Solar
Location: VA
About the job
Community Engagement Internship
BayWa r.e. Americas Projects
Campaign Development Intern
Charlottesville, VA – Hybrid
Job Type: Full-Time Hourly
Reports to: Community Engagement Manager
About Us:
We are BayWa r.e. Americas Projects & Services, a leading developer of utility-scale renewable energy. We are also an in-house and third-party operations and services provider, offering 24/7/365 monitoring from our headquarters in Carlsbad, CA. Our team consists of 300 highly motivated experts across the United States and Mexico. Since first entering the North American market in 2014, we have brought over 1.5 GW online and are currently managing 2 GW of assets. Our development pipeline is currently 15GW in North America alone and continues to grow at an impressive pace.
Our mission is to deliver reliable and affordable energy across the Americas. We value long-term partnerships and actively collaborate with local communities and organizations to fund workforce development, support disaster relief efforts, and incorporate sustainability and biodiversity into our projects.
BayWa r.e. Americas Projects & Services is a subsidiary of BayWa r.e., a major player in renewable energy. BayWa r.e. has a global team of 5,400 members, operations in 34 countries, a development pipeline exceeding 30 GW, and over 10 GW in assets under management.
Our shareholders are BayWa AG, a $28.5 billion international group known for its diversified operations in agriculture, energy, and construction; and Energy Infrastructure Partners, a renowned leader in energy infrastructure investment managing over $7.5 billion from global investors.
Job Role:
BayWa r.e. Americas is seeking Campaign Development Intern to join our Development team for Summer 2026.
This role will help develop a structured, repeatable campaign strategy framework to guide how we evaluate entitlement risk, design community engagement approaches, and position renewable energy projects for successful permitting. The intern will contribute research, analysis, and strategic tools that strengthen how we navigate regulatory environments and community dynamics across our project portfolio.
Responsibilities we will trust you with:
Success in this role involves:
Campaign Strategy Framework Development
Develop a structured, repeatable process for designing permitting and community engagement campaigns based on existing internal systems and best practices.
Create scenario-based tools that help evaluate campaign approaches, intensity, timing, and cost.
Build a framework for integrating community acceptance risk into campaign development, aligned with local permitting requirements and pathways.
Design methodologies that development teams can apply consistently across multiple project locations.
Regulatory & Risk Analysis
Research and summarize local comprehensive plans, ordinances, and permitting requirements related to utility-scale solar and battery storage.
Analyze political, demographic, and socioeconomic factors that influence project approval outcomes.
Refine existing community risk assessment tools and processes.
Stakeholder Strategy
Develop a structured approach for identifying, mapping, and tracking key stakeholders from project conception through permit acquisition.
Propose strategies for integrating key decision-makers into campaign planning and execution.
Identify approaches for building project support and mitigating opposition across diverse community landscapes.
Collaboration & Alignment
Collaborate closely with the Land Entitlements team to validate framework assumptions and refine strategy.
Coordinate with the Marketing & Communications team to ensure alignment with brand guidelines and corporate policies.
Prepare written strategy documents and present findings and recommendations to internal stakeholders.
Job Requirements:
The expectation is this is a “Hybrid” role where office presence in the Charlottesville office at least 3 times/week This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring an on-site presence in our Charlottesville office at least three (3) days per week.
Availability to work a full-time hourly schedule; up to forty (40) hours per week from June-August 2026.
Your areas of knowledge and expertise:
The ideal candidate demonstrates:
Pursuing a bachelor’s or graduate degree in urban planning, public policy, political science, environmental studies, economics, geography, or related field
Ability to understand and synthesize permitting processes and regulatory environments for utility-scale solar and battery storage across municipal and county landscapes
Ability to self-direct with regular supervisor check-ins
Exceptional analytical, research, and writing skills
Ability to synthesize complex regulatory, political, and community information
Strong intellectual curiosity and systems-level thinking
Familiarity with rural and/or disadvantaged communities Coursework or experience in land use planning, infrastructure permitting, political campaigns, or regulatory analysis
Interest in process design, strategy development, or institutional decision-making
Strong communications skills
What we are ready to offer you:
Hourly rate of $30-40 dollars per hour depending on degree level. Flexible work hours and remote first culture.
A diverse and inclusive global team with a strong culture focusing on employee health and wellbeing.
The possibility to make a positive contribution to our planet and use understanding of diverse communities, political systems and strategy to set new standards in Renewable Energy.
Are our values your values?
Are you ambitious enough to make a big impact in our business and beyond? Do you create meaningful solutions?
Do you believe that we succeed as a team? We collaborate honestly, friendly, and respectfully. We have fun and celebrate our successes. How about you?
Are you reliable? We create trust by taking on responsibility.
Do you inspire others with an open mind, courage, and innovation? We challenge the status quo.
Our values define our unique way of working together and give us direction in our daily actions.
At BayWa r.e. we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, pregnancy, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need
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More Information
- Term intern
- Company BayWa r.e. Americas