NYCHA Waste Management Graduate Intern

New York City Housing Authority

Waste Management Department – Summer/Fall Internship (College Aide)

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is the nation’s largest public housing authority, with an operating budget of $3.3 billion and over 11,000 employees who manage and maintain 311 developments that house over 400,000 residents. NYCHA also operates the country’s largest Section 8 program, which provides rental assistance to over 200,000 additional families.

The Waste Management Department leads the creation of long-term action plans for each New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) development, as an integral part of the Office of Operations Support Services. Our mission is to improve the lives of our residents by identifying areas of improvement to optimize the management of daily waste operations at each public housing development.

Title: Waste Management Graduate Intern (2 positions)

Terms: 

The start date is July 8, 2024. The latest end date is December 31, 2024. The exact end date can be determined based on your semester end date.

Interns can work a maximum of 20 hours per week. Lunch hour is unpaid. The current proposed summer days and hours are Tuesdays 9am-5pm, Wednesdays 9am-4pm, and Thursdays 9am-5pm. Exact days and hours can be discussed. During the summer, at least two of the days will be spent visiting NYCHA developments across the city via walking and commuting.

During the fall, all three days will usually be in the office. Occasional visits to developments may be conducted. Days and hours can be adjusted to fit fall class schedules. 

All interns will be paid $22/hr. 

About our projects: 

Our group is seeking motivated and experienced graduate students to assist the Waste Management Department with multiple projects:

• A long-term project to build individualized and tailored Individual Waste Management Action Plans for each of our developments. This production of materials is group-oriented, at the intersection of management, urban design, operations, sustainability, geographic information systems, geospatial analysis, and data analysis. The work will include exposure to the inner workings of the Authority and engagement with Property Managers, Property Superintendents, and their respective subordinates. Specifically, department members will attend weekly meetings with property management to verify assets, equipment, staff allocations, and work order data in collaboration with different departments within the NYCHA organization. Field visits to developments with senior staff are required for a minimum of two days per week.
• Ad-hoc projects and programs currently ongoing within the department under the direction of the Project Manager and Senior Operations Analysts. Students will provide administrative support to other members of the team as needed. Active projects and programs include:
  • Proactive Site Visits: Preparing reference documents, performing data analysis, and creating reports both before and after field visits to developments to assess waste management operations and ensure compliance to active programs and initiatives.
  • Scorecard Pilot: Similar to the Individual Waste Management Action Plans, site visits may be conducted to score the cleanliness of NYCHA developments. Data analysis, project planning, and discussing feedback with senior staff members may also be involved. This project is currently being formulated.
  • Rear Loader Demonstration Pilot: NYCHA-owned garbage trucks collecting waste from select curbside locations to supplement Department of Sanitation service.
  • Compliance for ongoing operations, including for sustainability programs.
    • Recycle First Initiative: A mindset and operational change initiative that prioritizes recycling in daily waste management.
    • Cardboard Compactor Pilot: Dedicating underutilized exterior compactors to paper & cardboard collection to divert recyclables from waste.
    • Mattress Recycling Program: The first program of its kind in New York City, diverting mattresses from landfills to be upcycled at a special facility.

While assignment to specific projects is at the department’s discretion and need, the intern’s preference for type of work or subject matter will be taken into consideration.

About you:

The interns and aides will need to have the ability to liaise with internal and external senior leaders and build positive relationships across all levels of staff. This includes the ability to diagnose problems accurately; evaluate and develop alternative courses of action; and recommend and/or implement creative and effective solutions. Previous experience or demonstrated interest in housing policy, real estate, architecture, urban planning, geographic information systems, geospatial analysis, New York City, and/or other relevant issues is a plus.

What you will do:

• Visit and interview staff at NYCHA developments to gather insight on waste processes at each development. Take pictures of waste assets to document their locations and conditions. Summarize each interview in a one- to two-paged, single-spaced report that includes action items that should be addressed. Submit each report to the Project Manager by the end of the week.
• Scan any paper notes and maps collected during development visits and upload them to Microsoft SharePoint by the end of the week.
• Add and update points of waste assets and issues to the ArcGIS Field Maps mobile app.
• Analyze data in Microsoft Excel and ArcGIS Online, and on occasion in ArcGIS Pro and QGIS, to provide insight to interrelated waste management operations and assess project and program effectiveness.
• Liaise as needed with developments and other departments to continue the creation of Individual Waste Management Action Plans for each development.
• Correspond via e-mails, phone calls, and video calls. Write generalized findings one-pagers.
• Develop refuse flow maps to visualize the complex waste systems at each development.
• Support ad-hoc projects as needed.

Key competencies:

Required:

• An interest in housing, waste management, sustainability, or other related topics.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, and the ability to convey complex information in a clear and compelling way. 
• High ethical standards and an unwillingness to compromise on enforcing those standards.
• Ability to prioritize and successfully carry out multiple assignments simultaneously, adapting quickly as projects take new direction.
• Ability to liaise with internal and external senior leaders and build positive relationships across all levels of staff.
• Can quickly get up to speed on new projects and ask questions.
• Ability to diagnose problems accurately; evaluate and develop alternative courses of action; and recommend and/or implement creative and effective solutions.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including but not limited to Word, SharePoint, Lists, Excel, and Forms.
• Knowledge of ArcGIS Online and the ArcGIS Field Maps mobile phone app.

Highly desired:

• ArcGIS Pro and Python Jupyter Notebooks within ArcGIS Pro.
• QGIS.
• Microsoft Power Automate.
• Google Earth Pro.
• Google My Maps.
• R/RStudio.
• Adobe Suite, including but not limited to InDesign and Illustrator.
• AutoCAD.

To apply:

Email a single PDF of the following information to Ms. Michelle Garberoglio at michelle.garberoglio@nycha.nyc.gov with the subject line “Waste Management Graduate Intern 2024”:

• One-page cover letter. Describe in your cover letter examples of your familiarity with the required skills. Please also describe examples of your familiarity with any of the highly desired skills that are relevant to you. It is okay to discuss the same content that is on your resume. Lastly, specify the days and hours you are available to work during the summer and fall semester.
• One-page resume.
• One- to two-page writing sample.
• While not required, a one-page map created by you using any of the previously mentioned mapping programs or a similar program may also be submitted. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

About the hiring process 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information. Selected candidates will be subject to the City hiring process, which includes a standard drug screening prior to hiring.