Sustainability & Data Intern - Summer 2026

Internship Term: Summer 2026 (May – August)

Internship Location: on-site in Indianapolis, IN

Anticipated Time Commitment: approximately 40 hours per week

Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) is seeking a highly motivated, curious, and analytically minded intern to support our sustainability initiatives. This role is ideal for students from both STEM and liberal arts backgrounds who are interested in applying data, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary perspectives to real-world environmental challenges. 

Sustainability work often involves navigating ambiguity, operational constraints, and incremental progress. As such, the ability to remain motivated, solutions-oriented, and engaged in the face of obstacles or setbacks is vital to success in this role and in sustainability work more broadly. 

The Sustainability & Data Intern will support the expansion and improvement of waste and environmental data collection and analysis across PS&E venues and operations. Sustainability at PS&E is inherently multidisciplinary—sitting at the intersection of facilities operations, data analysis, behavior change, communications, and community impact—and this intern will collaborate across departments to help drive measurable progress toward our sustainability goals. 

This position will work closely with the Sustainability Project Coordinator and internal partners to align efforts with the organization’s multi-year sustainability plan and strive toward future KPIs and long-term strategy. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Expand and refine waste and utility data tracking systems for all PS&E venues and operations, including waste diversion, recycling, compost, landfill, energy use, water use, and steam use data. 
• Collaborate with Facilities, Engineering, Housekeeping, and Food & Beverage partners to gather and validate environmental metrics across events and daily operations. 
• Conduct data analysis and develop clear visualizations to identify trends, anomalies, and opportunities for improved efficiency or impact. 
• Contribute data to platforms PS&E integrates with for sustainability tracking and reporting, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and timeliness. 
• Coordinate with vendors and partners to improve the quality and consistency of sustainability-related reporting. 
• Support the development of case studies, certification documentation (e.g., LEED, TRUE), and public-facing sustainability reports. 
• Research industry best practices and emerging trends, providing recommendations that reflect operational, social, and environmental considerations. 
• Participate in cross-functional meetings and contribute ideas that reflect systems thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving. 
• Assist with hands-on support during events, including waste audits and implementation of waste reduction and diversion strategies. 
• Must have the ability to work a flexible schedule that may include nights and weekends.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Enrolled in a college or university program as a junior, senior, or graduate student.
• Currently pursuing a degree in Sustainability, Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, Data Science, Engineering, Public Policy, Economics, Geography, or a related STEM or liberal arts field.
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability as a multifaceted challenge that includes data, operations, human behavior, and communication. 
• Proven ability to remain engaged, motivated, and solution-focused when progress is incremental or when facing competing priorities. 
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills; proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required. Experience with Power BI, Python, or R is a plus but not required. 
• Ability to work with datasets, identify patterns, and translate insights into clear recommendations for diverse audiences. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical or data-driven findings in accessible ways. 
• Self-starter with strong organizational, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. 
• Comfort working in both office and event environments; willingness to participate in event-day operations, including nights and weekends as needed. 
• Passion for sustainability in sports and a desire to create real-world impact through interdisciplinary, data-informed decision-making. 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use a computer, use a telephone, speak, hear, write, lift up to 30 pounds occasionally, move around large event venues, and assist in fieldwork such as waste audits.

While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the office work environment is usually moderate and the noise level in the Fieldhouse / game environment is usually loud. The stress level may become high during certain times of the year.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, marital status, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

At Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E), we are dedicated to delivering best-in-class sports and entertainment experiences while making a positive impact on our community. As the home of the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, Noblesville Boom, Pacers Foundation, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, we strive to exemplify our core values of Respect, Teamwork, Trust, Passion, and Excellence in everything we do. Our mission is to create memorable moments for our fans and foster a culture of inclusivity and excellence both on and off the court. Our purpose is Winning, Serving, and Entertaining.