This role acts as a bridge between the front office and operations, driving green initiatives forward within a high-energy sports and entertainment environment. You will support the Senior Sustainability Project Coordinator in translating environmental goals into actionable projects across diverse departments, from waste management and energy efficiency to corporate legal compliance. Most of your time will be spent facilitating cross-functional communication and providing hands-on support for operational rollouts.
Working for a professional sports organization like the Indiana Fever offers a unique platform to influence public perception and community behaviors. By integrating waste diversion tracking and zero-waste strategies into large-scale fan events, you help the organization minimize its environmental footprint while leveraging the power of sports to promote social impact. This is a rare chance to see how sustainability functions at the intersection of entertainment and high-stakes operations.
This suits someone who is a proactive communicator and thrives in dynamic, non-traditional office settings. You should be equally comfortable presenting sustainability data to internal teams and conducting on-field waste audits during a loud, live game environment.
Job FAQs
What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?
The primary focus of this role is to serve as a proactive liaison between various internal departments to ensure sustainability projects gain momentum. You will support the lifecycle of green initiatives by assisting with research, coordinating high-level meetings, and tracking action items that arise from cross-functional collaborations.
Beyond administrative coordination, you will be heavily involved in operational execution. This includes assisting with on-site hands-on tasks such as waste audits, material recovery efforts, and monitoring the success of zero-waste strategies during live sporting events and venue operations.
Additionally, you will contribute to the communication and education pillar of the strategy. This involves developing materials and presentations that help employees and partners understand the organization's environmental goals, thereby increasing internal participation and accountability across the board.
Key learning opportunities for this job
Interns can expect to gain a deep understanding of operational sustainability within the unique context of venue management and professional sports. You will learn how to apply environmental frameworks like GHG inventorying and waste metrics to real-world scenarios where logistics and fan experience are top priorities.
There is also significant exposure to project management and change management. By working alongside the Senior Sustainability Project Coordinator, you will observe how to navigate complex organizational structures and influence stakeholders who may not have sustainability as their primary focus.
Finally, the role provides technical training in data-driven environmental auditing. Learning how to conduct waste diversion tracking and material recovery in a high-volume setting is a highly transferable skill in the circular economy and facility operations sectors.
How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?
The ideal candidate is a current junior, senior, or graduate student who demonstrates a self-starter mentality. This isn't a role for someone who waits for a task list; the team values individuals who can identify gaps and proactively suggest solutions or offer research on best practices. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential, as much of the job involves building relationships across different departments like legal, finance, and operations.
You must be able to translate sustainability jargon into practical terms that resonate with various business stakeholders. Technical curiosity is a must, specifically regarding reporting frameworks and data metrics. While prior expertise in GHG accounting or waste metrics is listed as a plus, a genuine interest in mastering these tools to drive social and environmental impact is required to be successful.
Advice to stand out and make a successful application
To stand out, your application should demonstrate versatility. This role requires both analytical thinking and physical, event-day support. Highlight any experience where you successfully balanced office-based coordination with hands-on, high-pressure execution, such as event management or field research.
Tailor your cover letter to show an understanding of the sports-sustainability nexus. Explain why you believe a professional sports team like the Indiana Fever is an effective platform for environmental change, and mention specific waste or energy challenges unique to large arenas.
Mentioning your familiarity with broader ESG trends in the entertainment industry will also show you have a strategic mindset. If you have any experience with waste audits or sustainability reporting, provide a concrete example of a project where you turned raw data into an actionable insight.
What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?
The role is likely to center on waste management and circularity. Given the nature of a sports venue, the internship provides critical support for waste audits, diversion tracking, and zero-waste strategies to ensure that the volume of materials generated during games does not end up in landfills.
Another significant focus area is energy efficiency and compliance. You will likely assist in monitoring energy usage and supporting the legal and operational teams in ensuring the organization meets its sustainability standards and remains aligned with corporate partnership expectations.
Finally, there is a heavy emphasis on social impact and community engagement. The role bridges the gap between environmental stewardship and community relations, looking for ways that sustainability projects can also boost the organization's local presence and social responsibility footprint.
What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?
One of the primary challenges is managing cross-departmental buy-in. In a fast-paced entertainment environment, sustainability can sometimes be seen as secondary to immediate operational needs, so you will need persistence to keep stakeholders engaged.
The dynamic work environment can also be a challenge. You must be comfortable transitioning from a quiet office setting to a loud, high-stress game-day environment where plans may change quickly and multitasking is a daily necessity.
Lastly, the role involves physical demands that go beyond traditional internships. Participating in waste audits and material recovery during nights and weekends requires physical stamina and a willingness to do the un-glamorous work that leads to real environmental impact.
How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?
A typical day might begin in the office, coordinating follow-ups from a cross-functional meeting and researching new sustainable procurement options for venue operations. You might spend a few hours drafting a presentation for the Senior Coordinator to share with corporate partners.
In the afternoon, the focus could shift to data management, where you analyze recent waste audit results to identify trends or areas for improvement. You might meet with the facilities team to discuss logistics for an upcoming theme night or sustainability-focused game event.
On game days, your schedule will look different, involving on-site operational support. You could be on the floor of the Fieldhouse, overseeing waste diversion efforts, engaging with fans about recycling initiatives, or assisting with the post-game recovery of materials to ensure zero-waste targets are met.
What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?
This role offers a significant path to building a professional network within both the sports industry and the sustainability sector. Working as a liaison means you will be visible to leaders across legal, marketing, and operations, creating opportunities for future recommendations.
You will develop a specialized portfolio of projects. By the end of the internship, you will have tangible experience in waste auditing and stakeholder engagement that can serve as a strong foundation for a career as a Sustainability Coordinator or Environmental Consultant.
The organizational size means you are likely to take on more responsibility than you would at a massive corporation. Successfully managing your assigned tasks can lead to increased autonomy and the chance to lead specific sub-projects by the end of your term.
The main stakeholders you might be interacting with
You will report directly to the Senior Sustainability Project Coordinator, who will serve as your primary mentor and supervisor for all strategic and operational tasks during your time with the organization.
Internal collaborators include departmental leads in Legal, Operations, and Corporate Partnerships. You will act as a bridge for these teams, ensuring they have the information and support needed to integrate sustainability into their specific workflows.
External stakeholders may include waste management vendors, community partners, and fans. During events, you represent the organization's green values to the public, requiring professional interaction with a diverse range of visitors at the Fieldhouse.
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