Intern - Environmental Policy and Regulatory Strategy

About The Opportunity

SWCA is seeking an Intern - Environmental Policy and Regulatory Strategy for Summer 2026 to support our Washington, DC legislative and executive affairs office. The intern will be part of an SWCA team that works where policy meets project delivery. We do NOT perform traditional government affairs or abstract policy analysis. Our focus is translating evolving federal and state policy into real-world implications for permitting strategy, infrastructure development, and regulatory risk. That means understanding how guidance, legislation, and agency priorities influence what projects get built, how they move through NEPA and federal (as well as state) processes, and where challenges are likely to emerge.

As an Intern - Environmental Policy and Regulatory Strategy, you'll help track policy signals, develop clear “what this means” insights, and support the internal tools and briefings that keep SWCA teams and clients ahead of a rapidly shifting regulatory environment. The goal is not just to follow policy, but to understand how it shapes infrastructure decisions long before formal permitting begins. The successful intern will have strong analytical skills (not necessarily with data analysis but guided by insightful observations), learn quickly, and demonstrate political awareness.

This internship will occur during the summer of 2026 (June 1 - August 14). Candidates who can start earlier than June 2026 will be considered and those who can remain past August 2026 are strongly encouraged to apply. In addition to project work, the internship program includes regularly scheduled presentations and developmental programming by SWCA leaders as part of the larger internship cohort.

This is an hourly, non-exempt, typically 40-hour a week internship paying $21.38/hour. The position is open to individuals based in the Washington, DC metro area or remote candidates (e.g., distributed employee) based in the USA Eastern Time Zone.

Established in 1981, SWCA has a long-standing presence in the United States, and is known for sound science and creative solutions. Our company's purpose is to preserve natural and cultural resources for tomorrow while enabling projects that benefit people today. Please submit a cover letter to be considered for this position. Application deadline: Our team will begin reviewing applications immediately, and interviews will be scheduled with qualified candidates on a rolling basis. The application process will remain open until we have received a robust pool of qualified candidates.

What You Will Accomplish

• Monitor federal and state policy, regulatory actions, and agency guidance relevant to energy, infrastructure, natural resources, and environmental permitting.
• Prepare concise policy summaries and briefing materials that translate complex developments into clear implications for project teams and clients.
• Support development of internal intelligence products (e.g., regulatory trackers, briefings, dashboards, or newsletters) by organizing and synthesizing emerging policy trends.
• Conduct targeted research on legislation, executive actions, rulemakings, and litigation affecting project delivery timelines, tax incentives, or regulatory risk.
• Assist in drafting “what this means” analyses that connect policy developments to permitting strategy, stakeholder engagement, and project planning.
• Track agency announcements, Federal Register notices, and congressional activity to help identify early signals that may impact client sectors.
• Collaborate with technical staff to understand how policy intersects with NEPA, federal permitting, environmental compliance, and infrastructure development.
• Help maintain internal knowledge resources by tagging, organizing, and summarizing regulatory intelligence for broader team use.
• Support preparation of client-facing materials, presentations, or internal briefings as part of SWCA’s policy and regulatory advisory work.
• Learn how a project-based, environmental and archaeological compliance company monitors and shapes the political process to anticipate sales needs and develop strategic initiatives.

Experience and Qualifications for Success

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a college or university while completing their Junior or Senior year, preferably pursuing a bachelor's degree in environmental policy or science, urban planning, sustainability, geography, or political science. Recent graduates who completed their degree program no earlier than May 2026 will also be eligible.
• Applicants who are pursuing a Master's degree will also be considered. Ph.D. candidates are not eligible through this program.
• Capstone project or honors thesis related to the US or State-wide environmental or infrastructure policies and/or politics, or a related internship or summer job, very helpful.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite software.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must have good communication, interpersonal skills, and attention to detail.
• Strong thinking and analytical skills.
• Highly organized.
• Fast learner.
• Savvy politically or an interest/ability to become political aware.

Why Work At SWCA

SWCA Environmental Consultants is a growing employee-owned firm, providing a full-spectrum of environmental services. Our Vision (the North Star) is to make SWCA the best workplace and industry leader in sustainability, bringing sound science and creative solutions to global environmental challenges while maintaining a dedication to employee-ownership. We live our core values: we collaborate as #OneSWCA; we are #AlwaysLearning, we #NeverSettle, and we #GiveBack.

We are 100% employee-owned, and we build our success together. With offices across the United States, SWCA is one of the largest environmental compliance firms and ranks among Engineering News-Record’s Top 200 Environmental Firms. We offer a supportive, team-oriented work environment and competitive wages and benefits, including an 100% employee stock ownership plan (retirement).

SWCA is committed to salary equity and salary transparency for all its employees. In alignment with this commitment, SWCA posts good faith pay ranges in all its advertised job postings to promote pay equity and transparency.

Key skills/competency

• Environmental Policy
• Regulatory Strategy
• Legislative Affairs
• Policy Analysis
• Permitting Strategy
• Infrastructure Development
• NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act)
• Environmental Compliance
• Regulatory Risk
• Political Awareness