Programme Support Officer Placement 2026

Programme Support Officer Placement 2026

The Team

We are a globally connected, innovative team who are passionate about sustainability and the contribution mining can make to the sustainable development agenda. Our project teams are cross functional, integrative and agile in their approach to delivery. We live our values and collaboration is central to our culture - from the way we work as a team to our engagement with members and the relationships we build with other sectors, civil society, investors and suppliers. We deeply value the contributions of every individual and encourage team members to bring their unique perspective, experience and passion to the work that we do.

Overview

ICMM operates a student placement scheme in the form of a Programme Support Officer role. This is a fantastic opportunity for a second-year student to gain incredible experience within the sustainability and mining sector, within a fast paced, international, organisation. The contract duration for this London, UK-based, full-time position will be 10 to 12 months with the salary currently £30,000 per annum.

The Programme Support Officer role is primarily targeted for students wishing to gain work experience before concluding their degree studies, which should overlap with ICMM’s subject matter.

We are a small to medium sized company, with 43 team members globally, and this means you get access and exposure to ‘real work’ from the get-go. The role allows students to develop knowledge across a range of environmental resilience, innovation for sustainability, and social performance topics, as well as gaining an understanding of how a global organisation works, through involvement with sustainability experts in workshops, meetings, initiatives, and projects. Since communication of the mining and metals industry’s contribution to society is an important aspect of ICMM’s work, the student may also gain experience of working with the Communications team to aid in the development of messaging, content, and events.

Roles and responsibilities

As a Programme Support Officer, you will be supported by your manager to identify specific interest areas, develop objectives (including professional development), and manage your workload. The Programme Support Officer will fulfil the following responsibilities during their placement.

Management and administration

• Develop a basic understanding of all areas of ICMM’s work plan and current priorities and issues
• Support preparation for and successful running of the ICMM Responsible Mining Leadership Forum (RMLF) where the staff of ICMM convene member companies, association representatives and externals
• Support team members in administrative tasks, such as meeting notes, preparing agendas, presentations and purchase orders

Relationship management

• Develop an understanding of relationships with members and relevant external organisations and help to manage existing relationships
• Engage constructively and supportively with ICMM staff, especially on cross-cutting responsibilities

Programme plan, outputs, and results

Support high-quality, punctual delivery of ICMM’s work plan, through desk-top research, analysis of members’ sustainable development reports and performance data, and involvement in projects or other initiatives

The items listed below are possible examples of the above:

• Act as liaison between ICMM working groups (industry representatives) and/or external experts and consultants, collating comments on relevant documents
• Support the relevant activity lead with the organisation of meetings and workshops (e.g. with relevant working group or service provider) and produce summary notes
• Support the relevant activity lead to create, implement and manage appropriate service provider agreements from initial ‘Terms of Reference’ and ‘Requests for Proposals’ to contracts and invoices; keep appropriate records and correspondence

Other duties and development opportunities

• Opportunity to attend networking events, in-person workshops and meetings with representatives from the industry
• Develop knowledge on areas of interest: e.g. climate change and environmental resilience, social performance and human rights, governance and transparency, innovation for sustainability, processes of an international organisation
• Potential to develop and discuss dissertation ideas with colleagues as well as receive career guidance and make use of ICMM’s fantastic learning and development opportunities such as mentoring, training courses and on the job learning.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• Planning, numeracy and administrative skills. Ability to undertake several tasks in parallel.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong writing and communication skills. Ability to represent the organisation in a professional way.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Currently studying for a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) with course content directly relevant to ICMM’s sustainable development agenda.
• Knowledge/experience of issues related to social and economic development, environment, sustainable development, or corporate social responsibility.

Advantageous:

• Detailed knowledge or interest in issues related to one or more of the following: water and biodiversity; climate change and energy; innovation; human rights, Indigenous Peoples, and communities; governance & transparency; and worker and community health and safety.
• Knowledge/experience of the mining and/or other extractive industries.

What ICMM Offers

A competitive salary and a comprehensive range of benefits including bonus, 8% employers' pension contribution, private medical insurance, permanent health insurance and life assurance. Our benefit schemes include an employee assistance programme and well-being allowances. 23 days holidays plus bank holidays and all working days falling between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, as well as summer Friday afternoons. We also encourage colleagues to volunteer doing what matters to them and offer 3 days paid leave for volunteering for community activities. We partner with colleagues to make work work for them. This is reflected in our ‘Anywhere Anytime’ policy of flexible working arrangements which can include compressed or dispersed hours, variable start and finish times and remote working. We offer enhanced statutory maternity and paternity leave pay and the statutory pay entitlements of partners taking shared parental leave.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

As an Equal Opportunities employer, ICMM tries to reflect the importance it ascribes to diversity and inclusion as paramount principles in all its recruitment and employment processes and practices. We recognise that the Black, Asian and minority ethnic community is under- represented in the mining and metals industry generally and we are also aware that, as a small company, we haven’t been able to build a staff team at ICMM that is as representative as we would like it to be.

We welcome applications for the role advertised above from all candidates with the desired competencies irrespective of their gender, race, age, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, intersex status, physical or mental disability, mental health condition, relationship status, religion, political opinion, industry/union affiliations, pregnancy, family responsibilities or other attributes protected in law. ICMM will treat all applicants’ personal data in compliance with relevant legislation including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).For full details, see the “Job applicants privacy notice” in the “Jobs” section of ICMM’s website.

How to apply

If you are interested in this position and believe you have the right attributes for the job, please email your CV and covering letter to Joanna Petrou via the apply button by 12 January 2026. Applicants will need to be eligible to work in the UK.

Please note, due to the very high volume of applicants for this role, we may not be able to get back to all applications personally with feedback.