State Policy Intern
About The Position
Join TNC Virginia as a STEP Intern! The goal of STEP is to create pathways for people seeking to gain experience with a conservation focused organization. We currently offer paid internships in a range of disciplines across our Virginia Teams. With a focus on recruiting and developing a diverse staff, we strive to create an environment where people of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities feel welcomed to participate in conservation. Wherever you are in your educational journey; community college, technical school, four-year program, or graduate school, STEP may have an opportunity for you to consider! All STEP interns will participate in an orientation, professional development webinars, and a group field trip. Along the way, interns will have the opportunity to broaden their experiences through interactions with Nature Conservancy staff and partners. At the end of their internship, STEP interns will give a short presentation about their time at TNC to the Virginia staff. This position will close on February 15, 2026 at midnight. Zoom interviews will occur in early March with final hiring decisions made by March 31. Schedule: 35 hours/week for 10 weeks from May 30 – August 9, 2026 Orientation: All interns are required to attend a two-day orientation in Charlottesville on May 28-29, 2026 Pay: $18.25/hour Location: Charlottesville, VA Housing: A housing stipend is available as needed for this location The Position: TNC’s Government Relations Team is looking for an intern to assist with state policy research and advocacy. This position will work closely with our Public Funding and Policy Manager to research and develop advocacy materials for statewide conservation policy and budgetary issues. Research sources could include news coverage, grant data, reports, legislative history, and academic articles. This position will also work with our Energy and Climate Policy Manager on 1-2 similar projects to gain exposure to additional environmental policy areas and partners. The position will also involve working with TNC’s conservation and communications/marketing staff to learn more about our work and create internal and external policy related pieces like op-eds, social media and web content, and newsletters. This position is heavily focused on research, analysis, and writing. There will be opportunities to meet with state officials and work with other Virginia environmental non-profit organizations. All interns will dedicate 5% of their time to professional development activities through STEP.
Requirements
- A current undergraduate rising junior or senior, recent graduate (within one year), or current graduate student.
- Interest in pursuing a career in environmental policy
- Experience with writing, editing, and proofreading written materials, particularly short form (less than 500 words)
- Experience with research and data management and analysis
- Strong experience with Microsoft products, especially Excel
Nice To Haves
- Experience or coursework with ArcGIS Software
- Experience or coursework with basic statistical analysis and principles
- Experience with Canva
- STEP is designed for people early in their careers or with limited prior professional experience.
Responsibilities
- Using various sources to conduct and summarize research into statewide conservation issues
- Conducting analysis on grant and budgetary data related to environmental issues
- Drafting and editing written materials including fact sheets, talking points, social media and web content, and other content
- Working with the members of the Our Virginia Outdoors Coalition to assist with efforts to pass Virginia’s Great Outdoors Act
Benefits
- TNC offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Intern
Education Level
No Education Listed
