Intern - Outreach
If you are enthusiastic about nature-based solutions and climate adaptation strategies, this is a great internship opportunity for you!
Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District (FSSD) is currently seeking a candidate to fill an internship for outreach.
This intern will work with a Senior Environmental Engineer in our outreach program.
This is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in pollution prevention, environmental protection, and community outreach. We’re looking for someone passionate about safeguarding public health and the environment through sustainable wastewater management. Past outreach interns at FSSD have gone on to earn scholarships from CWEA and CASA—join us and make a real impact!
The ideal intern candidate has:
- Good communication skills, both written and verbal, for community outreach, coordination, and public speaking.
- Familiarity with web-based knowledge platforms.
- Social media experience for community outreach and coordination.
- Ability to communicate through storytelling to a wide audience.
- Organizational skills to coordinate community outreach events such as the Coastal Cleanup and Earth Day Cleanup.
- Excellent interpersonal and multicultural skills - must be able to work well with a broad variety of cultures, disciplines, and backgrounds.
- Is self-motivated and is able to manage their time and priorities to stay on task; knows when to reach out when they need help or have questions.
- Passion for learning, new experiences, and wants to work in an atmosphere of growth!
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES
The intern may participate in a variety of projects and activities to achieve the District's outreach and sustainable infrastructure vision:
- Social Media: Develop engaging content to promote the District’s infrastructure, programs, and public education initiatives across various platforms
- Partnerships: Collaborate with local cities and regional partners to support joint outreach efforts, including pollution prevention (P2) campaigns, sea level rise (SLR) studies, regional planning, and community events.
- Stormwater Compliance Education: Create and distribute educational materials to raise public awareness about stormwater runoff, water quality, and individual environmental responsibility, in support of Municipal Regional Permit (MRP) compliance.
- Safety Communication: Assist with internal outreach and campaigns that promote a strong culture of workplace safety and employee well-being.
Throughout the internship, you will work on projects and community outreach initiatives to:
- Gain professional experience in environmental communication and public outreach
- Develop effective communication materials for social media, print, and web.
- Translate technical topics (i.e. wastewater treatment, sea level rise vulnerability, runoff, safety) into accessible content for diverse audiences.
- Collaborate with project partners on joint outreach - gaining experience in interagency coordination.
- Build planning, project management, and organizational skills by participating in ongoing FSSD programs and community events.
HOURS OF WORK
This internship will be 15–20 hours per week, with a flexible schedule coordinated with the intern’s mentor. Hybrid work is available, with a mix of onsite and remote days, if requested. Please note that the internship is limited to a maximum of 999 hours or one year, whichever comes first.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
An equivalent combination of training, education, and experience which has provided the required knowledge, skills/abilities, and attributes and is able to perform the work (with reasonable accommodation, if needed).
We are seeking an intern that is working towards or has obtained one of the following degrees in the last six (6) months:
- Civil, Environmental, or Water Resource Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Environmental Policy
- City-Urban Planning
- Public Administration
- Public Policy
No experience is required for this opportunity but please list any relevant experience on your application.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
- Background Checks: The District may conduct a background check and a reference check on candidates prior to appointment to a position within this class.
- Independent Travel: Incumbents are required to travel independently, for example, to perform work at other work sites, to attend meetings with other District employees, to attend meetings with community organizations, etc.
- Must possess a valid Class C, CA State drivers license and insurance, and demonstrate a good driving record.
SELECTION PROCESS
July 1, 2025 – Date for hiring interviews.
Responses to supplemental questions may be used as screening and testing mechanisms and will be used to assess an applicant’s ability to advance in the process; as such, responses to supplemental questions should be treated as test examination responses.
All applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the recruitment process.
HOW TO APPLY
A completed FSSD employment application and supplemental questionnaire must be submitted. This recruitment will close at 5:00 pm on Monday, June 9, 2025.
IMPORTANT: Contact with candidates will primarily be via email. Make sure you list a current email that you check regularly with your application.
Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application packet.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Applicants receiving a conditional offer of employment must successfully complete the pre-employment process for this position before a final offer will be extended. Pre-employment assessments for this position include a background, pre-employment physical, and pre-employment drug screen.