Pollution Prevention Intern

Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District • Internship • Madison, Wisconsin, United States • $19 / hour • 2d ago

About the Position

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, located in Madison, has a history of excellence in STEM, innovation, and sustainability, and is pleased to announce an opening in the Pollution Prevention Internship Program. This program is an excellent opportunity for enrolled university and technical college students to gain valuable experience in their field of interest while making an impact on the organization and our local communities, enhancing the quality of our water. The District strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities we serve, and we encourage women and people of color to apply for these internships.

For all positions at the District, we have enhanced and exceeded safety precautions for all essential operations. We’ll provide interns with training and experience with virtual collaboration tools and remote work as needed. Each intern will work with a supervisor and will be provided professional development training, participate in networking events, and attend meetings, either virtually or in-person, as conditions allow.

When you intern at the District, you are joining a team that works together to recover resources and clean wastewater for return to nature 365 days a year through our innovation and expertise!

Don’t meet every single requirement? At the District, we desire to build and sustain a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace that embraces and values diversity. If you’re excited about this role but your educational background and/or experience don’t perfectly align with every qualification listed in the job description, we encourage you to still apply. Non-students may be classified as LTE instead of interns. You may have the core competencies and transferable skills that make you the right candidate for this role.

Please include a COVER LETTER with your application materials expressing your interest in this position and how it relates to your career goals.

We reserve the right to begin interviews before the closing date and close the vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Duties

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is seeking a Pollution Prevention Intern to support our pollution prevention and pretreatment initiatives. This internship offers the opportunity to apply communication, marketing, and outreach skills to environmental sustainability efforts. The intern will work in the Ecosystems Department under the supervision of the District’s Pollution Prevention Manager, collaborating with technical experts to drive engagement in pollution prevention programs.

This role is ideal for students interested in social marketing, public outreach, and environmental communication. The intern will help increase awareness and participation in pollution prevention programs through creative strategies such as:

Developing social media content and marketing campaigns to educate the public.
Supporting an engaging “hacks” campaign focused on pollution prevention tips.
Collaborating on existing behavior change programs to encourage sustainable practices.
Designing and implementing pilot projects to test new outreach strategies.

The intern will work closely with the District’s Pollution Prevention Specialists, Pretreatment Coordinator, Communications Department, and other staff to develop engaging and effective outreach efforts.

JOB DUTIES

Assist in developing and implementing education, outreach, and communication activities to support pollution prevention.
Help design and implement pollution prevention initiatives and engagement strategies.
Identify opportunities and barriers to behavior change and contribute to thedevelopment of effective messaging and strategies.
Collect, analyze, and synthesize data and insights to support program planning and reporting.
Perform additional tasks as needed to support District programs.

SKILLS

We encourage applicants to highlight relevant background and skills, though none are required. Ideal candidates may have experience in:

Marketing, outreach, or public engagement campaigns
Social media strategy and content creation
Video production or graphic design
Behavior change principles and strategies
Water/wastewater or environmental sustainability topics
Education, public speaking, or informal teaching activities
Fluency in additional languages (please indicate proficiency levels in speaking, listening, and writing)

Requirements

Applicants must be currently enrolled in a 2- or 4-year college program (sophomore or above) or a graduate program.
Recent graduates (within the last year) will also be considered.
Students taking a gap year or transitioning between undergraduate and graduate programs may be eligible if they plan to return to school.

While students from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, preferred majors include:

Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations
Environmental Studies, Sustainability, or Public Policy
Graphic Design, Multimedia, or Digital Media
Psychology, Sociology, or Behavioral Science

This internship is a great opportunity to apply storytelling, marketing, and behavioral science to real-world environmental challenges. If you are passionate about using communication and outreach to drive sustainable change, we encourage you to apply!

Hours are flexible, between 10-16 hours/week during the school year, with the option for full-time LTE hours during the Summer. Preference is for the intern to spend at least half the hours in-person at the District’s Nine Springs wastewater treatment plant. The remaining time each week could be either virtual or remain in-person

Ideal candidates

Are detail-oriented, thorough, and analytical, and can work well both as part of a team and independently.
Respect and demonstrate appreciation for diversity and inclusion.
Possess a positive attitude, enthusiasm, and motivation to do quality work.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

This position will require some in-person work at the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant. The incumbent will be working in an office environment using traditional office equipment, including a computer and telephone. The incumbent will also have the opportunity to access various parts of the plant and other facilities throughout the collection system.

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