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Entry-Level Fellowship. State and Local Government Fellowship. Full-time, 1-year fixed-term. United States Green Building Council (USGBC). 100% remote in U.S.

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Requisition #: 1244. Salary: $56,000.00 Annually. Application Closes: not posted.

The State and Local Government Fellow is a one-year, fixed-term position funded through New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Clean Energy Communities Cohort Track Program, a multi-year initiative that provides cities, towns, and counties with tools, resources, and technical assistance to accelerate local climate action. This is not a permanent position and is expected to conclude at the end of the one-year term, subject to program funding and organizational needs.

Reporting to the Project Manager, State and Local Government, you’ll support annual cohorts of participating local governments throughout their journey—from onboarding and readiness assessments to implementation planning and peer learning. Working collaboratively with internal subject matter experts, regional partners, local government officials, and external stakeholders, you’ll contribute to program delivery, participant engagement, curriculum development, technical assistance, and continuous program improvement while helping advance USGBC’s mission to create more sustainable, resilient, and equitable communities.

Key Responsibilities 

  • Support the planning, coordination, and delivery of annual cohorts by assisting with participant onboarding, scheduling, communications, milestone tracking, workshops, and cohort logistics throughout the program lifecycle. 
  • Provide technical assistance and ongoing support to participating local governments, helping jurisdictions navigate program resources, track progress, and implement clean energy and building decarbonization initiatives. 
  • Develop and maintain program content and educational resources, including agendas, presentations, implementation guides, playbooks, case studies, briefing materials, and participant communications. 
  • Facilitate participant engagement and peer learning by supporting workshops, cohort meetings, networking sessions, presentations, and collaboration among local governments, regional partners, universities, and subject matter experts. 
  • Conduct research and analyze best practices related to sustainability, climate policy, building decarbonization, benchmarking, and building performance standards to strengthen program resources and participant support. 
  • Support program operations and performance reporting by maintaining participant records, collecting feedback, administering surveys, tracking program metrics, and assisting with annual impact reports. 
  • Collaborate across USGBC teams and external partners to ensure consistent communications, coordinated program delivery, and an exceptional participant experience. 
  • Represent USGBC professionally when engaging with local government staff, elected officials, partner organizations, and other stakeholders while promoting the organization’s mission and sustainability initiatives.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience 

  • Experience supporting building decarbonization, clean energy, sustainability, climate action, resilience, or public sector initiatives through employment, internships, volunteer work, or academic research. 
  • Demonstrated ability to conduct research, develop written materials, and manage multiple priorities simultaneously. 
  • Experience working with local governments, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, or community organizations is preferred but not required.

Education

  • Bachelor’s degree (completed or in progress) in Sustainability, Environmental Policy, Public Administration, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Architecture, Geography, Sociology, Communications, Law, History, Climate Leadership, or a related field. 
  • Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience will also be considered.

Technology/System(s)

  • Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) 
  • Microsoft Teams 
  • Zoom 
  • Familiarity with collaboration and virtual meeting platforms 
  • Experience using project management tools is a plus

Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills 
  • Research and analytical thinking 
  • Public speaking and presentation skills 
  • Organization and project coordination 
  • Collaboration and relationship building 
  • Attention to detail 
  • Customer service and stakeholder engagement 
  • Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities 
  • Commitment to continuous learning and process improvement

ABOUT OUR TOTAL REWARDS PACKAGE

Salary 

The salary for this position is $56,000 annually. This is a fixed salary established based on the funding available for the NYSERDA program and is not negotiable.

Benefits

We offer you:

  • 401(k) with employer matching
  • Professional development reimbursement
  • We offer a healthcare plan through Cigna that includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription drugs. USGBC covers 100% of the premiums and an HRA that will assist you and your dependents in reaching the in-network medical deductible. You will only be responsible for the $300 individual / $600 family up front deductible for medical services before the employer funded HRA will process payments for your in-network claims 
  • Generous paid time off (12 paid holidays, 9 paid personal sick days and based on career level either 2 to 3 weeks PTO), including operations closed for a full week between Christmas and New Year’s

LOGISTICS

Location: This position is remote in the U.S. with preference for New York state.

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM ET 

Travel %: The Fellow will travel periodically for in‑person cohort orientation, regional convenings, and occasional conferences or partner events.

The U.S. Green Building Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

ABOUT US

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to accelerating and scaling the transformation of the built environment. Through LEED—the world’s most widely used green building rating system— and initiatives likes Greenbuild, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy, USGBC empowers professionals to drive market transformation that advances human and environmental health, climate resilience, and equity.

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) is the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body, independently recognizing excellence in performance. GBCI administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates including LEED, PERFORM, SITES, and TRUE Zero Waste.

We are proud to be globally recognized for our leadership in green building, environmental performance, and sustainable development.

Our Global Impact

  • Over 120,000 LEED-certified commercial projects worldwide
  • Millions of square feet of certified healthy, efficient, low-carbon space
  • Recognition in 180+ countries for innovation in green building and business practices

Why Join Us

At USGBC and GBCI, you’ll work alongside passionate, mission-aligned professionals who care deeply about people, the planet, and progress. We offer:

  • A purpose-driven, inclusive culture
  • Opportunities to grow your career and take ownership of meaningful work
  • A chance to make a measurable impact on global sustainability efforts
  • We’re seeking team members who thrive in collaborative environments, are committed to excellence, and want to build lasting partnerships that drive change in the built environment.

Meet Our Leaders and Learn More about our Mission:

Culture and Values Statement

Working together, each of us advances our mission by respecting all voices, trusting and supporting one another, excelling through collaboration and accountability, and continuously improving ourselves and our organization.

