Early Career Engagement Intern

Environmental Defense Fund; Raleigh (NC); Hybrid; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Part time

Job summary

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is seeking an intern to support recruitment efforts and program development for EDF's Summer Internship Program. You will work with the Interns & Fellows team and HR to manage the full recruiting lifecycle, candidate experience, and data reporting.

The role offers hands-on exposure to Workday Recruiting, event coordination, and stakeholder collaboration across multiple locations, with a focus on building a strong intern community for 2027.

Qualifications

• Pursuing or recently completed a graduate degree in HR, nonprofit management, student affairs, communications, or related fields.
• Interest in environmental nonprofits, recruiting, and early-career development preferred.
• Ability to handle confidential information and prioritize safety of data.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; willingness to learn new tools.

Responsibilities

• Support Workday Recruiting for postings, requisition management, and data accuracy.
• Plan and coordinate Summer Internship Program events and logistics.
• Help build talent pipelines for current and future needs.
• Collaborate with recruiters to learn role requirements and internship expectations.
• Provide programmatic support for intern engagement and alumni activities.
• Assist with special projects and process improvements as needed.
• Prepare onboarding materials, calendars, and communications.
• Maintain project trackers in Excel and Asana.
• Support EDF culture goals and inclusive teamwork.

Skills

Excellent written communication

Oral communication

Organizational skills

Detail-oriented

Team collaboration

Confidential data handling

Problem solving

Multi-tasking

Inclusivity

Education

Graduate degree program in HR or related field

Tools

Workday Recruiting

Asana

Excel

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

EDF internships provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Location

Hybrid out of an EDF office in New York, Washington DC, Boston, Boulder, Raleigh, San Francisco, or Austin, with option to be U.S. Remote. Intern supervisor is in Michigan and other team members are in Texas and Maryland.

Term

Part-time in Spring 2027 and Full-time in Summer 2027 (February-August).

Hours

Part-time (20 hr/week) in Spring, Full-time (35 hr/week) in Summer.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.

Program/Department Overview

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) welcomes 100+ interns annually and works with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a top-notch learning experience. The Interns & Fellows team, which sits within EDF’s Human Resources (HR) department, supports the full life-cycle of interns and fellows at EDF. This includes recruitment, hiring, onboarding, programming, offboarding, alumni engagement, and more. EDF’s Summer Internship Programs aims to develop intern professionalism in the workplace, expose early career professionals to EDF’s cutting-edge research, build a network, and foster a sense of community through social gatherings. HR is focused on the heart of EDF's mission and is dedicated to providing a positive experience and support to all of EDF's staff in their important and effective work.

Overall Function

The intern will play a vital role in supporting recruitment efforts and program development for early career engagement at EDF. The intern will work closely with the team on the full recruiting lifecycle contribute to quality candidate experience, and perform data tracking and reporting The intern will also support program development of the 2027 Summer Internship Program, including program management, event coordination, and communication to foster a sense of community among interns. The intern will have the opportunity to learn about projects and programs led by the team and work on specific topics based on their skillset, interests, and career goals. The intern will report to the Sr. Specialist, Interns & Fellows Programming, work closely with the HR team, and collaborate with a variety of internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Learn to use Workday Recruiting system to support job postings, job requisition management, and maintain accurate candidate and recruiting data.
• Assist with planning, logistics, and execution of programs and events for the Summer Internship Program, including Speaker Series, Mentorship Program, Social Events, Intern Symposium, and National Intern Day.
• Help build and maintain talent pipelines for current and future hiring needs.
• Partner with recruiters and hiring teams to learn role requirements, business needs, and internship expectations.
• Provide programmatic and administrative support related to intern and alumni engagement, as needed.
• Contribute to recruitment and program-related special projects and process improvement projects, based on interest and skillset.
• Prepare onboarding and program materials including welcome packets, intern profiles, program presentations and calendars, Slack and email communications.
• Upkeep and track changes to project lists and other trackers using project management tools (Asana) and Excel.
• Participate in advancing EDF’s organizational effectiveness and culture goals, so people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included and empowered to address environmental and organizational challenges in ways that align with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in or a recent graduate of a graduate degree program in human resources, nonprofit management, student affairs, communications, organizational development/leadership and/or related fields.
• Demonstrated interest in working in an environmental non-profit, recruiting, early-career development, and/or internal non-profit operations preferred.
• Ability to work in a confidential capacity and prioritize safety of personal data and sensitive information.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability and willingness to learn new tools and systems preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across all cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $20/hour.