Job Description

As a Planning Student Intern, you will perform a variety of planning projects including community- and transportation-related plans of all scales and types: comprehensive, downtown, transit, corridors, active transportation, subareas, and regional. Policy development and travel demand management may also be included. You will use the ESRI suite and various data sources to analyze the communities we work with and assist in writing reports and memos about current projects. The ideal candidate will be comfortable communicating and interacting with clients and presenting to groups of all sizes. As one of our student interns, you will perform meaningful, hands-on, real-world work that will transform your classroom experience and help you envision your future career. You’ll be part of a team and get an introduction to Olsson's culture to help you evaluate our firm as a career choice.

As part of Olsson’s Planning and Engagement Team, you can work on projects around the country. Our team’s mission extends beyond individual projects; a shared purpose unites our team: to positively impact every community we serve through creative design, authentic engagement, and meaningful partnerships. We offer the collaborative spirit to align perspective and aspiration with practical and innovative possibilities.

Our team’s expertise includes:

• Community Planning. We help communities grow with purpose and take a holistic approach to planning, no matter the scale or context. Our approach establishes an intentional framework for economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable growth that reflects community consensus. We offer strategies to guide the long-term evolution of a community to enhance vitality, placemaking, and quality of life.
• Transportation Planning. We offer a comprehensive approach to transportation planning, leveraging a depth of experience in innovative multimodal solutions designed to meet the needs of all people and their transportation choices. We establish balanced transportation plans that prioritize safe, accessible, and sustainable designs for all modes of transportation and acknowledge the critical relationship between the quality and function of public space with future land use outcomes.
• Community Engagement and Communications. Planning fundamentally involves engaging various stakeholders that sometimes have competing interests. We commit to a meaningful outreach process that allows all voices to be heard, expands collective knowledge, and builds toward consensus. Our creative outreach strategies foster authentic dialogue and trust so the process can lead to positive outcomes.

We have one internship opening and will consider candidates interested in being located out of our Plano, TX or Kansas City, MO office locations.

Qualifications

You are passionate about:

• Working collaboratively with others
• Having ownership in the work you do
• Using your talents to positively affect communities

You bring to the team:

• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to contribute and work well on a team.
• Analytical, writing, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to focus on and complete individual tasks.
• Communication skills that convey technical content in an easily understandable way, via words and graphics.
• Pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in transportation planning, urban/regional/community planning, or related field.
• Familiarity with transportation, public transportation, geography, and land use issues.
• Strong skills in GIS and the Microsoft Office suite.
• Experience working with U.S. Census Bureau data and other data tools to establish the existing conditions of a site, community, corridor, or region.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop) or Google SketchUp.

Additional Information

Olsson is a nationally recognized, employee-owned firm specializing in planning and design, engineering, field services, environmental, and technology. Founded in 1956 on the very mindset that drives us today, we’re here to improve communities by making them more sustainable, better connected, and more efficient. Simply put, we work to leave the world better than we found it.

Olsson offers a comprehensive summer internship program designed to provide valuable learning experiences for our interns. As a student intern, you’ll also receive:

• Paid holidays and volunteer time off
• Mentorship from our experienced staff
• Exposure to members of our executive team through our webinar series
• Networking opportunities through local office events
• Opportunities to develop your technical and soft skills

Olsson is an EEO employer. We encourage qualified minority, female, veteran and disabled candidates to apply and be considered for open positions. We do not discriminate against any applicant for employment, or any employee because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, disability, age, or military status.

#LI-KC1