Intern, Environmental Security Program

Intern for the Environmental Security Program

FTE: 20 hours per week

Salary: $17.95 per hour

Location: Washington, DC

About Stimson

The Henry L. Stimson Center (Stimson), a nonpartisan global security think tank located in Washington, DC, seeks an intern for our Environmental Security Program. Reporting to Carolyn Gruber, the Deputy Director of the Environmental Security Program, this role ensures that our practices support our mission-driven work, align with Stimson's vision, values, strategic goals, standards of conduct, and operational objectives, and demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee well-being.

We seek a highly motivated, organized, entrepreneurial, and collaborative individual committed to Stimson's mission and core values. This person understands that any organization is only as good as the people working there and the relationships they build and sustain. This job will require building authentic relationships with staff and affiliates that facilitate the successful candidate's ability to challenge, develop, and support them.

About the Program and Position Summary

The Environmental Security Program at the Henry L. Stimson Center is the premier forum for understanding globally connected risks and informing local and regional resilience strategies. As environmental shocks and geopolitical tensions grow, governments and institutions need credible analysis, cross-sector partnerships, and practical tools to navigate complexity. The Environmental Security Program brings clarity and collaboration to the front lines of policy and practice, shaping smarter investments for peace and resilience. With cross-sectoral, solutions-driven analysis, innovative communications, and inclusive dialogue among international stakeholders across governments, civil society, industry, and communities, the Environmental Security Program works to illuminate emerging risks and advance pragmatic resilience-building strategies for communities and countries.

The Program expects this internship to start in March 2026 and go through August 2026.

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities for this internship include:

• Providing administrative support for New Security Beat, including corresponding with potential authors, working with copyeditors, publishing concise and catchy social media, and generating ideas to strengthen the platform's thought leadership in environmental security.
• Developing and implementing strategies to expand the Program's social media presence, including through content creation and audience engagement.
• Assisting with research and analysis in support of the Program's publications, briefings, and strategic initiatives. Current thematic areas include climate resilience in coastal and/or conflict-affected states; illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; critical mineral supply chains; climate, peace, and conflict connections; and global population dynamics.
• Providing logistical, administrative, and operational support for Program events and activities, including drafting meeting summaries, and coordinating follow-up actions.
• Monitoring and synthesizing emerging trends, policy developments, and breaking news across all of the Program's focus areas.
• Supporting cross-program collaboration by sharing relevant research findings and coordinating with other Stimson Center programs on overlapping thematic priorities.

Qualifications:

Applicants should be highly motivated and sincere in their desire for an internship that is challenging and professional in nature and focused on the intersection of environment, population, and security. Interns at the Stimson Center can expect close interaction with program staff, including their respective program directors. Intern supervisors are asked to prepare an evaluation of the intern's performance at the end of the internship, and interns are encouraged to evaluate their experience with the Program and at Stimson more broadly.

The desired candidate should have a bachelor's degree in environmental science or studies, natural resource management, geography, political science, foreign policy or other relevant fields. Strong candidates will have experience in research, writing, and editing, the ability to work productively independently and in a team, and a commitment to high-quality work. Experience working on climate resilience, climate finance, and/or communications would be an asset for this position.

We welcome applications from candidates who may not meet all preferred qualifications.

Application requirements:

Applicants must submit a resume, cover letter, and writing sample (less than 5 pages) as a single PDF to be considered. After the internship deadline closes, applicants will receive notice if they have been chosen to proceed to the interview round. After the interview, applicants will be notified whether they have or have not been selected for the internship.

Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position

Stimson is an equal-opportunity employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable laws.