Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs

Transportation for America (T4A) and its parent organization (SGA) are looking to recruit an intern to support its technical assistance, research, and advocacy work.

Organizational overview

About Smart Growth America

Smart Growth America envisions a country where no matter where you live, or who you are, you can enjoy living in a place that is healthy, prosperous, and resilient. We empower communities through technical assistance, advocacy, and thought leadership to realize this vision of livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity.

About Transportation for America

Transportation for America, the transportation program of Smart Growth America, is a national nonprofit made up of local, regional and state leaders who seek a transportation system that safely, affordably and conveniently connects people of all means and ability to jobs, services and opportunity through multiple modes of travel.

Position overview

The intern will be asked to work on a collection of transportation policy, research, and messaging projects aligned with their skills that will be fundamental to T4America’s extensive advocacy, thought leadership, and technical assistance portfolio. Specific topics of work that the intern may be involved with may include, but not limited to:

Policy Research and Development

Fundamental to T4America’s work is looking to better understand the legislative and regulatory framework underlying the design, implementation, and operation of the transportation system and how to reimagine it towards our three key principles. The intern will assist in analyzing legislative activity from the US Congress, prepare policy memos and briefs, draft legislative text, and engage in outreach and support to Congressional staff. Furthermore, as part of T4America’s technical assistance work, the intern will provide research support for clients to better understand their transportation challenges and how they can be addressed towards a sustainable, equitable outcome aligned with T4America’s three key principles.

Transportation Storytelling

Transportation is a complex system. Communicating about transportation and its importance in our everyday lives is daunting. T4America strives to demystify the federal transportation program and its intersections with implementation by state and local governments, framing it in a way that the average person can understand and discuss with their friends and neighbors. The intern will assist in crafting messaging, online tools, and visual concepts that effectively communicate the core points of T4America’s advocacy and thought leadership. The intern will also assist in the product deliverable layout and editorial process.

Policy Evaluation and Implementation

T4America regularly evaluates and makes recommendations on the drafting, adoption, and implementation of specific policies, especially in support of the National Complete Streets Coalition, CHARGE Coalition, and other federal policy roundtables. The intern will assist in the evaluation policies, such as Complete Streets policies from across the U.S. and work with staff to identify trends that would inform best practices and future advocacy efforts.

Knowledge and skills

Interns seeking to work with SGA / T4America should strive to have the following skills:

• Working knowledge of and passion for transportation, land use, development, and urban planning topics
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Strong research and writing skills, including experience with policy analysis and literature reviews, as well as in distilling that type of academic analysis into clear recommendations.
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to display data, research, and policy concepts in a clear and relevant manner
• Organized and able to work independently after receiving instructions
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office suite of tools or similar for document preparation (memos, presentations, etc)

SGA and T4America also strongly encourage interns to apply if they have the following skills:

• Experience in digital storytelling tools
• Python
• ArcGIS
• Proficient in visual graphic design editors (i.e. Photoshop or similar)

Educational background

Undergraduate or graduate students in urban planning, real estate development, visual communications, public policy, sociology, or related disciplines are encouraged to apply. An interest in land use and development or transportation policy and advocacy is key among intern applicants.

Compensation, schedule, and COVID protocols

Interns will be provided with a computer during their time with Smart Growth America. Interns will also be expected to commit between 15-20 hours a week for a minimum of 12 weeks (with the opportunity to have their internship extended beyond the 12 weeks). The intern will be paid a semi-monthly stipend throughout their tenure in the program at the hourly rate of $20 for undergraduate students and $22 for graduate students for a stipend not to exceed $5,280 for the 12-week period in Fall 2024 (with the potential for a Spring 2025 extension). All interns are expected to be insured by their school’s or personal health and/or liability insurance, as this internship program does not provide health or liability insurance coverage for interns.

SGA is based in Washington, DC, and operates on a hybrid work schedule. Staff are in the office Tuesday through Thursday, working in the office three days a week, while generally working remotely the rest of the week. Interns will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a booster.

How to apply

Please email jobs@smartgrowthamerica.org with “T4America Intern” in the subject line, a resume, and a cover letter where you specifically address the following three questions:

• What interests you about working for Transportation for America / Smart Growth America?
• What key issues in transportation and/or land use and development will have the biggest impact on Americans, particularly low-income Americans and people of color, and why?
• How did you hear of this internship opportunity?

Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

SGA is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. Smart Growth America and Transportation for America are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage applications from candidates of color. Employment and promotional opportunities are based on individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law.