This Opportunity

WSP USA hosts hundreds of internships across the United States to gain hands-on, meaningful work experience to enhance their education and professional aptitude. Our interns gain exposure to real projects while working side by side with senior staff. Through our Developing Professionals Network, interns gain mentorship, networking opportunities and lifelong career connections.

Our Communications and Public Involvement Team is seeking a Public Affairs Intern to work out of our Chicago, IL office. This temporary position is seeking individuals currently enrolled in an Undergraduate or Graduate degree program with an anticipated graduation date of August 2025 or later.

This 12 week internship will be part of the WSP Summer Internship Program that is scheduled to start on May 20th, 2025. The individual start date of the internship may be flexible.

Your Impact

• This position will provide hands-on experience in the day-to-day activities of CPI staff who assist WSP Engineering projects and studies. Current contracts are mostly in the subject areas of transportation, transit, freight, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and highways. However, you may be asked to work on energy, water, housing, or environmental projects as well. No prior background knowledge in these subject areas is required.

• Strategize the most effective tactics to successfully engage stakeholders and the public

• Inform the public of a project or study.

• Provide space for stakeholders and the public to provide feedback on a project or study.

• Analyze and report out findings from CPI tasks.

• Support a variety of engineering tasks with the goal to develop technical, social, and ethical skills.

• Learn basic principles of Communications and Public Involvement (CPI) as it pertains to Engineering projects and studies.

• Assist with project research, field work, and preliminary design calculations and analysis.

• Assist in collecting and maintaining project documentation.

• Create and distribute informational products to educate stakeholders and the public about an Engineering project or study.

• Enable the collection, analysis, and reporting of stakeholder and public feedback for Engineering projects and studies.

• Complete training on assigned tasks.

• Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.

• Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.

• Please note that there is no relocation or housing assistance associated with this internship.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications

• Actively enrolled in an accredited political science, journalism, economics, environmental studies, or related, Undergraduate program with an anticipated graduation date of August 2025 or later.

• Must be 18 or older.

• Demonstrated interest in public affairs, infrastructure, clean energy, or related field, and have a strong desire to advance skills related to WSP’s work and projects.

• Competent interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to an engineering and non-engineering audience.

• Capable of taking direction from leadership, mentors, and managers to executive projects.

• Basic proficiency with technical writing, office automation, software, spreadsheets, technology, and tools.

• Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.

• Authorization to work in the United States at the start of the internship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Actively enrolled in an accredited political science, public affairs, public administration, journalism, economics, environmental studies, or related, Masters or PhD program with an anticipated graduation date of August 2025 or later.

• Experience using proprietary database management and/or CRM systems, social media scheduling tools such as Sprout Social or Later.

• Prior internship and leadership involvement on campus.

Compensation:

Expected Salary: $19.57 - $30.53 per hour

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

About WSP

WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.

www.wsp.com

WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.

At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?

WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.

The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.

NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:

WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.