Partnerships & Development Research Intern

Job type: Part-Time, minimum 20 hours/week with a max 29 hours/week

Length: 6-Months, Potential start date of May/June 2025 

Reports to: VP of Partnershps & Development

Organization Description

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is a nonprofit organization that builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing the biggest challenges in food and agriculture. FFAR is committed to providing every person access to affordable, nutritious food grown on thriving farms. The Foundation pioneers scientific and technological innovation by funding research that fills critical research gaps. Ultimately, FFAR’s partnership and results benefit farmers, consumers and the environment.

FFAR’s research is a core facet of the organization, developed in collaboration with industry, government, academia and nonprofit institutions. Leveraging public and private resources, FFAR increases the scientific and technological research, innovation and partnerships needed to reach an ambitious goal:

A U.S. food and agriculture system that supports producers and their communities, sustains the environment and enables processors and retailers to deliver foods that equitably nourish our population.

FFAR works toward this goal by focusing on four interrelated, strategic Priority Areas that together aim to provide the impacts stakeholders need to improve and advance the food and agriculture system:

• Cultivating Thriving Production Systems
• Sustaining Vibrant Agroecosystems
• Bolstering Healthy Food Systems
• Strengthening the Scientific Workforce

Position Description

The Partnerships & Development Research Intern works to further FFAR’s mission by assisting with strategy development and implementation planning  and additional supporting activities. This role reports to the Partnerships & Development Vice President (P&D VP).

Duties & Responsibilities

• Learn about FFAR’s strategy and become very familiar with the organization’s Priority Areas. Apply the FFAR Priority Areas to all analysis research and analysis.
• Conduct data driven donor, funder and partner market/sector segmentations.
• Create opportunity maps by sector and by key target.
• Within specific sector, identify the challenges facing food and agriculture companies and the priorities of non-private sector actors with a focus on identifying overlaps with FFAR’s priorities.
• Identify potential partnership and/or funding targets with strong rational including developing research profiles on companies, foundations, individuals or trade associations for partnership opportunities.
• Provide detailed weekly progress updates to VP.
• Provide top line progress summary at the weekly P&D meeting. 
• Potentially cover virtual webinars or conferences on relevant topics with summary reports.

Qualifications

• Must be at least a Junior in a four-year university program.
• This internship is open to business management related majors.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong research and analytic skills with strong capability to bring together data from different sources covering assigned analysis topics and build a coherent and actionable report.
• Strong writing skills.
• Exemplary organization and keen attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Power Point, Word and Excel.
• Self-motivated, team player with the ability to meet deadlines, remain flexible and adjust to changing priorities in a fast-paced, virtual working environment. 
• Prior internships in a consultancy firm and working on client facing projects a plus.

Application &  Nomination Process

To apply for this position, please apply on our careers page here.   

Please include a cover letter and resume, along with a slide deck presentation (maximum six slides) covering how you would:

• Tackle mapping of the current and adjacent partnerships, funding/donor ecosystem 
• Conduct sector analysis and segmentation that  with FFAR’s strategy priorities 
• Develop sector specific FFAR value propositions 
• Identify high and medium potential development opportunity targets for each sector based on target needs & challenges; and,
• Any additional thoughts on how you would approach the internship scope.
• A max one-page business analysis on a topic of your choice with recommendations. Writing samples can be pulled from coursework and shortened appropriately. Please make sure the context of the sample is clear.
• Potential availability, including start and end dates (may be included in the cover letter). 

Please upload all request application materials to the online application system. 

Additional Information

This position requires long periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

EEO Statement

FFAR is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.