Environmental Research Internship - Summer 2024

Location

Ashburn, VA | United States

Job description

At Van Metre, we believe that each employee contributes directly to our growth, success and culture. We seek out candidates who love to challenge themselves and work with others to fulfill this role. Van Metre is seeking an Environmental Research Intern for the Summer of 2024!

We are looking for an Environmental Research Intern who is highly motivated to contribute towards the continued success of Van Metre’s Environmental & Sustainable components of Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG). We are looking for someone who is passionate about researching the current state of our company’s environmental impact and sustainability efforts while providing recommendations for areas of improvement based on government regulations and industry leading practices and metrics. This position must be able to work independently, manage upward, and proactively present on the status of their projects and responsibilities.

All Van Metre interns will have the opportunity to meet and network with interns and employees from other departments and divisions. Interns will engage in a series of trainings that will help them to excel in their particular roles and to broaden their understanding of the company and the many different ways to become involved at Van Metre. The internship program is designed to give our interns valuable and broadly applicable experience that will continue to be an asset well into the future.

This position will be based out of our Broadlands, VA office, with one day per work reporting to our Van Metre BASE in Winchester, VA and will be part of the Strategic Growth team. This role will report directly to the Director and Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth.

Essential Functions:

• Environmental & Sustainability Analysis:
• Work with architecture, construction, and R&D components of our company to analyze the energy efficiency of our home designs and construction practices.
• Identify opportunities for incorporating energy-efficient home building techniques and materials.
• Document Environmental Regulations compliance at a State & Federal level, with a focus on “Zero Energy” homes.
• Explore opportunities for the company to achieve green certifications, such as LEED or ENERGY STAR and assist in the documentation needed for achieving these certifications.
• Identify utility savings opportunities in residential designs.
• Innovation research to document emerging technologies and best practices for environmentally friendly home-building. I.e., waste management, water conservation, carbon footprint analysis. 
• Research Deliverable:
• This individual will be responsible for developing a quantitative & qualitative research paper that analyzes our home building operations as it relates to both our environmental impact and sustainability efforts.
• The research paper will include industry leading examples, governmental regulations, and best practices with recommendations for future growth opportunities and improvements.

What to Expect:

• This role will present you with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in researching and recommending best practices across environmental and sustainable components of a homebuilder / manufacturing company.
• You will receive substantial coaching on how to navigate the above “Essential Functions,” receiving templates, process, and project management guidance to ensure you are set up for success. We are looking for someone with Environmental & Sustainability experience, either school or work related.
• If you want experience in a fast-paced, highly entrepreneurial company, with an ability to gain practical experience on the different courses you’ve completed to date, this is a great role for you.

Requirements:

• An ability to develop a quantitative & qualitative research paper.
• Experience with a combination of the following: Energy Star, HERS, LEED, Net-Zero Energy Homes, WaterSense, Sustainable Site Design.
• Preferably pursuing a master's (or bachelor's degree with the intent to pursue a master's) in Sustainability, Sustainability Development, or Environmental Science. With a graduation date of 2025 if pursuing an undergraduate degree.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to ask the “right” questions as it relates to our environmental impact and sustainability efforts.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, and Power Point).
• Valid Driver's License and personal transportation.

Van Metre's Summer 2024 Internship Program is an 8-week program in which Interns get the opportunity to hone the skills in their field but also learn about our business. The Program starts the first week in June 2024 and runs through early August. Interns will attend trainings and planned sessions with Executives from every team, learning about every aspect of a product, from inception to completion, sale, and management. The goal is to assist in your quest to become a well-rounded individual, just like our company is! 

Van Metre Companies has been named a Top Workplace by the Washington Post for seven consecutive years! We have received the Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work Award for the last six years, and have received their Corporate Philanthropy Award for the last nine years in a row!!!

We offer excellent benefits, and a work environment that fosters and rewards excellence. We also promote work/life balance, including a robust Employee Wellness Program, which encourages healthy living and physical fitness. We encourage employees to make full use of vacation and company paid volunteer time to refresh their bodies and minds.

Van Metre Mission Statement

The mission of Van Metre Companies is to build and continually improve upon the storied reputation, earned over the years since the Company’s founding in 1955, of providing top-quality homes, investment properties, and services to our customers and clients. The Company’s emphasis on integrity, professionalism, and philanthropy ingrained by our founder Albert G. Van Metre, Sr. has garnered trust and respect in the Washington, D.C. area and beyond. It is critical to our future that we maintain that reputation and assure that Van Metre Companies continues to excel in real estate development and construction and the management of apartment, retail, and office investment properties, as well as in the provision of mortgage and related services. It is the task of our dedicated, energetic, and involved professionals to advance our ability to set the benchmark for luxury living and refined commercial development. The capstone of our mission is to make the “Van Metre” signature an icon for elegant residential communities, and industry-leading condominium and apartment communities, as well as Class A neighborhood retail centers and office developments.

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