Research & Administrative Intern- Washington DC

Organization: Center for Food Safety (CFS)

Position: Research & Administrative Intern

Location: Washington, D.C.

Status: Full-time paid internship (six month to one year commitment preferred)

Start Date: May 2012

Organizational Overview

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy membership organization established in 1997 to challenge harmful food production technologies and promote sustainable alternatives. CFS combines multiple tools and strategies in pursuing its goals, including litigation and legal petitions for rulemaking, legal support for various sustainable agriculture and food safety constituencies, as well as public education, grassroots organizing and media outreach.  For more information about CFS’s work, please visit www.centerforfoodsafety.org and www.truefoodnow.org.

Description

CFS currently seeks a Research & Administrative Intern to join the Washington, D.C. office.  The D.C. office houses a small but diverse staff working on various policy, litigation and advocacy campaigns.  The Intern will be supervised by the Operations Manager but will work with various staff, including the Executive Director, Policy Analysts and the Legal Team.  The intern should have solid knowledge of the issues and be prepared to manage several tasks and responsibilities simultaneously.  In this regard, the intern will be exposed to various aspects of food and farming policy.  Interns support program staff in a variety of capacities including research, writing and editing CFS materials.  Strong writing and information synthesis skills are essential.

Responsibilities

-Manage incoming calls and mail on a daily basis

-Research and disseminate daily media summaries

-Provide program support and research for ongoing campaigns

-Provide general administrative support including but not limited to help with events, mailings and meetings

-Attend conferences and disseminate notes

-Conduct background research for policy and legislative work

Qualifications

-Bachelor’s Degree

-Strong interest in sustainable agriculture and food, organics and knowledge about the harms of the industrial food system

-Excellent interpersonal skills and patience for a diverse working atmosphere & membership

-Excellent oral and written communication skills

-Organized and multi-task oriented

-Experience with database entry and management

-Familiarity with collecting, analyzing, and summarizing reliable research

-Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

How To Apply

Please send a cover letter, resume, brief writing sample, and contact information for references to Sarah Stevens at [email protected].