Engineering & Public Works Student

Job title: Engineering & Public Works Student

Reports to: Manager of Engineering & Public Works

Job location: Town of Port Hawkesbury, 606 Reeves Street, Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia.

Wage: $17.20 / hour

Hours: 35 hours per week (15-week internship)

Start Date: Expected May 20, 2025

 Number of Positions: 1

Employment Hiring 

Clean is committed to Employment Equity and our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative at all job levels. The Clean Leadership Program welcomes applications from qualified self-identifying First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, Racialized Youth, Persons with Disabilities, Newcomers, and 2SLGBTQIA+ applicants. If you are a member of one of the equity groups, you are encouraged to self-identify on our registration form. 

About the Clean Leadership Summer Internship Program 

The Clean Leadership Summer Internship program helps grow the clean economy by matching interns (age 15-30) with employers for 9- and 15-week summer work placements. Participating interns will receive paid hands-on experience, mentorship opportunities, take part in a professional development conference and training, while supporting local environmental projects.  

Program Requirements 

• Must be a Canadian citizen, Permanent Resident, person who has been granted refugee status in Canada or legally entitled to work in Canada;  

• Must be between the ages of 15 and 30 years old (inclusive) at the start of internship; 

• From and/or will be residing in Nova Scotia for the duration of the internship; 

• Must not be an immediate family member of host employer; 

About the host employer 

Port Hawkesbury is a town located on the southwestern end of Cape Breton Island, on the north shore of the Strait of Canso in Nova Scotia.  The Town is largely a service centre for western Cape Breton Island. Many of its residents work in large industries in an industrial park located in the adjacent community of Point Tupper, Richmond Country. 

Port Hawkesbury is a major service centre, and offers a unique blend of economic, cultural and lifestyle opportunities to those living and visiting the area.  The town has a population of approximately 3,200 but services a region of approximately 30,000. 

Summary of position  

The host employer for this Summer Internship position through the Clean Leadership program will be the Town of Port Hawkesbury. In this position, you will be mainly responsible for assisting town staff with: 

• responding to solid waste management inquiries from residents,  

• assisting with curbside collection inspections,  

• assisting with project management activities, 

• assisting with solid waste management education and public engagement efforts, 

• assisting operations staff with water quality sampling, monitoring and data collection, 

• assisting operations staff with review and updating of treatment plant manuals and regulatory reporting, 

• assisting staff with light maintenance as required. 

• Other duties the town may require from time to time. 

A typical day would involve visiting various treatment plant facilities and assisting operations staff with routine tasks, administrative assistance with data collection and record keeping and responding to inquiries from residents related to the towns solid waste management service delivery.  The successful candidate needs to have skills and personal attributes in the following areas: 

• Customer service 

• Safety  

• Computer skills 

• Flexible 

• Problem solving 

• Teamwork 

• Time management 

• Organization 

• Interpersonal 

Duties and Responsibilities  

• Assisting town staff with project management activities for capital projects and infrastructure upgrades. 

• Responding to solid waste management inquiries from residents and providing guidance and support with waste sorting and curbside pickup scheduling. 

• Assisting town staff with curbside collection inspections for proper sorting of waste and organics.  

• Assisting staff with solid waste management education and public engagement efforts by providing support with group presentations and door to door education. 

• Assisting operations staff with water quality sampling, monitoring and data collection by visiting treatment facilities and documenting readings from inline monitoring equipment, flow meters and in-house sampling results.  

• Working with the facility operator, you will assist staff with the review and updating of treatment plant manuals and regulatory reporting requirements.  This may involve contacting utility customers, vendors, laboratory service providers and data entry. 

• Assisting staff with light maintenance at treatment facilities such as small repairs, grounds maintenance and instrument calibrations. 

• Other duties the town may require from time to time. 

Requirements/Qualifications 

• Have an aptitude for safe work practices and the ability to multi-task in a busy work environment; 

• Be able to work productively as part of a team while responding to feedback; 

• Demonstrated interest in future employment in the environmental or clean sector is considered an asset; 

• Be enrolled in an engineering or environmental science related post secondary program. 

Working Conditions
While performing the responsibilities of this role, these work environment features may be experienced:  office environments, noise, air quality, machinery, vehicle traffic, treatment chemicals and interacting with coworkers and public. 

Physical Requirements
These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for the employee to successfully perform the essential functions: vision, hearing, motion, lifting, bending, may be required to stand for periods of time.