maximum of 16% employer contribution.

The Methodist Church is an inclusive and supportive employer. We are actively committed to encouraging applications from people of all backgrounds. We welcome applications from people of Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic groups.

We are a Disability Confident employer and welcome applications from people living with disabilities. If you need any reasonable adjustments at any stage, please contact the HR team (details on our website). 

Application Details

• Visit the JPIT site for further details of the role. 
• The closing date for completed application forms is Friday, 10 April 2026
• Interviews will be held in London on Wednesday 6th May 2026. Candidates called to interview will be notified at least a week in advance.

*This post is restricted to Christians due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement section under Schedule 9 (Part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

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