Water Conservation Intern

Summary•Vail, CO

2d•$24 - $34•Hybrid

About The Position

Ready to turn your passion for sustainability into real-world impact in one of Colorado’s most iconic mountain destinations? Eagle River Water and Sanitation District’s Water Conservation department develops and leads environmental stewardship and water conservation initiatives that empower customers to use water more efficiently throughout the Eagle River Valley. As a Water Conservation Intern, you will spend approximately 50% of your time visiting customers to evaluate residential irrigation systems and provide recommendations for irrigation and landscaping as part of our outreach and concierge program. The remainder of their time will be spent supporting a variety of data-driven and outreach-focused water conservation projects. Depending on the selected candidate’s skills and experience, you may work closely with a data mentor or take on more independent responsibilities. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is equally passionate about working in the field and having conversations with our customers about water conservation as they are about crunching data. The ideal candidate for this role must be committed to environmental stewardship, have excellent communication skills, and have experience or interest in developing their data analysis skills. Being able to think outside the box, manage multiple project requests, and collaborate with a highly productive, fun, and friendly team will provide an amazing and rewarding internship experience.

Requirements

Previous related work experience in environmental sciences, natural resources management, science communications, water resources, water treatment, wastewater treatment, watershed science or a related field required.
Must be pursuing or have completed a Bachelor's degree from four-year college or university in a related field, or technical degree from a technical, scientific, or trade institution in a related field.
Strong customer service skills and able to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers and co-workers.
Able to tactfully, directly, and professionally communicate in English, both written and verbal.
Able to write reports and communicate research clearly and succinctly.
Experience using Microsoft Office, SharePoint, R, and PowerBI to assist water conservation staff with organizing and tracking data.
Computer proficiency and experience with Excel is required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with data cleaning and visualization in R is preferred.
Working knowledge and understanding of water conveyance systems, science communication techniques, irrigation system efficiency, and native and adapted landscape design is preferred.

Responsibilities

Work with external stakeholders, nonprofits, landscapers, and customers to perform irrigation evaluations and support a partner-run rebate program.
Perform analyses of customer data related to water use trends and account metrics using R coding language.
Develop and manage interactive dashboards, charts, and reports using PowerBI.
Occasionally staff the community outreach events to talk to customers about water conservation.
Visit ERWSD’s facilities and learn about water production, storage, and distribution, and wastewater collections and treatment to understand the importance and operations of a modern water and sanitation utility.
Participate in a variety of internal staff trainings, company events, and extra-curricular recreational outings like mountain biking, climbing 14ers, river and highway cleanups, and much more!