Healthy Housing Research & Policy Intern

Habitat for Humanity International - HQ; United States; Remote; USD 23,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid internship

Retirement plan contributions

Job summary

Habitat for Humanity International - HQ seeks a graduate-level intern (MPH or MSc) to support its Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. The role focuses on healthy housing, building evidence across thermal comfort, indoor air quality, climate resilience, and WASH integration, for 6–8 months during the academic year.

The intern will consolidate data, draft a framework, and contribute to a policy brief in collaboration with academic supervision and HFHI.

Qualifications

• Current enrollment as a student pursuing MPH or MSc in Public Health.
• Understands social determinants of health and population health frameworks.
• Reads, evaluates, and synthesizes peer‑reviewed public health literature.
• Experience with qualitative research methods (interviews, surveys, synthesis).
• Ability to translate academic evidence into clear, practitioner language in English.

Responsibilities

• Conduct an evidence review across housing and health domains; synthesize literature and program learnings.
• Produce an annotated evidence map linking housing conditions to health outcomes.
• Map organizations working at the housing-health nexus.
• Support theory of change with evidence base and indicators for mapping change.
• Draft language for a structured organizational technical framework.
• Produce a final learning product (policy brief or evidence synthesis) with supervision.

Skills

Social determinants of health

Qualitative research methods

Literature synthesis

Scientific communication

Education

MPH or MSc in Public Health

Tools

AI tools for research

Job description

Opportunity Type: Temporary or Intern (Paid) (Fixed Term)

Summary: JOB SUMMARY Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter seeks a graduate-level intern - MPH or MSc - to support Habitat's thematic work around healthy housing during the academic year, between 6- 8 months. The intern will contribute directly to an evidence base and a technical framework. This role will bolster the growing body of evidence that housing conditions are among the most powerful and modifiable social determinants of health outcomes. The intern will consolidate data and evidence around thermal comfort and heat-related illness, vector-borne disease and structural housing modifications, indoor air quality and respiratory health, climate resilience and disaster risk, and WASH integration that points to the contributions of housing conditions and health.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct an evidence review across housing and health domains - synthesizing peer-reviewed literature and program learnings.
• Produce an annotated evidence map linking housing conditions to health outcomes.
• Map the landscape of organizations working at the housing-health nexus.
• Support the development of the theory of change with the evidence base and indicators for mapping change - how housing improvements lead to health outcomes, for whom, through what mechanisms.
• Draft language that will consolidate into an organizational technical framework.
• Produce a final learning product - a structured policy brief or evidence synthesis - in consultation with academic supervisor and the organization.

Minimum Requirements

• Current enrollment as a student at an accredited college or university; pursuing a degree at the intersection of public health evidence and practice. Candidates pursuing their MPH (Master of Public Health); MSc Public Health; Health Policy; Environmental Health; Global Health; Urban Health and Implementation Science.

Preferred Requirements

• Understands social determinants of health and population health frameworks.
• Can read, evaluate, and synthesize peer-reviewed public health literature.
• Understands evidence grading and can distinguish strong from weak claims.
• Comfort with qualitative research methods - key informant interviews, surveys, synthesis.
• Comfortable with the use of AI in supporting research gathering and data analysis.
• Can turn academic evidence into clear, accessible practitioner language in English.
• Writes well for non-academic audiences - development practitioners, donors, NGO leaders.
• Experience in communicating across cultures.

Hiring Range

• For paid interns in the US, the rate of pay is $17.00 per hour (undergraduate student) or $19.00 per hour (graduate student).
• HFHI offers its paid interns in the US with limited benefits, including retirement plan contributions.

About Us

Habitat for Humanity, founded in 1976, is a global, Christian-based nonprofit organization that grew out of an intentionally multi-racial community in rural Georgia. Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat brings together people of all faiths and people of no faith to build homes, communities and hope. Working alongside each other, we help families and individuals build and improve places to call home and achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Habitat seeks individuals who have a willingness to affirm these principles and values. At Habitat for Humanity International, we are compelled by our Koinonia roots to put God's love for all into action and pursue housing equity and opportunity by bringing all people together to build community and drive impact. We strive to build a culture rooted in learning, accountability and trust, attracting and retaining mission-driven talent reflective of the global communities we serve.

Habitat for Humanity, founded in 1976, is a global, Christian-based nonprofit organization that grew out of an intentionally multi-racial community in rural Georgia. Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat brings together people of all faiths and people of no faith to build homes, communities and hope. Working alongside each other, we help families and individuals build and improve places to call home and achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Habitat seeks individuals who have a willingness to affirm these principles and values. At Habitat for Humanity International, we are compelled by our Koinonia roots to put God's love for all into action and pursue housing equity and opportunity by bringing all people together to build community and drive impact. We strive to build a culture rooted in learning, accountability and trust, attracting and retaining mission-driven talent reflective of the global communities we serve.

As an equal opportunity employer, we realize our success depends on courageously committing to being a workplace where all staff feel safe, welcome, visible, respected, supported and valued, and building a workforce that reflects a variety of lived experiences, backgrounds and perspectives, in which every person experiences dignity and respect.

We also require that all staff take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguarding our intended beneficiaries, their communities (especially children) and all those with whom we work. In line with the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, all staff must pass a thorough background screening and will be held accountable to upholding our policies around ethical behavior, including safeguarding and whistleblowing.

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