Opportunities:

• Develop skills in
  • Organizing, distilling, communicating and presenting information to characterize relationships between organizations.
  • Developing recommendations that facilitate decision-making regarding partnership collaboration and community engagement.
  • Professional work practices in the context of a federal government agency, including written and verbal communication, meeting planning and facilitation, team management, strategic planning and goal-setting, and funding and budget planning.
• Access to networking opportunities with a broad range of environmental professionals.
• Contribute to the work of NOAA Habitat Focus Areas, a unique program which involves several NOAA offices and teams (there are only 11 HFAs recognized nationwide).

Deliverables:

• Perform updates to partnership management system components, including the NCBO roster, partner directory, funding program catalog, pending partner projects, letter of support log, and relationship management tools.
• Meet with each NCBO staff person to determine NOAA resources, data, and science that should be shared with priority partner organizations.
• Assist with evaluation of Community Partnerships team annual goals, and develop recommendations for next steps, including NCBO’s meaningful engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions.
• Develop an annual summer engagement message to share NOAA updates and opportunities with priority partner segments.
• Perform professional informational interviews with at least six contacts from the NCBO partner directory, and present on lessons learned at Community Partnerships team biweekly meetings.
• Identify two to three personal professional development goals to achieve during the internship, determine steps to achieve those goals, and report on progress each week. Examples of professional development goals include developing particular professional skills, learning particular topics related to NOAA, developing a broader professional network, or attending professional and/or academic conferences.
• Presentation to NCBO and CRC staff at the conclusion of the internship summarizing your experiences, skills developed, and work conducted.

Eligibility:

• Must be a resident and/or attend a college/university within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (NY, PA, MD, DE, DC, VA or WV)
• Must be a college-level student entering sophomore, junior, or senior year of undergraduate study
• Must be a U.S. citizen and willing to undergo a security background check

Requirements:

• Motivated self-starter with the ability to work proactively, reason independently, consistently share progress updates, and recommend or inquire about next steps toward project completion.
• Skills in critical thinking, analysis, organization, and written synthesis of information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to work well with others and incorporate feedback into work.

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Chesapeake Bay watershed and natural resources issues, including habitat restoration, and climate resilience and adaptation.
• Interest in and sensitivity to diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice.
• Experience using Google Suite.

Work Location and Duration:

We envision that this position will be an in-person position and will be based out of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office in Annapolis, Maryland. The position will begin in mid-May and conclude in mid-August and will be in place for 12 weeks. We plan on providing interns with access to a NOAA computer, email, and phone services (in the office). If ever working remotely over the course of the internship, the intern will need to have access to stable and suitable internet, computer and communication resources.

Compensation:

The intern will be reimbursed at the end of each month, for a total of up to $6,000 for the equivalent of 12 weeks (422 hours). Funds are available to compensate interns for occasional work-related travel. Candidates should expect to follow a normal weekday work schedule (roughly 9-5, M-F) with occasional variations for possible field work or other activities. No benefits are provided.

Diversity and Inclusion:

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive science oriented workforce. Our internship program endeavors to recruit from a diverse, qualified group of potential applicants to secure a high-performing workforce drawn from all segments of American society. NOAA is strongly supportive of broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas. We highly encourage applications from students at any of the above institutions as well as students that identify as black, Indigenous, person of color or 1st generation college student.

Application Instructions:

Applicants are instructed to register with the Chesapeake Jobs online application website: https://chesapeake.org/ncbo/ to apply. You will be instructed to submit a resume detailing your education and work experience and a cover letter that details your interest in this position and describes how your skill set will contribute to the work described above. You will also be asked to provide the review team with three references. The deadline for applications is January 28, 2024.