NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Headquarters Internships

What We Offer

We invite you to join a dedicated and enthusiastic team at the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, where you will gain valuable resume-building experience and an insider's perspective from the nation's leader in ocean conservation and management. As an intern, you will work on a variety of projects tailored to meet your capacity, availability and interests. We are based in Silver Spring, MD and easily accessible on Washington DC’s metro system.  As an intern, you will be in the loop and encouraged to attend marine conservation events, lectures, conferences and receptions that provide fantastic networking opportunities for your career development. 

ONMS cooperates with institutions of higher learning and internship coordination programs to ensure students receive credit for their work.  We can arrange positions for part-time and full-time availability; while the duration of internships can vary, most typically last at least 6 weeks.  Stipends are currently unavailable.

Eligibility

Internships are open to all individuals over the age of 15.  The NOAA Office of Security requires a background check for all interns and staff; this process will begin at the start of your internship. 

Notice for non-US citizens: You must hold an appropriate visa and be accepted as an intern at least 45 days prior to the scheduled start date to complete additional security clearance. 

If you have questions regarding eligibility contact Cirse.Gonzalez@noaa.gov.

How to Apply

To apply for an internship with ONMS, please review the available positions descriptions below and send the following materials to the point of contact listed:

• Cover letter
• Resume/Curriculum Vitae
• Writing sample

Available Positions

Legislative and Constituent Affairs Internship

Media Relations Internship

Filmmaking and New Media Internship

Sanctuary Socioeconomics Internship

Legislative and Constituent Affairs Internship
ONMS faces the challenges of supporting Congress' reauthorization of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the President's budget request while keeping pace with Congress and our constituents in messaging on hot marine conservation issues such as climate change, marine spatial planning and resource conservation. We are looking for motivated self-starters who enjoy both independent and collaborative work to join our team in 2013. The ideal candidate for this internship will possess a strong academic background and the desire to immerse him or herself in the world of marine communications and the internal workings of a federal office.

Media relations Internship
The Communications Team produces and distributes Office of National Marine Sanctuaries messages through a variety of channels to a diverse audience - Capitol Hill legislators and staff, agency departments, news media and the public. The intern will have the opportunity to participate in staff meetings; fine-tune writing, editing and proofreading skills; develop targeted media lists and media kits; learn media outreach strategies; contribute to our social media efforts; and attend special events. Strong research and writing skills are a must, along with knowledge of social media trends and best practices.

Filmmaking and New Media Internship
The Education and Outreach Division produces and distributes Office of National Marine Sanctuaries messages through a variety of channels to a diverse audience - Capitol Hill legislators and staff, agency departments, news media, and the public. The intern will have the opportunity to create original work and collaborate on existing visual media projects; fine-tune writing and editing skills; learn media outreach strategies; contribute to our social media efforts; and attend special events. Prospective interns should expect to work 15-25 hours per week, 5 of which must be in the ONMS Headquarters office.

Sanctuary Socioeconomics Internship
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) develops and implements socioeconomic research and monitoring to support assessments of management strategies and regulations affecting various stakeholder user groups. ONMS is seeking an economics or social science student to provide socioeconomic research support to the chief economist.

As part of a comprehensive science team, your responsibilities will include:

• supporting the socioeconomic and policy requirements of ONMS
• supporting socioeconomic activities throughout the NMS system
• assisting in the design and implementation of socioeconomic related planning/decision-making processes to support management plan review and new site designation for National Marine Sanctuaries
• assisting in the design and implementation of socioeconomic data collection surveys for NMSP sites