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Jobs and internship opportunities

We're a growing company. We're on the look out for people with an interest in the circular economy and waste management in the global south. Check this page for details of current opportunities, or email community @ unwaste.io if you think you could help us achieve our mission.

Data intern

Published: January 2023

Status: Open to applications


Unwaste.io is a UK based social enterprise using data to create a circular economy for plastic. Our cloud platform, wastebase.org, collects data about plastic waste found in the environment. We want to use this data to encourage adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation. In other words, we want producers to take responsibility for where their waste ends up. Our data can help them do that.


We’re looking for an intern who can use creative approaches to data visualisation to make the most of our data. We’ve collected data points from over 230,000 plastic bottles in a dozen countries, including information about manufacturer, brand, product material, weight and location. We need you to help us tell the story of these bottles.

Essential requirements

  • Graduate or completed at least two years of undergraduate degree in a discipline with a strong numerical component

  • Comfortable with spreadsheets and typical formats for tabular data

  • Strong personal commitment to increasing the circularity and reducing the externalities of the packaging economy

  • Excellent written and spoken communication skills in the English language

  • Skilled user of modern cloud-based office and collaboration tools

Desirable requirements

  • Useful level of French or Swahili language

  • Knowledge of the waste management, recycling or FMCG packaging industries.

  • Experience with research about industrial policy, strategic marketing, or beverage industry

  • Experience of living or working in a country in the global south for an extended period (beyond a tourist visit)

  • Demonstrable interest in delivering social impact and/or circular economy, plastic crisis or ocean pollution

  • Knowledge of any of the following technologies in the context of data analysis and visualisation: Javascript/Typescript, Python, SQL, D3/eCharts, Github

Job specification

The role will involve significant freedom for the intern to propose and implement new approaches to data exposition, as well as perfecting our existing approaches:

  • preparing monthly data reports and open data exports

  • preparing digital content to support user training

  • supporting NGO partners with data-related queries

  • promoting structured waste audits with NGO partners

  • ideating and preparing data visualisations

Duration and workload

The internship will start in March 2023 and run for four months.


During this period, workload will be roughly equivalent to 20 hours per week. The work is task-oriented, giving the intern the freedom to set their own schedule - some weeks may be less than 20 hours, others more. We ask that the intern attends regular sync-up meetings. We’ll agree the dates for these at the beginning of the internship period.

Remuneration

This is NOT a remunerated position. We hope that successful interns would be interested in applying for future remunerated positions within Unwaste.io, however, we cannot guarantee employment. The internship is not equivalent to any current employed position.


We will pay a monthly subsidy for data/communications costs. We will agree which costs can be claimed at the beginning of the internship and expect this to be no more than $150 per month.

How to apply


Please send your CV or resume and a covering message (no more than 600 words) explaining your motivation and fit for the role to community @ unwaste.io