Summer 2027 Climate Mobility Intern

Natural Resources Defense; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 100,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stipend: $10,000

Hybrid work model

Onsite in Washington, DC

Job summary

NRDC’s Environmental Health Department seeks a graduate intern to support climate mobility and adaptation projects in Washington, DC. The intern will work onsite three days per week and contribute to policy research, stakeholder consultations, and a searchable policy database.

Qualified candidates are enrolled in graduate programs, with strong writing and communication skills, and a proactive, independent work style.

Qualifications

• Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently
• Initiative, proactiveness, and creativity
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

Responsibilities

• Support ongoing projects and priorities for the Adaptation Division and report to the Senior Advocate, Climate Mobility
• Develop a searchable policy database and a written analysis of findings and trends
• Deliver a presentation summarizing key insights and recommendations

Skills

Strong written and verbalcommunication

Education

Graduate student enrollment

Job description

Overview

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions.

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.).

Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health acrossAsia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org.

Our interns play an active role on the front lines of the environmental movement. Over the course of an internship, NRDC interns work with lawyers, scientists, or policy analysts in different program areas and amass experience that they could not have obtained anywhere else. Interns also have access to various events to enhance their NRDC experience.

NRDC interns may support or work on:

• Research, data collection, and analysis
• Writing and developing materials for state and federal campaigns
• Supporting with designing equitable policy solutions
• Copywriting and editing social media posts and supporting on marketing campaigns
• Brainstorming opportunities for process improvements, new vendors, partnerships, and engagement
• Project management of department and team-wide initiatives

You can find examples of work by our interns on our Careers Page.

Responsibilities

POSITION SUMMARY

NRDC's Environmental Health Department is seeking a graduate intern to support ongoing projects and priorities for our Adaptation Division. This intern will report into the Senior Advocate, Climate Mobility. This opportunity is based out of our Washington, DC office and interns are expected to be onsite 3 days per week.

The Climate Mobility Intern will examine how U.S. state and municipal governments address climate mobility, with a particular focus on community-centered planned relocation. Through desk research and stakeholder consultations, this intern will identify and analyze relevant policies, plans, programs, and implementation practices. The research will assess the objectives and drivers of these efforts; the extent to which equity, community leadership, and public participation are incorporated; and the governance structures, funding mechanisms, and implementation responsibilities that support them. This intern may also identify jurisdictions that are considering or developing future climate mobility and planned relocation initiatives. Key deliverables will include a searchable policy database, a written analysis of findings and trends, and a presentation summarizing key insights and recommendations.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently
• Initiative, proactiveness, and creativity
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

DETAILS

• Duration: 10-weeks | Commitment: 35 hours/week
  • This intern must be able to commit to working one of the following sessions:
    • Summer Session 1: Monday May 24, 2027 – Friday July 30, 2027
    • Summer Session 2: Monday June 7, 2027 – Friday August 13, 2027
• Hybrid Work Model: Summer Interns are expected to be in office 3 days/week. We will not be able to offer relocation assistance for the summer.
• Stipend: This is a paid internship with a stipend equivalent of $10,000.00 paid bi-weekly over the course of the assignment.

Our Talent Acquisition team is committed to reviewing each application received.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

The incumbent will not qualify as an employee, fellow, volunteer, or independent contractor of NRDC, nor will the incumbent be guaranteed employment at the end of the internship term.

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Interns are required to come into the office 3 days a week.

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination. Those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions. NRDC treats all vaccination-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.