I

Accompagnement de projets RSE : Mobilité durable et Plans d’actions Bas Carbone

INRAE Occitanie-Toulouse • France • Added on Jul 7, 2026
Apply →

This internship puts you at the heart of operationalizing sustainability within one of France’s leading research institutions. You will take charge of updating and implementing Sustainable Mobility Plans while helping diverse scientific units define their specific low-carbon roadmaps. Your daily focus centers on bridging the gap between high-level institutional climate goals and the practical, day-to-day behaviors of a large research community.

Working for a prestigious national institute dedicated to agriculture and the environment adds a unique layer of purpose to this role. You are not just managing carbon data; you are ensuring that the very teams researching climate solutions are also leading by example in their own operations. This involves decarbonizing research activities through data-driven mobility strategies and collective engagement across multiple regional sites.

This suits someone who possesses strong analytical skills for carbon modeling but thrives in a collaborative environment where communication and persuasion are key. You should be comfortable translating complex environmental standards into actionable change for scientific professionals.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The intern will be responsible for diagnostic and strategic tasks related to the INRAE Low Carbon Plan. This involves collecting and analyzing transportation data to draft and update Sustainable Mobility Plans for key sites like Le Tholonet and Avignon. You will act as a facilitator, translating data into prioritized actions that reduce the carbon footprint of employee commutes and professional travel. In addition to mobility, you will serve as an internal consultant for various research and support units. Your role is to guide these collectives through the process of calculating their specific greenhouse gas emissions and co-constructing transition plans. This includes identifying voluntary units, training them on institutional tools, and documenting successful case studies for broader internal promotion.

Key learning opportunities for this job

This position offers a deep dive into the ISO 26000 framework and national carbon reporting standards within a public sector context. You will gain hands-on experience in mobility engineering, learning how to conduct territory-wide transportation audits and negotiate sustainable solutions with local partners and steering committees. Furthermore, the role provides significant exposure to change management techniques. You will learn how to mobilize diverse employee groups, facilitate workshops, and use professional carbon calculation tools. This experience is ideal for mastering the complexities of implementing sustainability in a multi-site, high-expertise organizational environment.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The institute is looking for a Master's level student specializing in Corporate Social Responsibility, ecological transition, or environmental management. A solid understanding of greenhouse gas protocols and low-carbon strategies is highly valued, as you will need to interpret technical data for various stakeholders. Beyond technical knowledge, interpersonal skills are paramount. The ideal candidate is organized, autonomous, and capable of presenting complex initiatives to different audiences. Since the role involves travel between regional sites to engage with different teams, a proactive and collaborative mindset is essential.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, emphasize any experience you have with data analysis and carbon footprinting tools. If you have previously worked on mobility projects or public sector initiatives, highlight the concrete outcomes of those engagements in your cover letter. Since INRAE is a research-driven organization, demonstrating a pedagogical approach—the ability to explain the 'why' behind sustainability measures—will be a significant advantage. Tailor your application to show how your personal values align with the neutrality and secularism requirements of the French public service.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role is explicitly focused on Scope 3 emissions related to employee mobility and the specific operational carbon footprints of scientific units. You will be working on the intersection of infrastructure, behavioral science, and environmental reporting to meet the institute's institutional climate targets. Additionally, the mission touches on circular economy principles when defining low-carbon actions for support services. Your influence will directly impact how the center manages its resources and how its 1,300 regional agents integrate sustainability into their daily professional lives.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

One of the primary challenges will be the harmonization of stakeholder interests across different research sites. Each unit has specific operational constraints, and finding a balance between environmental goals and the practical needs of research activities requires high emotional intelligence and negotiation skills. Data collection can also be a hurdle, as gathering accurate mobility and activity data from decentralized units requires persistence and meticulous organization. You will need to overcome inertia or technical barriers to ensure the carbon plans are based on high-quality evidence.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

A typical day might begin with analyzing survey results regarding agent commutes to identify patterns in sustainable transport usage. You might then spend the afternoon facilitating a remote or in-person workshop with a research unit to brainstorm ways they can reduce carbon emissions from lab equipment or field travel. Interspersed with these tasks are coordination meetings with the AGIR RSE team and local site managers. You may also spend time drafting strategic documents or creating communication materials to share best practices across the center's various locations in the South of France.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

Interns at INRAE are fully integrated into the Sustainability and Research Support services, providing high visibility within the organization. This exposure can lead to professional networks within the public research ecosystem and the broader field of French ecological transition. Success in this role builds a robust portfolio of technical expertise in carbon management and mobility planning. These are highly sought-after competencies in both the public and private sectors as companies and institutions accelerate their mandatory CSR reporting and decarbonization efforts.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will interact frequently with the Regional CSR Team and site directors who oversee local operations. These interactions focus on aligning regional strategy with institutional goals and securing buy-in for new mobility initiatives. External stakeholders include local territorial partners and transportation authorities involved in regional mobility planning. Internally, your most frequent contacts will be the heads of research units and volunteer 'carbon referents' who are the driving force behind unit-level environmental transitions.

CSR Jobs newsletter

Never miss the next opportunity

Get a curated selection of new CSR, ESG, and sustainability roles in your inbox. No daily noise, just useful opportunities.

Free to join. Unsubscribe anytime.