For graduates hoping to enter the environmental, ESG or responsible-sourcing field, the SLR Consulting Corporate Intern 2026-2027 opportunity in Johannesburg offers exposure to exactly this type of work.
SLR Consulting is offering a full-time, 12-month internship within its Corporate Sustainability team. The role combines sustainability assurance, supplier due diligence, responsible sourcing assessments, ESG data management, project administration and reporting.
What makes the opportunity particularly interesting is its practical nature. The intern is expected to contribute to projects rather than simply sit on the sidelines observing consultants.
For a graduate, that can mean learning how sustainability decisions are actually researched, documented, tested and communicated to clients.
Why this internship matters in today’s sustainability job market
Sustainability has moved beyond being a specialist concern for environmental departments.
Companies are increasingly expected to understand their environmental and social impacts, identify risks in their supply chains and provide credible information about their sustainability performance.
That creates demand for professionals who can do more than understand climate change or ESG terminology.
They also need to know how to work with data, documentation, suppliers, project teams and clients.
This is where the SLR internship becomes particularly relevant.
The role brings together several skills that employers across the sustainability sector increasingly value: research, organisation, data analysis, communication and attention to detail.
A graduate might have studied environmental science, engineering or sustainability at university, but the workplace introduces a different challenge. Information is rarely perfectly organised. Deadlines overlap. Clients ask questions. Suppliers may submit incomplete evidence. Data needs to be checked.
Learning how to deal with those realities is part of becoming a sustainability professional.
What will you actually do as an SLR Corporate Sustainability Intern?
The title may sound broad, so it is worth translating the responsibilities into everyday work.
One part of the role involves project administration.
This can include maintaining project trackers, schedules, action lists, document registers and filing systems. The intern may also help organise meetings, prepare agendas, take minutes and follow up on outstanding actions.
These tasks might appear administrative, but they are important.
Consulting projects involve multiple people working towards deadlines. If an action is not recorded or a document cannot be found, the entire project can slow down.
The intern therefore becomes part of the system that keeps projects moving.
Another important area is ESG and sustainability data.
The intern will assist with collecting, organising and reviewing sustainability information and supporting evidence. This could involve checking documents, maintaining databases, identifying missing information and helping prepare data for analysis.
The role also involves supporting supplier assessment questionnaires.
Imagine a multinational company wants to understand sustainability risks among its suppliers. Someone has to distribute the questionnaires, monitor responses, review information and follow up where clarification is needed.
That is where the intern can become directly involved.
Responsible sourcing is another major component
Responsible sourcing is about understanding what happens beyond the organisation’s own offices or facilities.
A company may have strong internal environmental policies, for example, but still face risks somewhere in its supply chain.
Suppliers can present environmental, labour, human-rights, health and safety or governance risks.
SLR’s Corporate Sustainability team works on assessments designed to identify and manage these issues.
An intern may therefore assist with supplier risk screening, document reviews, assessment preparation, corrective-action tracking and supplier follow-ups.
This gives graduates an opportunity to understand how sustainability connects with procurement and business operations.
That knowledge can be valuable well beyond this particular internship.
Who can apply?
The opportunity is aimed at graduates with an undergraduate degree in a relevant field.
Potentially suitable academic backgrounds include:
- Environmental science
- Sustainability
- Social science
- Business
- Supply chain management
- Engineering
- Data analysis
- Other related disciplines
A postgraduate qualification may strengthen an application but is not necessarily the central requirement.
More importantly, candidates need to demonstrate the personal and professional skills required for consulting work.
SLR highlights qualities such as organisation, attention to detail, communication, time management, analytical thinking, initiative and the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
Microsoft Office skills are also important, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
This is worth paying attention to.
If your CV simply says “Computer literate”, you are missing an opportunity.
If you have used Excel to analyse research data, build spreadsheets, create charts or organise information, say so.
If you have prepared university presentations or written substantial research reports, those experiences can demonstrate communication skills.
If you coordinated a group assignment with several deadlines, that can demonstrate project-management ability.
Your university experience can be evidence of workplace skills if you explain it properly.
How to apply for the SLR Consulting Corporate Intern 2026-2027 opportunity
Before submitting an application, treat the process like your first professional consulting assignment.
Step 1: Check that your qualification is relevant
Start by comparing your degree with the disciplines listed for the internship.
If your qualification is not an exact match but is closely related, do not automatically assume you are excluded. Consider whether the knowledge and skills you gained are relevant to sustainability, data, business, supply chains or analysis.
Step 2: Update your CV
Do not send the same generic CV you use for every graduate application.
Move relevant information towards the top.
