Internship: Sustainability Performance  - Portfolio Assessment

Are you a motivated student with a passion for sustainability, finance, and data-driven decision-making? Join the Group Sustainability team at dsm-firmenich for an internship where you will help explore how sustainability performance, including the environmental and social performance of product portfolios, can be translated into business and financial value. This is your opportunity to contribute to a strategic project at the intersection of sustainability and finance while gaining hands-on experience in research, framework development, and business analysis within a global organization.

What You’ll Do

During your internship, you will support the development of a scalable framework that translates the environmental and social performance of dsm-firmenich's product portfolio into financial risks and opportunities. You will conduct a literature review on existing methodologies, contribute to the design of the framework, and help test its application across selected business segments. In addition, you will collaborate with sustainability and business stakeholders to explore how sustainability can be integrated into business decision-making and value creation. This internship is open to writing a master’s thesis. Potential thesis topic: Developing a framework to translate the environmental and social performance of a product portfolio into financial risks and opportunities.

Key Achievements

End Goals: 
- Conducted a literature review on approaches for translating sustainability performance into financial risks and opportunities.

- Developed and tested a framework that connects the environmental and social performance of product portfolios with business and financial outcomes across selected dsm-firmenich segments.

What We Offer

- Sustainability & Portfolio Assessment: Gain insight into how sustainability performance and the environmental and social performance of product portfolios can create or destroy value in monetary terms and influence business decisions.

- Framework Development: Contribute to the design of a scalable methodology that connects sustainability performance with financial outcomes.

- Business Understanding: Learn how sustainability is increasingly embedded into strategy, risk management, and value creation across a global organization.

- Strategic Impact: Help shape a framework that supports the integration of sustainability considerations into business decision-making.

- International Environment: Collaborate with sustainability and business professionals in a global and dynamic organization.

What You Bring

- Field of Study: MSc Financial Economics, preferably with a minor in Sustainability.

- Experience: No prior work experience required. We are looking for curious individuals who are eager to learn, challenge assumptions, and generate new insights.

- Skills: Strong communication skills, strong finance background, data-driven mindset, analytical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to engage with stakeholders in a collaborative environment.

Eligibility criteria and conditions: 

• Language requirements: Fluent in English.
• Final Selection Day: 01.12.2026 in dsm-firmenich office in Maastricht.
• Start of the internship: 01.02.2027
• Duration: 4-5 months.
• Studies: currently enrolled at Maastricht University or Zuyd applied science university (hogeschool). Your university will cosign the internship agreement.
• Location: dsm-firmenich Maastricht office.
• Compensation: Internship salary is €550 per month.

If you're ready to take on a challenging and rewarding internship, apply now by submitting your CV in English via our career page following the link: Careers until October 31, 2026.