Finance Intern

Job Description

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center, is seeking applications from enthusiastic students who are looking to gain professional experience in the field of finance under IWMI’s internship program. The internship will be based at IWMI’s headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Scope of internship

The intern will assist the team in the Finance Department of IWMI during the internship period and will gain a broad understanding of the accounting procedures and processes in an international organization. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to work with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) accounting system (SAP) and be able to interact with staff at IWMI’s headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka and its regional offices. The intern will also be able to gain insight into working with people from different countries and cultures.

IWMI is an Executive-level (non-public sector) Training Organization approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka).

The intern will assist in the following areas:

• Ensure completeness of supporting documents within IWMI’s regional office and maintain digital files and folders.
• Assist in the data entry process of the ERP system (Journal vouchers and payment vouchers).
• Assist in the preparation of bank transfer letters for the regional office.
• Assist in the invoicing of the hosted institute.
• Any other tasks in the Finance Department, depending on the priority.

Requirements

• Registered or part-qualified students of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka)/Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)/Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AAT Sri Lanka).
• Undergraduates or graduates specializing in the fields of Commerce/Business Administration/Finance/Accounting.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Ability to maintain information in a database in a methodical and objective manner.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office software (specifically Excel and Word).
• Experience in using accounting software would be an added advantage (SAP enterprise resource planning [ERP] system).

Benefits

IWMI will provide a monthly stipend ranging from LKR 40,000 to LKR 50,000 to the selected candidate based on their qualification and internship experience.

The duration of the initial internship contract will be 6 months, with the possibility of extension for another 6 months based on performance, requirements of IWMI and the availability of funds. This is a nationally recruited internship and only Sri Lankans are eligible to apply. To apply, visit www.iwmi.org/jobs. Applications must be submitted by 24:00 (Colombo time) on October 13, 2025 (Monday).

About the Organization

The International Water Management Institute is a nonprofit scientific research organization focusing on the sustainable use of water and land resources in agriculture and on the water needs of developing countries. IWMI works with partners in the South to develop tools and methods to help these countries eradicate poverty through more effective management of their water and land resources. Mission: Improving water and land resources management for food livelihoods and nature. The objectives of IWMI's work: - Identify the larger issues related to water management and food security that need to be understood and addressed by governments and policymakers. - Develop, test and promote management practices and tools that can be used by governments and institutions to manage water and land resources more effectively, and address water scarcity issues. - Clarify the link between poverty and access to water and to help governments and the research community better understand the specific water-related problems of poor people. - Help developing countries build their research capacities to deal with water scarcity and related food security issues.