Avian Protection Internship

Job Description

Puget Sound Energy is looking to hire an intern based at our Georgetown office to support our Avian Protection Program team.

As a PSE Intern, you will gain the real-world experience you need to compete in today's job market, enhance your technical skills, and learn the essential inner-workings of PSE’s utility environment. Start building your future today with practical knowledge and experience to complement your previous achievements. The internship is an excellent opportunity to play an integral role within PSE to help serve customers, neighboring communities, and the environment. PSE provides a work culture where all employees are valued, respected, and given the opportunity to grow skills and expertise.

PSE has a comprehensive company-wide avian protection program that strives to reduce impacts to birds across our electrical system and generation sites. Our team of avian biologists work to strategically upgrade our infrastructure, reduce impacts of operations on birds and habitat, and support renewable energy initiatives, creating a safer environment for birds, wildlife, and important habitat. The ideal candidate will support our program’s conservation and regulatory obligations and objectives through tracking, documenting and responding to avian incidents and managing avian databases. Opportunities also exist to help with our education and outreach activities and to learn how wildlife regulations and our energy infrastructure shape the work our avian team completes here at PSE.

At Puget Sound Energy, we are focused on recruiting, retaining, and developing team members who share our passion and commitment to providing sophisticated and consistent environmental compliance support. Our team values different perspectives, and cares about the sustainability of our planet, and is committed to upholding PSE’s commitments to the environment, including our Beyond Net Zero Carbon climate goals. In return, we offer you the opportunity to be part of a strong team of environmental professionals working together to achieve and maintain the company’s compliance goals.

Job Responsibilities

• Monitor outage reports for potential avian incidents.
• Organize, maintain and update PSE’s avian incident tracking database using ArcGIS online.
• Conduct field activities, including documenting and responding to avian powerline incidents, nest monitoring and management, and other field-related activities as needed.
• Support education and outreach activities to promote PSE’s avian protection program and our conservation partners.

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled as a college Sophomore or higher with a major in Environmental Science, Biology, Ecology, or similar natural resource field of study.
• Strong interest in avian ecology.
• Experience with ESRI software such as ArcGIS online or ArcPro.
• Good academic standing.
• Strong work ethic, initiative, and motivation.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.
• Interest in the energy and/or utility field.
• Comfortable working in both an office and field environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with data collection and data management.
• Experience using field applications such as Survey 1,2,3 and Field Maps.
• Ability to visually and/or aurally identify birds of western and central Washington.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Commitment to safety, ethics, and PSE's core values.
• Comfort working outside in various conditions and potentially handling birds as needed.

Additional Information

Interns must be 18 years of age or older. The start date will be dependent on intern availability but generally lasts between Memorial Day and Labor Day.