Environmental Intern (12-Week Assignment)

Clearwater Paper; Lewiston (ID); On-site; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Clearwater Paper invites you to start your career as an Environmental Intern at our Lewiston mill, onsite at one of our two fully integrated pulp and paper facilities. You will work directly with Department Managers on real-world environmental, regulatory, and production challenges, helping design, implement, and maintain systems that drive operations and sustainability goals.

This internship offers mentorship, cross-department exposure, and hands-on projects across air quality, water, waste,

Qualifications

• Pursuing a degree in Environmental Science, Engineering, or Chemistry with a 3.0+ GPA.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication, leadership experience, and self-motivation.
• Industrial environment—exposure to heat and cold; PPE required in mill.
• No visa sponsorship offered; candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Master the process by learning the end‑to‑end papermaking cycle with Clearwater Paper engineers.
• Drive operational and sustainability improvements across the facility.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with plant staff and departmental leaders.
• Lead environmental projects including air quality, water, waste tracking, and regulatory reporting.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Self-motivation

Education

Environmental Science

Engineering

Chemistry

Job description

Where you will work

This opportunity will be based onsite at one of our 2 fully integrated pulp and paper mills, in either Cypress Bend, AR or Lewiston, ID.

The Cypress Bend facility is in the historic Mississippi River Delta and produces bleached paperboard and bleached Kraft pulp, used in the production of folding cartons, commercial print paperboard, carded packaging, and cup stock.

The Lewiston mill is the original Clearwater Paper manufacturing facility, producing paperboard products. Approximately two hours away from Clearwater Paper's headquarters in Spokane, Washington, the Lewiston paper mill is a key component in Clearwater Paper's business strategy.

What you will do

Kickstart Your Career as an Environmental Intern at Clearwater Paper!

As a leading independent supplier of paperboard packaging, Clearwater Paper offers a hands-on internship where you'll tackle real-world environmental, regulatory, and production challenges at scale. Working directly alongside our Department Managers, you'll help design, implement, and maintain the systems that drive our operational and sustainability goals.

What You'll Gain:

• Real-World Impact: Dive into high-value strategic projects while mastering our manufacturing processes
• Dedicated Mentorship: Benefit from intentional coaching, professional guidance, and cross-departmental exposure
• Inclusive Culture: Join a collaborative team that values diverse perspectives and shared experiences
• Career-Boosting Skills: Walk away with technical expertise, invaluable industry knowledge to build out your resume

Key Responsibilities:

• Master the Process: Partner directly with Clearwater Paper engineers to learn the end-to-end papermaking cycle-from raw materials to final distribution
• Drive Operational Excellence: Identify operational efficiencies and recommend strategic improvement projects across the facility
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner effectively with team members, plant staff, and departmental leaders
• Lead Impactful Environmental Projects: Take ownership of hands-on assignments in areas such as:
  • Environmental Compliance & Reporting: Air quality modeling, hazardous waste tracking, and regulatory reporting for air, water, and waste.
  • Systems & Utility Operations: Management and monitoring of drinking water and wastewater systems.
  • Data & Field Work: Environmental lab analysis, field surveys, risk assessments, chemical inventories, and data modeling.
  • Sustainability: Developing and supporting company-wide sustainability initiatives.

What you will need

To be successful in this position, we are looking for candidates with the following:

• Majoring in Environmental Science, Engineering or Chemistry with a 3.0+ overall GPA
• High attention to detail with strong organizational, troubleshooting, and analytical skills
• Effective oral and written communication skills, leadership experience, and self-motivation
• Industrial Environment - subject to extreme heat and cold
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must be worn in the mill environment
• Noisy, dusty, and working around moving equipment

Clearwater Paper will not offer sponsorship for employment-based visa status (including, but not limited to, H-1B visa status and other employment-based nonimmigrant visas) for this position. Accordingly, all applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and must not require Clearwater Paper's sponsorship to continue to work legally in the United States.

This role will be open for a minimum of 2 weeks or at the point a successful candidate is selected.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.