Student Leader Project Intern

Job Title: Student Leader Project Intern

Hours: Flexible, up to 25 Hours/Week

Start Date: April/May 2025

Duration: August 2025

Pay: $13/hour

Location: Virtual or In-Person

Position Description: 

Are you looking to build your resume with a standout project for future employers? Want to contribute to an international organization with eighty years of environmental impact? Ready to unleash your creativity, sharpen your project management skills, and collaborate with a dynamic nonprofit team?

The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS), in partnership with the Association of Retired Conservation Service Employees (ARCSE), is looking for a summer Student Leader Project Intern. Intern tasks may include, but are not limited to, assisting with operations and logistics of the 80th SWCS International Annual Conference, planning a student and early career professional networking session during the conference, assisting with the creation of a social media calendar and designing posts, assisting with a retiree project, other resource creation and design, and more.

The intern will gain professional work experience, interact with national leaders in agriculture and natural resource conservation, and learn about the operations of an international nonprofit. The intern will work virtually or, if local, at the SWCS Headquarters office in Ankeny, Iowa. However, at the conclusion of the internship, the intern will be required to travel to Costa Mesa, California, expenses paid, to participate in the 80th SWCS International Annual Conference and experience a professional conference as both an organizer and participant. 

Qualifications: 

The intern must be very organized and detail-oriented, have strong communication skills (written and verbal), be proficient with Microsoft Office, and be able to work independently as well as part of a team.  

Candidates must be enrolled in (or recently graduated from) an undergraduate or graduate degree program in communications, marketing, business administration, event management, graphic design, agricultural business, environmental studies, management, nonprofit management, entrepreneurial studies, or other related field. Additional desired qualifications include a demonstrated interest in natural resource conservation, agriculture, environmental studies, or land stewardship, and nonprofit interest or experience. 

Availability:

This is a part-time virtual or in-person internship, beginning in April/May and ending following the conclusion of the in-person 80th SWCS International Annual Conference, August 3-6, 2025, held in Costa Mesa, California. Pay is $13/hour.

Benefits of the Position:

SWCS is dedicated to making this experience as valuable to the employee as the employee is to SWCS! Some of the benefits of this position include:

• A complimentary student membership with access to the career center services
• An opportunity to work with an international organization
• Registration, travel, and lodging for attendance at an international professional conference
• Opportunity to connect with many national leaders in agriculture and conservation
• On-the-job training

To Apply:

Please submit the following materials to courtney.allen@swcs.org by February 28, 2025:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Contact information for two professional or academic references
• College transcript (unofficial is acceptable)

About the Soil and Water Conservation Society:

For eighty years, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has been the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation. We believe sustainable land and water management is essential to the continued security of the earth and its people. Our goal is to cultivate an organization of informed, dynamic individuals whose contributions create a bright future for agriculture, the environment, and society. The Soil and Water Conservation Society is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, with chapters across the United States and Canada. For more information, go to www.swcs.org.

Thank you to ARCSE, our student leader project intern sponsor, for making this possible. Visit www.arcse.org to learn more about their organization.