As part of King County's commitment to regional partnership on climate action, the County serves as organizational host and co-chair of the Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative (the Collaborative), a network of more than 30 local and county governments, Tribes, regional agencies, and other organizations working to build community, economic, and environmental resilience to climate change.   

The Climate & Communities Fellow will support the development and implementation of a new Climate & Communities Learning Series (CCLS) hosted by the Collaborative. The CCLS is a Puget Sound-focused effort to build greater regional understanding of climate impacts on underserved and under-resourced communities, to increase local government knowledge and capacity for incorporating frontline community needs into climate preparedness, and to facilitate prioritization of community-based solutions that have multiple benefits for people and the environment. The CCLS series, developed and hosted over 16-20 months, will consist of a combination of up to six webinars and workshops focused on building capacity for effective partnership with frontline communities in climate partnership work. The series will provide education on topics including climate impacts on frontline communities, an introduction to the Climate Justice movement, best practices for community engagement, basics of climate storytelling, and other priorities identified by local communities.

Beyond leading the CCLS, this internship will also provide the opportunity to assist with community engagement and inclusion across other Collaborative programming, including regional alignment workshops and convenings focused on key climate resilience topics. Working closely with Collaborative staff, the CCLS Advisory Group, and other partners (such as the Collaborative Steering Committee), the Fellow will help elevate community-centered perspectives and solutions throughout all aspects of the project.

The Climate & Communities Fellow is responsible for working with the King County and Collaborative project team, a community consultant, and a community Advisory Committee to create and facilitate a community-centered climate learning series and to support with integration of community priorities into other Collaborative programming. This internship provides a unique opportunity to work with climate adaptation practitioners and community leaders across the Puget Sound region on building local and regional capacity for climate preparedness, and to grow the Collaborative's role as a leading resource for climate preparedness learning and practice that is responsive to community needs. The role also provides opportunities for career development beyond the internship through skill-building training and networking. This position seeks to be full-time during summer months and part-time during school months with flexibility for the Fellow's class schedule. It is currently funded through December 2027. The position will report to Collaborative staff within the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) Director's Office. 

The Collaborative is a network of local and county governments, Tribes, and organizations in the Puget Sound basin working together to advance climate preparedness. In 2024, the Collaborative was awarded a NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge (CRRC) grant to expand climate adaptation learning, collaboration, and technical support opportunities for Puget Sound jurisdictions and Tribes.

The Climate & Communities Learning Fellow position is based in the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) Director's Office and is a member of the County's Climate Preparedness Team. The Climate Preparedness Team works across agency, jurisdictional, and subject matter boundaries to reduce climate impacts and increase community and organizational resilience. In addition to running the Collaborative, the team is actively working on issues related sea level rise, wildfire risk reduction, extreme heat mitigation, flooding, and integrating climate change into county policies and practices.

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive.  We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Climate and Communities  Intern, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

What You Will Be Doing: 

• Create and manage a CCLS Advisory Group (15%): Support the creation and management of a CCLS Advisory Group, to consist of five to eight representatives from community-based organizations and/or frontline communities.  
• Design and deliver the CCLS (65%): Work with the CCLS Advisory Group, Collaborative Steering Committee and staff, a community consultant, and other partners to co-develop the content, format, and schedule of the CCLS. Anticipated content includes information on local climate change impacts, an overview of climate justice, climate storytelling basics, and best practices for frontline community engagement.  Secure participation from community members, presenters, and subject matter experts. Conduct outreach to recruit attendees for CCLS sessions using methods such as email, social media, and newsletters. Facilitate CCLS webinars, meetings, and trainings in collaboration with other partners. Ensure CCLS webinars are accessible and add value for participants through supporting materials. Summarize notes and key messages from CCLS sessions to share post-meeting. Elicit feedback from presenters and participants during and after CCLS sessions and summarize findings to support evaluation and improvement of the series. Compile, and when necessary create, guidance documents, training materials, and resources related to the CCLS for inclusion in resource libraries on the Collaborative website.
• Support integration of climate equity and community priorities across grant activities (10%): Support integration of climate equity and community engagement principles in Collaborative webinars, regional convenings, and workshops. Help identify opportunities to highlight climate and community equity principles in webinars, technical guidance, and case studies.
• Support grant reporting and communications (10%): Track activities, participation metrics, and outcomes of the CCLS.Contribute to reports and presentations on program progress. Collaborate with Collaborative staff to share updates and support continued program development. Participate in Collaborative grant staff team meetings, convenings, and other activities (mix of virtual or in-person).  

Qualifications You Bring: 

• Currently enrolled graduate student in environmental studies, environmental justice, public policy, or related fields
• Strong relationship-building skills with an ability to work across cultural and organizational or programmatic contexts.
• Strong writing skills and ability to communicate clearly with teams and partners from various backgrounds.
• Experience with organizing and supporting discussions in virtual meetings and other collaborative mediums. Includes proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite. 
• Demonstrated success managing multiple deadlines, managing multi-step tasks, and working collaboratively within a team.

• Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.

• Balances Stakeholders: Anticipating and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.

• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.

• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.

• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.

• Racially Just: Identify and replace racists systems and structures with anti-racists and pro-equity approaches.

• Nimble Learning: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Experience with facilitating workshops, trainings, or public presentations.
• Familiarity with climate change, community resilience, and environmental justice.

• Experience with conducting community engagement or drafting public-facing educational materials in multiple mediums (such as newsletters, flyers, and social media). 

Working Conditions:

• Work Location: The Climate Preparedness  team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104.  Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is not represented by a union.
• Duration: This recruitment aims to fill an Internship position with an anticipated end date in December 2027.

Application and Selection Process:

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants.  We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all background to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.  

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter

Note:  Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Mark Workinger at [email protected]

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our website, explore aninteractive mapof our recent accomplishments and check us out atFacebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTubeand Keeping King County Green News.

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Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

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No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

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