Business Development Associate

Business Development Associate (internship) - Sustainability & Sustainable Finance (6 Months, Full-Time)

Join us as a Business Development Associate and help build systematic opportunity generation across four entities that work with corporates, financial institutions, international organisations, and governments. Our group works in sustainability and sustainable finance, and the entities are

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: the group's Founder & CEO

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: the Founder's holding and investment company

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: Bjarni's book and promotional efforts

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: this is the primary activity of the group, our consulting company

The role:

• 6-month, full-time paid internship. 40 hours +/- per week

• Competitive internship-level pay (benchmarked to internship pay in mainland Europe). Full-time employees transition to a competitive salary and a bonus pool.

• Remote with flexible hours, meetings mainly in the Nordic time zone

• Bjarni is in Oslo. You can be anywhere.

• Applicants of all backgrounds, nationalities, and locations can apply.

• Strong possibility of conversion to a permanent role after the 6 months

• Work directly with Bjarni Herrera, Founder & CEO, and other senior team members

Your main tasks will include (and you don't need to be an expert in all):

• Lead generation and prospect research

• CRM management and data hygiene (HubSpot, LinkedIn Sales Navigator)

• Outreach campaign coordination and execution

• Contact, company and industry mapping across geographies

• Meeting coordination and scheduling

• Tracking and qualifying opportunities through the CRM pipeline

• Administrative support for business development activities

• Help find ways to leverage AI tools to optimise and automate the sales and business development work

• At Accrona we focus on quality over quantity

What you get:

• Competitive pay for an internship-level role with the possibility of a full-time role

• Hands-on experience and real responsibilities in business development

• Direct mentorship from an experienced founder with proven frameworks

• Direct insight into how leading financial institutions, corporations, and governments are navigating the sustainability transition at the strategic level to build a sustainable future

• Detailed playbooks and training, you'll know exactly what success looks like

• Relaxed but laser-focused team and working environment

• This role is not suitable for candidates seeking pure sales/commission roles, those uncomfortable with repetitive research and data work, or professionals requiring highly social in-person environments

What I'm looking for:

• 1-3 years of professional experience in sales and business development, or similar roles

• Prior experience with CRM systems (we use HubSpot, but you don't need to have experience with HubSpot; you will have access to learning materials and playbooks)

• A bachelor's degree at minimum

• Exceptional written English

• Working knowledge of AI tools for sales and business development

• Enjoys working independently in a remote-first environment

• Optimistic, positive, and resilient in the face of low reply rates and frequent rejections

• Skilled at research, data synthesis, and turning information into insights

• Not necessary, but great if you speak Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish

• Genuine interest in sustainability and sustainable finance is essential

Character and personality traits which will thrive in this role:

• Conscientious, reliable, organised, and detail-oriented

• Comfortable in a role supporting senior people fronting our business

• Continuous learning mindset, coachable, and energised by getting things right

To apply, combine in one PDF (please read carefully):

1. CV highlighting sales or business development tasks and outcomes

2. Short introduction letter (max half a page): who you are - why you - your sustainability interest - sales and business development work, and outcomes.