About the Program

Who is eligible to apply:

• Applicants must be actively enrolled in an accredited undergraduate program at a degree-granting two or four-year college or university or have graduated from one within the last year
• Applicants must have been enrolled in an undergraduate program for at least one calendar year
• Applicants must live and have authorization to work in the U.S.

About the commitment:

About the positions:

About IREC

IREC is an independent nonprofit that builds the foundation for rapid adoption of clean energy and energy efficiency to benefit people, the economy, and our planet. Our vision is a 100% clean energy future that is reliable, resilient, and equitable. IREC develops and advances the regulatory reforms, technical standards, and workforce and community-based solutions needed to enable the streamlined integration of clean energy.  IREC provides independent leadership and trusted clean energy expertise through three interrelated strategies:

• Workforce Development - IREC leads initiatives to build a diverse and qualified clean energy workforce while ensuring that clean energy workers have access to family-sustaining careers.

• Local Initiatives - IREC supports communities to develop policies and promote best practices that accelerate the equitable deployment of clean energy.

• State Regulatory Engagement - IREC represents the public interest in state regulatory proceedings and develops and disseminates best practices to ensure that distributed energy resources (DERs) can be equitably and efficiently integrated on the electric grid.

Responsibilities

Interns will have the opportunity to learn about and contribute substantively to IREC’s work. This may include the following activities: 

• Workforce Development

  • Building awareness of clean energy careers

  • Developing clean energy training and career development resources

  • Analyzing regional workforce development needs for clean energy

  • Researching and understanding labor market data and emerging trends in clean energy workforce development

  • Conducting industry research and engagement with clean energy employers

  • Assisting with grant writing and drafting proposals for clean energy workforce development projects

• Local Initiatives 

  • Participating in community-based outreach and technical assistance activities

  • Developing resources and technical guidance to support local clean energy adoption

  • Identifying key clean energy stakeholders and partners in priority regions

• Communications

  • Promoting IREC’s programs and clean energy objectives through key communications channels including websites, email marketing, social media, media outreach, and paid advertising; this will include the opportunity to learn about communications and marketing best practices 

  • Learning and writing about IREC programs, through blog posts and other written materials

  • Analyzing the utilization of IREC communications resources, such as website content and downloaded reports 

• Regulatory (pre-law, public policy, electrical engineering, environmental policy, or similar majors preferred)

  • Tracking and analyzing regulatory frameworks that govern clean energy projects, policy, and law, particularly before state public utility commissions

  • Researching and understanding emerging trends in state regulatory energy policy and their implications for clean energy adoption and energy equity

  • Impacting state energy policy through targeted engagement

  • Drafting memos and correspondence to advance IREC’s goal to accelerate clean energy adoption and to ensure equity in the clean energy transition

Knowledge, Skills, Experience, and Qualities for This Role:

The successful candidate will bring the following qualities to our organization:

Required:

• A keen interest in pursuing a career in clean energy 

• Strong project management skills, i.e., adaptability, critical thinking, time management, planning, and collaboration

• Experience with at least two of the following tasks: developing surveys, drafting correspondence, managing project deliverables, utilizing databases and datasets, note-taking, proofreading, and adding citations to documents

Optional but Beneficial: 

• Professional-level working proficiency in Spanish is particularly valued for applicants to IREC’s Local Initiatives internship, which includes a program supporting energy resilience in Puerto Rico. Spanish language skills are also valued for other internship programs and may open opportunities for projects tailored to those skills. 

IREC Foundational Values

• We value diversity of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and thoughts and believe they result in better outcomes and greater organizational impact.

• We value the uniqueness and dignity of each individual and their right to be their true and complete self.

• We believe in the potential of the clean energy transition to advance equity in our nation.

IREC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and embracing a workplace with diverse voices and perspectives. We strongly encourage and seek applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. Applicants are not discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, medical conditions, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until November 1st, 2024, or until the position is filled.

Applicants must be based and authorized to work in the United States.