GIS Intern

About the position

The Grand Canyon Trust uses data and visual stories to help our supporters grasp the vastness and the vulnerability of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau.

We are looking for a GIS intern with substantial ArcGIS experience to help us migrate existing story products to new platforms and better visualize field data. Before our field staff can go and collect field data, the GIS team has to curate and prepare these data for offline maps and reporting dashboards. If you can apply your creativity to design data dashboards and customize field maps, this is the internship for you. Your work during this internship will result in advocacy tools and data that help protect wild animals, plants, and threatened landscapes of Colorado Plateau’s public lands.

Application deadline: Monday, February 24, 2025, at 5 p.m. MST
Anticipated start date: May 19, 2025

What does this position entail?

• Transform the following products into modern stories using Esri’s StoryMaps:
  • The Grand Canyon in 100 Images
  • Climate Vulnerability on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
• Build attractive and user-friendly data dashboards that allow field staff to easily examine, summarize, and export data collected with Esri’s Field Maps and Survey123 applications.
• Assist in building customized field maps with ArcGIS Online interactive web map builder and Field Maps application.

What might you learn along the way?

• How to build customized and professionally designed story maps using Esri’s StoryMaps and ArcGIS Online platforms.
• Data structuring to build informative data dashboards and interactive visualizations.
• Inner workings of ArcGIS Online and how to use data across various applications including, ESRI Field Maps, Web Viewer, Dashboards, and Experience Builder.

Do you have what it takes?

• Extensive experience with Esri’s GIS platform, including ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online.
• Demonstrated competence with ArcGIS Online, Esri StoryMaps, and ArcGIS Online interactive web map builder.
• Experience with Esri’s online applications such as Dashboard, Experience Builder, or Field Maps.
• Substantial GIS coursework at a college or university.
• Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects at once.
• Strong attention to detail and highly organized.
• Willingness to work independently on assignments.
• Ability to give and receive feedback and ask for help when needed.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex information effectively and succinctly in written and visual materials.
• Ability to communicate scientific data effectively through written reports and graphs.
• Interest in and commitment to communicating with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Note that experience includes lived experience, traditional knowledge, volunteer experience, school or coursework, work experience, and other related qualifications, skills, and experience.

No candidate will meet every requirement. If you’re excited about the position and think you may be a good candidate, we encourage you to apply.

The nitty-gritty

Location: Remote, but the intern must reside in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, or New Mexico. If you are based in Flagstaff, Arizona, you will have the option to work at our local office. If based around Denver, Colorado or Moab, Utah, you may have the opportunity to occasionally work in-person with the GIS Director or Senior GIS Analyst.

Compensation and benefits

$23.00 per hour. This is not a benefits-eligible position, but interns accrue sick leave during their internships (about two days), and receive a $500 housing stipend, $250 travel allowance, and $200 professional development stipend.

Employment term

This is a 12-week internship, beginning on May 19, 2025, and ending on August 8, 2025. The intern is expected to work an average of 40 hours per week.

Supplies needed

The intern must have reliable internet access. The Trust will provide the necessary hardware and software subscriptions for the duration of the internship.

Who would my supervisor be?

Stephanie Smith, GIS director

Grand Canyon Trust internships are managed by the Rising Leaders Program. Interns are expected to communicate regularly with Rising Leaders staff about progress and any support needed along the way.