2026 Summer Internship. Policy and Advocacy Intern – Climate and Security Risk (Remote/office based). United Nations Development Programme, New York.

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Requisition #: 31375. Salary: monthly stipend, amount depends on duty station. Application Closes: February 16, 2026. Duration: 3 months.

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The multidimensional nature of climate change creates far-reaching consequences not only for the environment but also for development and, ultimately, for the security of people, communities and states. While climate change does not cause violent conflict in and of itself, it can multiply risks that contribute to insecurity, overburden state capacity, and make already vulnerable communities more susceptible to threats.

In the past 15-20 years, these interlinkages between climate change, prevention and sustaining peace have received a growing amount of attention both among researchers and increasingly also in policy circles. In the Security Council, for instance, a landmark Presidential Statement from 2011 (PRST/2011/15) paved the way for more regular engagement on this topic and set the stage for a series of formal outcomes over the past two years recognizing the adverse impact of climate change on stability and calling for “adequate risk assessments and risk management strategies by governments and the United Nations.”

While the debates on the climate-conflict nexus have extended beyond causality and contextual pathways, how climate action may contribute to peace, stability, and security in conflict-affected and fragile contexts needs to be better understood and documented. Communities suffer a “double exposure” and “double vulnerability” to climate change and conflict, viz extant socio-, economic- and political factors which make them vulnerable to conflict and also leave them susceptible to climate change.

Addressing climate-related security risks represents a strategic focus on delivering innovative and cross-cutting approaches to promote climate action and sustaining peace for UNDP, the largest implementer of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the largest conflict prevention and peacebuilding portfolio in the UN system. UNDP’s Climate Security Offer leverages the expertise of UNDP’s Global Policy Network on climate, environment, peace and security, and also builds on the Climate Security Mechanism’s work to: 

  1. Climate-proof prevention and peacebuilding, 
  2. Ensure peace-positive mitigation and adaptation, 
  3. Deliver integrated approaches to climate action and sustaining peace, and 
  4. Strengthen the capacity of regional entities and cross-border approaches to address climate-related security risks.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Team Leader – Climate Security Risk, the intern shall perform, inter alia, the following tasks:

Tasks assigned may include one or more of the following:

  • Assisting with policy and advocacy work, including collecting data from projects, drafting, formatting, and proofing communications materials, success stories and event invitations
  • Support the collection of information related to policy and programme support, analyse the information and develop a short compendium of good programming and policy practices in climate, peace and security
  • Assist in other basic research i.e., collecting, analyzing and presenting statistical data and other information gathered from diverse sources
  • Support data analytics visualizations and prepare infographics/factsheets
  • Drafting posts to promote events, publications, and content featured on UNDP’s social media accounts
  • Assist in administrative and substantive support to meetings and events, preparation of background documents and presentations, handling logistics etc.
  • Support other/ad hoc activities as seen relevant and needed.

Requirements: 

  • Experience in conflict prevention/peacebuilding, climate change, climate security and/or related areas;
  • Demonstrable understanding of issues related to international development, climate change, security, peacebuilding and/or resilience;
  • Experience of working in a field office is desirable;
  • Demonstrable excellent written and communication skills;
  • Ability to take initiative, work independently, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines; and
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work as a part of a team, sharing information and coordinating efforts within the team. 

Competencies

Corporate:

  • Commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
  • Cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the UNDP Statement of Purpose.
  • Demonstrated interest and motivation in the field of development;
  • A desire to work with people with different language, national and cultural backgrounds.

Functional:

  • Exemplary planning and organizational skills with a high degree of detail orientation;
  • Strong electronic communication skills including writing, summarizing and editing short items;
  • Skilled working with data management and analysis;
  • Experience working with data visualization tools (for example, Microsoft Power BI) a plus
  • Strong organizational skills and the ability to multi-task;
  • Attention to detail is crucial;
  • Ability to work independently;
  • Responsible, responsive and enthusiastic. 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher);
  • Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor’s level or equivalent); or
  • Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation. 

Language Requirements:

  • Proficient in written and spoken English. Knowledge of another UN language would be an asset.

UNDP Terms & Conditions of internship

Internships within the UN system are subject to following conditions, which the candidates should familiarize themselves with prior to applying:

  • UNDP interns are eligible to receive a monthly stipend, with the rate that varies depending on the duty location. The stipend will be paid monthly, and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.
  • Any further costs associated with the internship must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her arrangements for travel, accommodation and other costs;
  • UNDP accepts no responsibility for the medical and life insurance of the intern or costs arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship. The Intern must provide proof of enrolment in a health insurance plan;
  • UNDP does not provide assistance with travel and/or housing and the Intern will be responsible for obtaining the necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;
  • The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment within the UN System, but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship. The Intern will not be eligible to apply for, or be appointed to, any post in UNDP during the period of internship or for the six months immediately following the expiration date thereof;
  • Interns will need to use their own laptop/notebook. A workstation with wireless internet access will be provided at the Centre’s facilities and supervisory support provided by the Centre staff;
  • Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
  • UNDP only accepts interns for a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 6 months.

The Selected candidates will be required to Provide the Following Additional Documents prior to joining:

  • Official letter from the University confirming enrollment in a degree program, specifying the subject and level of the program and expected graduation date, or Diploma if the intern has graduated within the last year;
  • Copy of passport;
  • Copy of current school Transcript if enrolled in school, or transcript from most recently completed year.
  • Proof of health insurance coverage valid for the duration of the internship.
  • Medical Certificate of good health from a recognized physician. If the intern is expected to travel outside the country of their residence, other than to Europe and North America, the physician must indicate whether the intern is fit to travel and has had the required inoculations for the country or countries to which the intern is to travel;
  • A signed UNDP Internship Agreement.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.