About the host company

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​​​​​​​The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in San Diego (SACC San Diego) was founded in 1989 and is the largest Swedish non- profit business organization in San Diego. Our mission is to promote and facilitate trade and commerce between Sweden and the greater San Diego area, while providing a broad spectrum of services to our members and enhancing Swedish-American networks in the U.S. and Sweden. We are now seeking highly motivated individuals for our Spring 2024 internship positions.

About the internship

The Business Development & Life Science position is a six months long internship located in San Diego, CA with preferred start in January 2025. The position offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable ‘real world’ experience and business related skills as well as developing a professional network in a region with some of the world’s most prominent telecommunications, life science and cleantech industry clusters. The interns work closely with the Board of Directors, but are the executors of the Chamber’s initiatives, projects, events, and operational activities. In short it comes down to ensuring the overall success and effectiveness of SACC San Diego.

Duties and responsibilities

​​​​​​​The Business Development & Life science intern is responsible for planning and executing the Chambers events. The intern works closely with the Marketing & Cleantech intern in order to set up the marketing for the events. The intern’s main focus is to plan and execute Life Science Bridge, a joint initiative with the Chambers in San Francisco, Minnesota and Boston. The intern will therefore have a focus on the life science industry and will have the overall responsibility for this event, which includes event-planning, finding sponsors and speakers and to promote the event. In addition, this person will keep close contact with the Chamber’s current strategic partners and corporate members. The intern will be analyzing the life science market, targeting new business members, initiating contact and developing a solid understanding of their business needs and negotiating competitive terms in order to sign new members. Overall, the responsibilities are Life Science Bridge, planning and executing the Chambers events and to develop strong and sustainable relations with current as well as prospective members.

PLEASE NOTE: Candidates are welcome to apply for multiple positions at SACC, it's important to highlight that accepting an offered position and subsequently accepting a second position at SACC is not allowed. Doing so will result in disqualification from both positions.

Who are we looking for? 

• Currently enrolled in a university program or graduated, within relevant field of study and:
• Can work for six months straight
• Fluent in oral and written Swedish and English
• Ability to work independently as well as in teams
• Outgoing personality and strong communications skills
• Excellent organizational and administrative abilities
• Swedish citizenship required

Preferable qualifications

• Relevant practical work experience and/or extracurricular activities
• Previous international experience from studying and/or working abroad
• Sales experience, marketing experience and/or event planning experience
• Experience or interest in the life science/biotech industry highly preferred
• Understanding for environmental issues and innovations
• Project management and leadership experience
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to engage others

Benefits

This is a six-month internship starting in January 2025. The internship does not provide monetary compensation as SACC-USA is a non-profit organization. As an intern abroad, you can apply for scholarships. Depending on the university program, some students may also be eligible for student aid from CSN. SACC-USA will assist with the visa application process. To be eligible for a J-1 visa, you must be a Swedish citizen.This position provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable real-world experience and business-related skills, while also developing a professional international network. Working in a highly inspirational atmosphere and collaborating with industry leaders and professionals across various business sectors will allow you to acquire new experiences and enhance your skills. You will gain insight into how business is conducted in the U.S., as well as improve your English speaking and writing skills. Developing an understanding of U.S. customs and culture and becoming adept at cross-cultural communication are invaluable skills for your future career. Seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain a competitive edge—both in Sweden and internationally.