Internship – Impact Strategy

Mission to Metrics

At The Ocean Cleanup, we are committed to ridding the world's oceans of plastic pollution by 2040. While our operations successfully intercept plastic from rivers and coastal areas, demonstrating the resulting environmental and social change requires rigorous outcome measurement systems. We are transforming our impact reporting frameworks and methodologies to align and adapt with evolving global reporting requirements.

The Assignment

This internship will support the Impact Strategy Lead in operationalizing the Integrated Impact Data System (IIDS), which bridges the gap between field operations and credible evidence of change. Your work will contribute to establishing baseline methodologies, developing outcome calculation frameworks, and creating tools that enable cross-country impact measurement.

We are scaling up our operations globally, so is our need to evolve in our impact measurement systems to showcase the impact that our work creates on people and the environment. Your contribution will help us demonstrate to donors, partners, and the world that our operations lead to measurable environmental and socio-economic benefits.

Suleman Joseph Audu, Impact Strategy Lead.

Responsibilities

Responsible for supporting the development and implementation of outcome measurement frameworks that translate operational data into evidence of environmental, socio-economic, and systemic change.

• Contribute to the development of calculation frameworks for composite outcome indices.
• Create Excel-based calculation tools with built-in data validation and formula verification.
• Support the development of the Standardized Indicator Library by documenting indicator definitions, units of measurement, calculation methodologies, and means of verification.
• Contribute to data quality protocols, including completeness checks, unit standardization, and verification tier assignments (field-level, supervisory, management, external).
• Prepare data quality reports highlighting trends, anomalies, and recommendations for improvement.
• Document the integration of the organization-wide LogFrame and the End-to-End process methodology.
• Develop user-friendly guidance documents for teams on outcome data collection and reporting requirements.
• Contribute to the preparation of sections for the annual Impact Report and quarterly synthesis reports.

Professional Qualifications

Currently enrolled in or recently completed a Master's program in Environmental Science, Sustainability Science, Development Studies, Public Policy, Monitoring & Evaluation, or a related field.

• Demonstrated experience with research methodologies, including literature review, data analysis, and framework development.
• Familiarity with impact measurement frameworks (LogFrame, Theory of Change, Results-Based Management) and international reporting standards (SDGs, IRIS+, or equivalent).
• Proficiency in Excel (advanced formulas, data validation, pivot tables) and data analysis tools; experience with Power BI, Tableau, R, or Python is a plus.
• Strong academic writing skills with the ability to produce clear technical documentation.
• Understanding of environmental impact assessment, ecosystem monitoring, or social impact measurement preferred.

Personal Qualifications

• Analytical mindset with strong attention to detail and methodological rigor.
• Ability to work independently on complex frameworks while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
• Systems thinking capability, able to see connections between field activities, data collection, and outcome measurement.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Strong motivation to contribute to sustainability, impact measurement, and evidence-based environmental management.
• Intrinsic motivation to work on ambitious environmental and social impact challenges.
• Passionate about evidence-based decision-making and outcome-driven accountability.

Additional Information

• Start date: ASAP/Preferably 1st of March.
• Duration: 6 months.
• Candidates are expected to work at least 32 hours and from our HQ in Rotterdam at least 3 days a week.
• Candidates are required to be enrolled at a University (Bachelor’s/Master's etc program) throughout the duration of the internship.