Software Engineer Intern

Department: Technology & Digital Innovation

Organization: Second Life e.V.

Location: Fully Remote

Time Commitment: 10–15 hours per week

Duration: 3–6 months (with possibility to extend)

Compensation: Unpaid Internship

Reporting To: Head of Technology / Technical Project Lead

About Second Life e.V.

Second Life e.V. is a Germany-based environmental NGO dedicated to combating coastal and ocean plastic pollution through the innovative use of AI, drone technology, and data-driven research. We work across Europe and Africa to monitor pollution, support cleanup operations, and raise public awareness through technology, advocacy, and digital innovation.

Technology is central to our mission. Our digital systems support environmental monitoring, data collection, public engagement, and internal operational tools that help scale our impact across regions.

Internship Overview

The Software Engineer Intern supports the development of digital platforms and technical infrastructure that power Second Life’s environmental and operational initiatives. This role involves contributing to modern web applications, platform features, and scalable digital tools used internally and externally by the organization.

This internship is ideal for students or early-career developers looking to gain hands-on experience in frontend or fullstack software engineering while contributing to meaningful environmental impact projects. Interns will work alongside designers, developers, and project leads in a collaborative remote environment.

Key Responsibilities

Frontend & Application Development

• Assist in building responsive, scalable web applications using modern frameworks
• Develop frontend interfaces for websites, dashboards, and digital tools
• Translate UI/UX designs into clean, functional code components
• Support implementation of reusable component-based architectures

Backend & Integration Support

• Assist with API integrations, database connections, and third-party services
• Support backend logic for internal tools and platform functionality
• Help maintain secure and efficient data flow across systems

Code Quality & Optimization

• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code
• Participate in debugging, testing, and performance optimization tasks
• Help improve application speed, accessibility, and responsiveness

Collaboration & Product Development

• Collaborate with UX/UI designers and product stakeholders to implement digital solutions
• Participate in technical discussions, sprint planning, and feature reviews
• Contribute ideas for improving technical workflows and product functionality

Qualifications

Required

• Interest in software engineering, web development, or application architecture
• Basic experience with JavaScript, TypeScript, or similar programming languages
• Familiarity with frontend frameworks such as React or Next.js is an advantage
• Understanding of web development fundamentals (HTML, CSS, APIs)
• Ability to work independently in a remote team environment
• Fluency in English

Desirable

• Experience with Next.js, Tailwind CSS, or CMS systems such as Sanity
• Familiarity with Git/GitHub workflows
• Interest in scalable system design and clean code practices
• Background in computer science, software engineering, or related studies

Time Commitment

• 10–15 hours per week, flexible scheduling
• Duration: 3–6 months, with possibility for extension by mutual agreement

What We Offer

• Hands-on experience building real-world software for environmental impact projects
• Exposure to collaborative product and engineering workflows in an NGO setting
• Opportunity to work on meaningful digital tools with real implementation outcomes
• Mentorship and collaboration with designers, developers, and technical leads
• Flexible, remote-first working environment
• Internship certificate and reference upon successful completion