Office of Energy and Sustainability Intern

Office of Energy and Sustainability Intern

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Posting Details

Announcement Information

Job Summary

The Office of Energy and Sustainability (OES) seeks several enthusiastic, collaborative, and motivated students to serve as OES Interns. Interns will work closely with OES staff to design, implement, and evaluate sustainability initiatives across campus.

Potential projects include planning and implementing Ecolympics 2027; supporting sustainable land management initiatives; expanding campus zero-waste efforts; developing sustainability-related policies and guidance documents; promoting alternative transportation and commuting options; energy efficiency projects; and advancing programs that support carbon neutrality.

These are part-time student positions (approximately 2-5 hours per week) paying $12.00 per hour. Work schedules will be developed collaboratively with supervisors to accommodate academic commitments. Interns report directly to OES staff.

Responsibilities

OES interns will work with staff to design and implement a variety of sustainability programs across campus. Depending on the team the OES Intern is assigned to, specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Assist in the planning and implementation of Ecolympics, a community wide resource reduction competition that takes place in spring 2027. Responsibilities include community organizing on campus and in the larger community, event planning, improving campus metering, and identifying new opportunities for engagement.
• Support improvements to the campus recycling and compost systems through the creation of new campaigns and programs aimed at both students and facility/staff, tabling to increase awareness of what is/isn't recyclable/compostable, and identifying new waste streams to target for reduction such as single-use plastics.
• Work to increase energy efficiency of campus buildings and create projects that will reduce energy use generally.
• Develop new initiatives such as the Green Office Program, the Green Lab Program, and working with Athletics to develop specific programs for those facilities and teams.
• Work with the Sustainability Manager and Grounds Manager to pilot alternative turf management practices and other sustainable land management projects.
• Support and expand existing alternative transportation options for students and staff including EV infrastructure, shuttles, car share, biking, and walking.
• Explore the creation of guidance documents and policies to further support carbon neutrality which could include green events, green purchasing, energy use/efficiency, construction standards, and the like.
• Create sustainability-focused communications for digital signage, social media, the Campus Digest, and other outreach channels.
• Brainstorm and develop new programs, projects, and policies that advance campus sustainability and carbon neutrality goals.
• Support carbon neutrality annual certification through data collection and verification related to greenhouse gas reporting per ISO standards and Second Nature reporting criteria.
• Explore Project District 2030 to help benchmark resource conservation across campus and compare performance with similar buildings across the nation. Work would include helping develop occupancy and building sqft, as well as utility reporting using Portfolio Manager within Energy Star.

Qualifications

Full or part-time student at Oberlin College and Conservatory as of the 2026/2027 academic year with an interest in environmental sustainability issues (this may be from related classes, student groups, volunteerism, work either on or off campus, etc). Open to all class years. Applicants must have excellent communication and outreach skills, ability to successfully collaborate with faculty and staff, and be driven to advance sustainability at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Preferred qualifications include student or community organizing experience, research and analytical skills, and working with diverse audiences and experience and/or strong level of comfort working with faculty and staff.

Quick Link for Posting https://jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/17639 Compensation

$12/hr

Special Instructions to Applicants

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents

• Cover Letter
• Resume

Optional Documents

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).