Sustainability Intern Job Golden Valley area,Minnesota USA,Government

This internship presents a unique opportunity for aspiring sustainability professionals to gain hands‑on experience in a city with a commitment to resilience and sustainability. The Community Development Department plays a crucial role in shaping the city's growth with environmental stewardship, social equity, and economic vitality. The Sustainability Intern will work closely with a variety of city staff and community partners to engage in a wide range of projects and initiatives to advance the City’s goals.

This is a part‑time position, with the ability to increase to full‑time based on availability and workload. The expected start date is on or around September 8, 2026.

Expected Hours of Work

Hours are typically Monday-Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm. In addition to working office hours, staff may be required to work additional events, which may include nights or weekends. This temporary position has a maximum term of 720 hours in 2026, with the ability to extend into 2027 based on budgets. Expectation is 20 to 40 hours per week on average, with the ability to accommodate coursework.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals to perform these essential functions:

Assist with community engagement, education, implementation, and updates to the City’s Solid Waste, Recycling, and Organics Recycling programs, Climate Equity Plan, Energy Action Plan, and Resilience and Sustainability Plan.

Assist with content creation for sustainability newsletters, websites, social media, presentations, flyers, and reports.

Update progress‑tracking tools, including Green Step Cities best practices and B3 Benchmarking for City facilities.

Conduct research about new initiatives including fleet electrification, solar energy, geothermal energy, zero‑waste events, and waste reduction strategies.

Communicate, educate, engage, and collaborate with residents, businesses, non‑profits, multi‑family properties, and other community groups to advance the City’s resilience and sustainability efforts and goals.

Attend meetings and present information to City Boards and Commissions, including Environmental Commission, Planning Commission, and City Council.

Assists in research, analysis, review, and other related activities in Community Development.

Improve department materials, including standard operating procedures and process checklists for internal and public use.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position does not have employee supervisory responsibilities.

Enrolled in or graduated from a post‑secondary program in sustainability, environmental science and policy, energy, physical sciences, planning, urban studies, public administration, communication/marketing, or a related field.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with people to make progress on projects.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong writing ability and attention to detail in written materials preparation.
General knowledge of, and interest in, sustainability, climate‑related impacts and mitigation strategies, resilient practices and policies, and waste reduction and recycling.
Ability to work effectively and tactfully with the public, supervisors, and coworkers.
Interest in learning, educating, and communicating about environmental issues.
Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
Ability to complete the essential duties and responsibilities of the position with or without reasonable accommodations

Desired Qualifications

Currently enrolled in a graduate program related to urban planning, sustainability studies, environmental studies, or a related field.
Experience working with a City or other governmental agency.
Six to twelve months of professional experience in a related field.
One year of experience with data collection, analysis, benchmarking tools, or reporting, including creating tables, charts, and graphs in a professional or academic setting.
Experience with drafting…