About Austin Resource Recovery
The City of Austin is committed to a Zero Waste goal to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills by 90 percent by the year 2040.
Zero Waste is a philosophy that goes beyond recycling to focus first on reducing trash and reusing products and then recycling and composting the rest. Zero Waste recognizes that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, and everything is a resource for something or someone else.
Our Vision: To be the national Zero Waste leader in the transformation from traditional integrated waste collection to sustainable resource recovery.
Our Mission: To achieve Zero Waste by providing excellent customer services that promote waste reduction, increase resource recovery and support the City of Austin’s sustainability efforts.
Internship Description
Austin Resource Recovery is hiring a Circular Economy Program intern. Work for a fun and dynamic City of Austin department helping to promote the City of Austin’s Zero Waste goals. The City of Austin has a stated commitment to achieving Zero Waste, an initiative that requires new thinking about the way we buy, use and dispose of everyday items. Instead of buying brand new products, Austinites can help reduce waste by sharing or repairing items, buying used items, or donating items they no longer need.
The intern will play a critical role in implementing programming to encourage more Austinites to reduce, reuse, repair and support local businesses that offer related products and services. The position will report to a member of the Circular Economy Program (CEP).
The intern’s projects will include:
- Creating new content such as blog posts and newsletters to promote reuse-related activities.
- Event planning, volunteer management, and partnership building for CEP events, such as Fix-It Clinics and MoveOutATX.
- Helping maintain public-facing resources, such as the Austin Reuse Directory, Austin’s Circular Economy Map, and Enterprise Resource Guide.
- Tracking performance metrics for CEP initiatives.
- Researching, coordinating and attending community outreach & education events to promote reuse.
- Various administrative tasks to support CEP activities, as needed.
- Other projects to support reuse and zero waste in Austin according to program needs and the intern’s skillset.
Pay: $15/hour
Schedule: January 2021-August 2021 (may be extended).Up to 15 hours a week; hours between 7 and 6 pm to be mutually-determined, based on schedule
Location: Teleworking until COVID-19 restrictions allow staff to return to the office (1520 Rutherford Lane, Building 1)
Minimum Qualifications
- Willingness to learn and take direction from experienced professionals
- Willingness to apply equity lens to all aspects of job responsibilities (equity training will be provided)
- Ability to interface with the public and community stakeholders on behalf of the City of Austin
- Ability to be self-motivated and take initiative
- Ability to work in teams and independently
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities
- Strong communications skills
- Strong research skills
- Inspired by the mission of Austin Resource Recovery and the City of Austin’s SD23 goals
Preferred Qualifications
- Interest in or experience working with sustainability, zero waste, recycling, small business, and social entrepreneurship initiatives
- Experience in conducting research
- Bilingual
TO APPLY:
Applications are requested by December 9, at 5 p.m. (Interested applicants are encouraged to submit materials early as the City of Austin reserves the right to fill positions prior to this date). Please submit a cover letter and resume. Send your application to Natalie.Rodriguez@austintexas.gov with the subject line: “Internship Application.” Applications sent without this exact subject line will not be accepted. Please try not to use personally identifying information in your cover letter.
The City is proud of its diverse workforce. Employees at all levels are selected based on their qualifications, skills and abilities. The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual’s AIDS, AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk. ADA Office: (512) 974-3256 TDD (512) 974‑3303