Retail and Events Intern

Position Title: Retail and Events Intern

Accountability: Retail and Events Intern reports to the Retail Manager 

Job Classification: Part-time, hourly, non-exempt, internship

About: Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation (Catawba Riverkeeper) was founded in 1997 as the 21st waterkeeper organization in the U.S. Now, proudly part of an international movement that boasts over 400 local organizations, we preserve, protect and restore the waters of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin for all through education, advocacy, and engagement. Our 5,000 square mile river basin includes over 8,900 miles of waterways across 26 counties in North and South Carolina. 

Position Summary: The Retail and Events Intern is responsible for working directly with the Retail Manager and Events team in hands-on and on-site retail operations, including taproom and public facing events. In this role, the Retail and Events Intern will combine on-site store operations with promotional strategy, involving tasks like social media content creation, market trend research, inventory support, and developing marketing campaigns to enhance brand presence. Interns gain hands-on experience in customer engagement, product positioning, and data analysis.

Responsibilities:

• Proudly serves the local community, serving as a brand ambassador, promoting awareness and advocacy for the Catawba Riverkeeper and our mission. 
• Works with social media team to create engaging content (text, image, video), manage social media accounts, and monitor analytics to boost engagement.
• Assists with inventory management, product display, store layouts, and sales floor support.
• Assists with organizing promotional events, creating marketing materials, and launching new product initiatives.
• Engages with customers, handle inquiries, and assist in managing vendor relationships.  
• Analyzes competitor activities, research market trends, and identify new opportunities to promote products
• Exemplifies the Catawba Riverkeeper mission statement and supports staff, departments and leadership in pursuing and achieving goals.

• Exhibits a passion for the mission of Catawba Riverkeeper.
• Successfully pass a standard criminal background review.
• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Ability to work some nights and weekends.
• Able to lift/move 35 pounds.
• Willing to serve all guests equally regardless of their race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.

Education & Experience: 

• Pursuing a degree in marketing, retail management, or business administration.
• Preferred, but not required, coursework or experience in outdoor recreation, environmental science/conservation, biology, education or similar field.
• Experience with videography and photography. 
• Ability to maintain an organized and detailed workflow with changing variables
• Comfortable working autonomously as well as working in a team environment.

Location: 

The Intern will be based at Catawba Riverkeeper’s main office at Confluence in Cramerton, NC and will have the opportunity to work on projects throughout our 26-county footprint in North and South Carolina. 

Schedule: 

The Intern will be expected to work approximately 30 hours a week, from 10am-4pm Tuesday-Friday. This internship starts Tuesday, May 19 and ends Friday, August 28 but is subject to the Intern’s personal and academic schedule.  

Compensation: 

The Intern will be paid $12.50 per hour worked and paid on a bi-weekly basis. Activities that require the use of a personal vehicle may receive gas mileage reimbursement upon supervisor approval. 

Values: We are an organization of action, quality, leaders, innovation, and engagement. We prioritize getting meaningful work done. We hold ourselves to a standard of excellence in everything we do. We strive to be leaders in our individual areas of influence as well as an environmental organization in this region. We are not afraid of trying new things and are willing to take thoughtful risks in achieving our mission. We work to actively bring our communities into the work we do. 

Catawba Riverkeeper provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type.