Your CV should make it easy for the recruiter to see:
- Your qualification and graduation details
- Relevant academic projects
- Research or data-analysis experience
- Sustainability-related activities
- Internship or work experience
- Microsoft Excel and other technical skills
- Leadership or volunteering experience
- Communication and presentation experience
Keep the document clean and easy to scan.
Step 3: Connect your experience to the job
This is where many graduate applications become too generic.
Instead of writing:
“Passionate about sustainability.”
Show what you have actually done.
For example, if your final-year project involved analysing environmental data, explain the research question, what information you worked with and what you produced.
If you completed a supply-chain assignment, connect it to responsible sourcing.
If you participated in an environmental society, explain your contribution rather than simply listing the organisation.
Step 4: Prepare your supporting information
Have your CV and relevant academic information ready before starting the online application.
Check that names, dates, qualifications and contact details are consistent.
If the application platform asks questions about your experience, answer them specifically rather than copying paragraphs from your CV.
Step 5: Submit through the official SLR Careers channel
Search for the Corporate Sustainability Intern vacancy on SLR Consulting’s official careers platform and follow the application instructions attached to the current vacancy.
APPLY HERE: SLR Consulting Corporate Intern 2026-2027
Step 6: Prepare for possible interviews or assessments
If you are shortlisted, expect questions that explore how you think rather than only what you studied.
Prepare examples demonstrating how you:
- Managed several deadlines
- Solved a difficult problem
- Worked with incomplete information
- Discovered and corrected an error
- Worked successfully in a team
- Communicated complicated information
- Learned something unfamiliar quickly
Use real examples from university, volunteering, previous employment or projects.
ALSO APPLY FOR: Microsoft Internship 2027
What can make your application stronger?
There is an important distinction between being qualified and being convincing.
Several graduates may have similar degrees. What separates them is often the evidence behind their applications.
One useful strategy is to build your CV around the problems you can help solve.
For example:
Weak: “Good Excel skills.”
Stronger: “Used Excel to organise and analyse research data, identify trends and create charts for a final-year project.”
The second statement gives the recruiter something concrete.
The same principle applies to communication.
Instead of saying that you are a “strong communicator”, describe a presentation, research report, stakeholder project or group assignment where communication was essential.
This approach makes your application more credible without exaggerating your experience.
Expert insight: sustainability careers are becoming more multidisciplinary
The most interesting lesson from this internship is that modern sustainability careers are not necessarily limited to environmental qualifications.
The role connects environmental and social issues with procurement, data, assurance, project management and business communication.
That reflects a broader shift in the industry.
Companies need sustainability information they can trust. That requires people who understand both the subject matter and the process behind the information.
A graduate who develops environmental knowledge alongside Excel, research, reporting, project coordination and communication skills can therefore build a more flexible career foundation.
The ability to examine evidence and explain what it means may ultimately be just as valuable as knowing sustainability terminology.
Is this the right internship for you?
This opportunity will probably suit someone who enjoys structured work but does not want every day to look the same.
It could be a good fit if you are comfortable working with spreadsheets and documents, communicating with different people, researching unfamiliar topics and paying close attention to details.
It may be less suitable for someone looking exclusively for field-based environmental work.
Although the internship has a sustainability focus, much of the work involves data, administration, assessments, evidence and client deliverables.
Understanding that before applying is important.
This is not simply a “green job”. It is a consulting role within sustainability.
Frequently asked questions
1. What degree do I need for the SLR Corporate Sustainability internship?
Relevant undergraduate qualifications include environmental science, sustainability, social science, business, supply chain management, engineering, data analysis and related disciplines.
2. Where is the internship based?
The opportunity is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The role can also involve client meetings, site visits, workshops and other project activities where required.
3. What will I gain from the internship?
The 12-month placement can provide practical exposure to sustainability assurance, ESG data, supplier due diligence, responsible sourcing, project administration, reporting and client engagement.
Final thoughts
The first year after university can be frustrating.
You may have the qualification, but employers want experience. You may have the knowledge, but job advertisements ask for practical skills.
That is why structured internships can be valuable.
The SLR Consulting Corporate Intern 2026-2027 opportunity offers graduates a chance to work at the point where sustainability theory meets business reality.
You will not simply be discussing sustainability in a classroom. You could be helping organise evidence, reviewing supplier information, supporting assurance work, analysing data and contributing to client projects.
Those may sound like small tasks when viewed individually.
Together, however, they teach an important professional lesson: credible sustainability work depends on people who can handle information carefully, ask the right questions and turn complex material into reliable outputs.
For graduates serious about building a career in ESG, sustainability consulting or responsible sourcing, that experience could become one of the most useful parts of their early professional journey.
