Experienced Summer Intern - Responsible Investing (MBA, MSc or equivalent)

About BII

British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution, owned by the UK Government. With a mission to solve the biggest global development challenges, we aim to create a virtuous circle of investment and impact. Your contribution will be essential. 

It won’t be easy: we do the hardest work in the most complex markets. Be prepared to test your skills, get creative and say your piece as you take on high-profile work as part of a diverse team of exceptionally smart, passionate people. 

In return, you can take your career to all-new places in a culture that rewards curiosity and collaboration, and balances high performance with wellbeing.

BII at a glance

75 years supporting sustainable business growth in developing and emerging markets

£8.1 billion in net assets

1,400+ businesses invested in

950,000 workers in the businesses we support

£9 billion in new investments planned in the next 5 years

600+ people in our diverse global team

3 key development objectives: Productive | Sustainable | Inclusive

Team and role overview

The Responsible Investing (RI) team sits within the Impact Group and plays a crucial role in reinforcing BII’s reputation as a responsible investor, ensuring it meets its regulatory commitments and enhancing private sector standards on financial crime risk management, corporate governance and environmental and social standards. The team has ownership of shaping and operationalising BII’s Policy for Responsible Investment (PRI), ensuring it is fit for purpose in BII’s investment activities.

The RI team is structured into three sector teams aligning to our investment pillars: Financial Services (FSG), Infrastructure & Climate (I&C), and Industries, Technology & Services (ITS). The team—comprising professionals based in the UK, India, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa—is involved in all BII investments and plays a critical role in ensuring that BII’s PRI is consistently applied across all transactions. As well as managing the assessment of investments in pipeline, the team is also responsible for portfolio management of investees, working on improved performance of responsible investing standards, capacity building, issues management and market shaping initiatives that support improved standards more widely and help build value across BII’s portfolio.

An intern in BII’s RI team will have a direct reporting line to a Manager within RI.

Responsibilities

The internship provides an opportunity to work in a team pioneering new ways of working on our responsible investing commitments and objectives. While it is not possible to indicate exactly what projects an intern will work on in Summer 2026, past interns have been structured to give both a breadth of exposure across different parts of our work, and focus on delivery of 1-2 strategic projects. We will typically tailor the projects both to the needs of the team and the experience/interests of the individual. Some examples of the work that would be undertaken could include:

• Research based: prepare research notes on emergent themes or regulations and their implications for BII such as around climate disclosures under TCFD, planned revisions to Anti-Money Laundering regulations or emerging themes around biodiversity, data protection or conflict sensitivity.
• Project based: support the testing and rollout of new tools and technology to improve due diligence and portfolio management activities, or improve the quality of case studies & lessons learned materials for internal and external training programmes.
• Deal support: Shadow and support on due diligence workstreams covering a variety of topics and issues across Environmental, Social, Business Integrity and Corporate Governance disciplines.
• Data and analytics: Review portfolio or external data sets to analyse trends and themes that may shape portfolio priorities, thought leadership or training activities. Work to improve internal data and analytics capabilities, including through AI adoption.

The candidate (please note, this programme is not for undergraduates)

• Currently enrolled in a Masters (MA, MSc, MPhil) or MBA programme
• Relevant industry work experience (more than internships)
• Demonstrable interest in international development and work experience, preferably in ESG, political risk, political economy, markets and regulation research, conflict/fragile states research, or policy research and development
• Understanding of and identification with BII’s proposition including:
  • An awareness of and appreciation for BII’s objectives
  • A desire and passion to be part of BII’s strategy and participate in its work
  • Evidence of high-performance standards in previous positions

Technical Skills

• Experience conducting research and analysing information from different sources, and analysing trends in specific regions or sectors.
• Ability to proactively recalibrate the research scope when necessary, and to clearly and accurately articulate complex findings.
• Excellent written and analytical skills, with a proven ability to collate and verify data
• Experience working on issues relevant to international development and emerging markets, including in relation to ESG, bribery and corruption, fraud, political risk, economic development, human rights, transparency and governance, etc will be an advantage
• Ability to work independently and unaided, with evidence of ability to deliver quality products on time
• Competency in one or more languages relevant to BII’s target geographies or international experience would be advantageous.

Candidates should be strongly motivated by BII’s development mission and ideally demonstrate some commitment to development or social goals through previous executive or non-executive activity.  

Our cultural values

We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:

• Impact-led, commercially rigorous
• Tenacious in the face of challenges
• Collaborative and caring

British International Investment is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background. 

Application Process 

• Please provide a cover letter with your application, and tell us why you would like to join the Summer Internship at BII, and why you have chosen to apply for this business area / team
• Please apply for one internship only
• Position opened: 27 October 2025
• Position closes: 17 November 2025
• Salary: £66,320 (pro-rated over 8 or 10 weeks)

Please note BII will pay for flights to London for those studying internationally