GIS Intern

Description

Westwood Professional Services

The GIS Intern will join a geospatial services team supporting site selection, constraints mapping, and permitting deliverables for utility-scale wind, solar, and battery energy storage projects. Projects range from early-stage siting studies to detailed exhibit and mapping packages for renewable energy developers, IPPs, and utility clients. This position offers a direct opportunity to apply geospatial science coursework to real-world renewable energy development.

As a GIS Intern, the selected candidate will learn to build and maintain geodatabases, perform spatial analyses, and produce publication-quality mapping deliverables, and will assist Senior GIS Analysts in the preparation of constraints maps, permitting exhibits, and geospatial data supporting engineering and environmental teams.

Requirements

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain geodatabases and shapefiles supporting wind, solar, and BESS site selection and permitting.
• Perform spatial analyses, including constraints mapping, buffer analyses, and land use overlays.
• Prepare publication-quality maps and exhibits for permit applications, client deliverables, and internal project use.
• Assist in the integration of field-collected GPS data, aerial imagery, and drone survey data into project GIS datasets.
• Actively coordinate with engineers, environmental scientists, and project managers to support geospatial data needs across renewable energy projects.
• Help maintain data quality control standards and metadata documentation for project GIS deliverables.

Required Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in Geographic Information Systems, Geography, Geospatial Science, or a related field.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally with clients, management, and project team members.
• Willingness to learn in a flexible, cross-disciplinary work environment.
• Willingness to occasionally support field data collection efforts, though this position is primarily office-based.
• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Preferred Qualifications:

The following qualifications are preferred but not required for consideration:

• Relevant industry experience through coursework, research projects, or prior internships in GIS, cartography, or geospatial analysis.
• Experience with GIS software including ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or other relevant geospatial tools.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About Westwood Professional Services, Inc. (Westwood)

At Westwood, our purpose is to create a better world for people through our work. We transform the energy grid, design resilient infrastructure, and develop communities that will flourish today and for future generations. With over 50 years of experience and a legacy of innovation, we stand at the forefront of our industry, dedicated to understanding the unique needs of the markets we serve.

Our approach revolves around people. We are committed to building a culture that attracts, retains, and develops high performers. Our team values relationships, innovation, dedication, initiative, and growth. We believe fostering a collaborative “One Team” mentality yields superior outcomes in everything we do.

We customize our technical capabilities and geographic reach to meet our clients where they are and help them realize their vision.

We are partners in our clients’ success, driving to provide solutions that make a lasting difference. Safety, sustainability, and operational excellence are not just facets of our work; they are intrinsic to our identity, guiding every decision we make.

We are deeply invested in the communities we serve. Through our projects and giving-back initiatives, we enrich the lives of those we serve, engage others within our industry, and create a lasting impact on communities around the world. To us, success transcends the completion of projects; it is reflected in the lives we have positively impacted by our work.

Join us in creating a better world.

In 2025, Westwood was recognized as #77 on the ENR Top 500 Design Firms. Additionally, Westwood was ranked #5 for ENR's Top Design Firm for Solar, #6 for Battery Storage, and #3 for Wind (2025). The firm consistently ranks on the industry's top 25 lists and receives recognition for its involvement in award-winning projects nationwide.

Westwood provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We believe that diverse backgrounds strengthen our business. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.