Bureau of Water Resources Intern (UNPAID)

Who We Are:

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) seeks to protect, preserve, and enhance Massachusetts’ environmental resources and create a clean energy future for all residents. Through the stewardship of open spaces, the protection of environmental resources, and the advancement of clean energy, EEA works tirelessly to make Massachusetts a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family.   Our commitment to environmental justice ensures that every resident, regardless of background or location, can live in a safe, clean environment and shares equally in the benefits of the clean energy transition.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is the state agency responsible for ensuring clean air, land, and water. Our work impacts every aspect of people's lives and is critical to the health and wellbeing of our residents and visitors. MassDEP is the lead agency for safe management of toxics and hazardous materials, promotion of waste reduction and recycling, preservation of the state's wetlands and coastal resources, air quality monitoring and pollution reduction, and so much more.

Who We Are as an Employer:

At EEA, we create meaningful, inclusive opportunities that empower our employees to make a real difference in shaping the environmental future of Massachusetts. We foster a workplace culture where diversity is valued, innovation is encouraged, and collaboration thrives. Our employees play a vital role in advancing sustainability, environmental justice, and clean energy solutions, ensuring a positive and lasting impact on Massachusetts and its residents.

This internship is unpaid and designed to support students or recent graduates seeking practical experience in the field. Interns may be eligible to earn academic credit through their college or university.

Job Description:

MassDEP’s Bureau of Water Resources is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented college student or recent graduate (2026) for a winter internship focused on modernizing our agency’s forms and documents to improve public engagement and navigation of our services.

The objective of this internship is to explore how we can leverage modern technology to create a simpler, more streamlined, and user-friendly experience for people interacting with our Agency.  As technology and user expectations evolve, we are looking for new ways to make our forms easier to use, maintain, and manage online.

This internship will focus on researching and testing modern form-building technologies, such as Gravity Forms, Adobe tools, and other web-based solutions, and evaluating how well they could meet the Bureau’s needs while providing a consistent and intuitive experience for users.  The intern will investigate opportunities to simplify our library of forms that collect complex environmental information, and data to create efficiency by capturing information electronically and reducing staff time and effort in updating forms. Using both traditional analysis and AI-assisted tools, the intern will identify patterns and common elements across forms and help develop recommendations for consolidation and modernization. 

By the conclusion of the internship, the intern will be able to assist the Bureau in developing a roadmap for transitioning from traditional document-based forms toward modern digital solutions that reduce complexity, improve usability, and make interactions with the Agency easier and more efficient for users. This is a hands-on technology project that offers the opportunity to work with real-world systems and content while gaining experience with UX/UI, web development, digital forms, AI-assisted analysis, and technology decision-making in government. The intern will be part of our Bureau and will collaborate with members of our web team and IT professionals throughout the project.

Job Duties:

• Reviewing and analyze a sample of the Bureau’s existing library of forms to understand their structure, purpose, and common features.

• Researching modern form-building platforms and technologies, including Gravity Forms, Adobe solutions, and other web-based solutions.

• Building and test sample forms using multiple platforms to compare the user experience, functionality, ease of development, and maintenance requirements.

• Using AI tools to assist with analyzing the department's form inventory, identifying common fields, content, patterns, and potential duplication.

• Working collaboratively with department staff, web team members, and IT professionals to understand technical requirements and organizational needs.

• Documenting findings from research and testing and develop recommendations for future form development and conversion.

• Presening project findings, examples, and recommendations to department staff at the conclusion of the internship.

• Providing occasional support to program coordinator by posting web content, creating accessible documents, responding to records requests and other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Basic knowledge of or interest in web development and online form builders, UX/UI design, or building accessible, user-friendly digital tools to support environmental programs and data. Experience with MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator a plus.

• Familiarity with, or an interest in learning, accessibility best practices and standards for digital resources that deliver inclusive and accessible tools for users of all abilities.

• Familiarity with, or interest in working on, environmental requirements and data, user analytics, generative AI tools, online form platforms and/or Web design and information architecture.

• Experience working with PDFs or web content.

• Interest or experience in the environmental sector is preferred but not required.

Position Information:

• Contracted Student Intern: Bureau of Water Resources Intern (UNPAID) (ID: 260007SW)

• Start/End Date: 1/11/2027 - 6/18/2027

• Weekly Hours: 22.5 hours

• Number of Openings: 1 position

First consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.

Minimum Requirements: NONE

Please see the Preferred Qualifications above.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.  Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law.  Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100%25 of the job requirements.  We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.