Climate & Communities Intern

King County Department of Water & Land Resources

The King County Department of Water & Land Resources (WLRD) supports the County’s commitment to regional partnership on climate action. WLRD hosts and co‑chairs the Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative (the Collaborative), a network of more than 30 local and county governments, Tribes, regional agencies and other organizations working to build community, economic, and environmental resilience to climate change.

The Climate & Communities Fellow will support the development and implementation of a new Climate & Communities Learning Series (CCLS) hosted by the Collaborative. The CCLS, conducted over 16‑20 months, will consist of up to six webinars and workshops focused on building capacity for effective partnership with frontline communities. Topics include climate impacts on underserved communities, climate justice, community engagement best practices, climate storytelling, and priorities identified by local communities.

The fellow works with the King County and Collaborative project team, a community consultant, and a community Advisory Committee to create and facilitate a community‑centered climate learning series. The internship offers opportunities for skill‑building training and networking. It is full‑time during summer months, part‑time during school months, and is funded through December 2027. The position reports to Collaborative staff in the DNRP Director’s Office.

• Create and manage a CCLS Advisory Group (15%):
  Support the creation and management of a CCLS Advisory Group, to consist of five to eight representatives from community‑based organizations and/or frontline communities.
• Design and deliver the CCLS (65%):
  Co‑develop content, format, and schedule of the CCLS with the Advisory Group, Steering Committee, staff, and partners. Secure participation from community members, presenters, and subject matter experts, conduct outreach using email, social media, and newsletters, facilitate webinars, meetings, and trainings, ensure accessibility and value for participants, summarize notes and key messages, gather feedback, and compile guidance documents and resources for the Collaborative website.
• Support integration of climate equity and community priorities across grant activities (10%):
  Apply equity and community engagement principles in Collaborative webinars, regional convenings, and workshops, and highlight climate and community equity in webinars, technical guidance, and case studies.
• Support grant reporting and communications (10%):
  Track activities, participation metrics, and outcomes of the CCLS; contribute to reports and presentations, collaborate with staff to share updates, and participate in grant staff meetings and other activities.

• Currently enrolled graduate student in environmental studies, environmental justice, public policy, or related fields.
• Strong relationship‑building skills and ability to work across cultural and organizational contexts.
• Strong writing skills and ability to communicate clearly with teams and partners from various backgrounds.
• Experience with organizing and supporting discussions in virtual meetings and other collaborative mediums; proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple deadlines, multi‑step tasks, and working collaboratively within a team.

• Customer Focus
  :
  Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer‑centric solutions.
• Balances Stakeholders
  :
  Anticipating and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Action Oriented
  :
  Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Ensures Accountability
  :
  Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Collaborates
  :
  Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Communicates Effectively
  :
  Developing and delivering multimode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Racially Just
  :
  Identify and replace racist systems and structures with anti‑racist and pro‑equity approaches.
• Nimble Learning
  :…