Sustainability Intern

Overview

Live. Work. Explore. as a part of our Sustainability team at the Oasis at Death Valley!

The Oasis at Death Valley is situated in a lush, spring-fed desert oasis, surrounded by the vast and arid desert of Death Valley National Park. The Oasis operates the historic AAA Four Diamond Inn and Ranch, restaurants, gift shops, and the world's lowest elevation golf course. Both hotels are open year-round and feature swimming pools fed by naturally warm local springs.

We’re hiring a Sustainability Intern to Live. Work. Explore. in Death Valley National Park!

Job Summary:
The Sustainability Intern will assist the Director of Sustainabilitywith a variety of sustainability programs and projects at the Oasis at Death Valley, including the management of the resort’s solar array and wastewater treatment plant,maintainingthe environmental management system,monitoringand ensuring compliance with environmental initiatives, and completing data entry and analytics.

To be eligible for this internship, you must:

• Relocate to Death Valley National Park in California for the duration of the program
• Be pursuing or have recently graduated with a degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Biology, or another related program

The Details:
Position Type: Seasonal
Season Dates: May 12th– August 8th,2026or May 19th– August 15th, 2027

Pay: $16.90 per hour

Schedule: Typical schedule is 40 hours, 5 days per week (may include weekends, evenings, and holidays)

Why the Oasis at Death Valley?
Death Valley National Park is in the northern Mojave Desert in California and is the largest National Park outside of Alaska. With incredibly diverse ecosystems, sand dunes, mountains, and America's lowest elevations, Death Valley is an incredible place to call home. We are a welcoming community who work hard, share a real passion for the environment, and enjoy crafting memorable experiences for our guests.

Life at the Oasis

• Retail, Lodging and Travel Discounts
• Free Death Valley National Park pass
• Free on-site laundry facility, Wi-Fi (limited bandwidth)
• Free access to pool, golf course, rec center, gym and sports court
• Employee housing (dormitory-style or RV site)
• Free breakfast and lunch with $4 dinners in the employee dining room (cafeteria-style)
• Planned employee trips and activities
• $350 Referral Bonus Program

Benefits:

• Xanterra offers competitive benefit programs and services for eligible employees. For more information, click here. 

Responsibilities

• Review and be familiar with Xanterra’s ISO 14001 EMS programs.

• Review, record, and analyze utility data for both usage variances and costs, as well as identifying challenges and opportunities to improve environmental management. Prepare monthly dashboards for the Director team.

• May be tasked with completing one Sustainability internal department inspection and assist with developing and implementing corrective or preventative action plans to address any issues found.

• May be asked to assist with Sustainability training as needed.

• Assist with tasks for legal compliance with state, federal, and National Park Service (NPS) environmental statutes and regulations to minimize legal liabilities from potential hazards. This includes, but is not limited to, regulatory requirements governing the management of hazardous materials, hazardous waste (RCRA), universal waste, ozone depleting substances, asbestos, lead, pesticides, fuel storage and dispensing, and wastewater management.

• Learn about and assist with the 2-megawatt, on-site, photovoltaic array. May include assisting with direct oversight of third-party contractors.

• Learn about and assist with the on-site wastewater treatment plant.

• Assist with tracking all utility use through Xanterra’s Ecometrix platform including GHG emissions, electricity, electricity from on-site photovoltaics, propane, gasoline, water, wastewater, waste, universal waste, various recycling streams, sustainable cuisine, single-use plastics elimination, and others.

• Conduct a food waste audit in Food and Beverage Outlets 

• Work withtheretail and logisticsteam to reviewexisting SKUs andidentifyproducts that could be replaced with sustainable products.

• Conduct Dark Skylighting compliance inventory and survey of the property. 

• Review and analyze weekly and monthly reports of online guest comments as they relate to environmental issues.

• Work safely to avoid injuries and accidents, including the use of the proper Personal Protective Equipment (mainly gloves and footwear).

• Attend Green Team meetings and participate in any events that occur during the term of the position.

• Develop and maintain a positive and productive relationship with the Xanterra department directors and staff
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Recent graduate of or currently pursuing a degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Sustainability, Biology, or a related program

• Proficiency in Microsoft Offices products including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey ideas effectively to a variety of audiences, including large groups.

• Strong analytical skills in assessing cost effectiveness, cost savings, program effectiveness, and program compliance.

• Good organizational skills and ability to work with minimal supervision to complete assigned tasks in a timely and professional manner.

• Interest in learning about Xanterra environmental programs, including ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, in order to serve as a resource for employees and Park visitors.

• Must hold a valid driver’s license 

Preferred Qualifications

• Involvement in the development and promotion of any on-campus sustainability initiative or programs.

• Experience workingin a sustainability related club or as a volunteerfor anNGO / Nonprofit.

• Hospitality industry experience.

Physical Requirements include:

• Ability and willingness to work in extreme temperatures.

• Ability to work at nightwith limitedlighting.

• Constantly listening, hearing, seeing, standing, walking, using eye/hand coordination, handling, wrist motion. 

• Ability to drive long distances in a single day(e.g.3-4+ hours)

• Frequently walk and lift or carry up to 50 lbs.

• Occasionally sit, handle, reach outward, reach above shoulder, squat, or kneel, lift/carry and push or pull up to 100lbs.

• Will be required to standfor long periods of time and to occasionally walk-up flights of stairs.

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to extreme conditions which include extreme hot conditions in the summer.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.