Graduate Assistant – Community Energy & Community Impact (Illinois)

Chaberton Energy is hiring a Graduate Assistant for Community Energy & Community Impact in Rockville, MD. The role focuses on supporting renewable energy projects in Illinois through research, stakeholder engagement, and community analysis. The assistant will help understand local communities, identify partners, and support responsible project development. This position is ideal for graduate students interested in community-centered development and renewable energy.
• Please note specific application instructions below for this role*

About Chaberton Energy

Chaberton Energy is a public benefit corporation developing community-scale energy projects, with a focus on distributed solar and battery energy storage. A national developer with roots in the communities it serves, Chaberton is a two-time Inc. 5000 awardee, ranking in 2025 as the No. 53 fastest-growing private company in America and the No. 2 energy company on the list. With a commitment to creativity, excellence, and humanity, Chaberton’s team develops distributed solar and battery energy storage projects that improve grid reliability and resilience while lowering electricity costs for community members and businesses.

We believe listening carefully to the communities where projects are located and responding thoughtfully to their priorities and concerns is key to project success and forward progress in building an energy future that offers reliability, accessibility and affordability.

Chaberton’s Community Impact team works at the intersection of energy development, stakeholder engagement, and community investment. Our role is to help ensure projects are developed in a way that is transparent, responsive, and beneficial to the communities where we work.

Through our Chaberton Cares program, we partner with local organizations aligned with our values to support youth programs, STEM education, services for low-to-moderate income households and more.

Position Overview

Chaberton Energy is seeking a Graduate Assistant in Community Energy and Community Impact to support our growing portfolio of renewable energy and battery projects in Illinois.

This role is designed for a graduate student interested in the intersection of community-centered development, public policy, energy infrastructure, and climate solutions. The assistant will support research, stakeholder engagement preparation, and community landscape analysis related to Chaberton’s distributed energy projects.

The assistant will help the Community Impact team better understand the communities where projects are being developed, identify potential partners, and support strategies that ensure our solar and battery energy storage projects are developed responsibly and collaboratively.

The position combines research, analysis, and exposure to real-world stakeholder engagement processes. The assistant will observe and support engagement efforts—such as listening sessions, nonprofit partner conversations, and project discussions—to learn how developers respond to community concerns and incorporate feedback into project planning.

While the primary focus will be Illinois, the assistant may occasionally support Community Impact work in other states and more broadly from an operational and process perspective.

This role is ideal for someone interested in learning how community engagement works in practice within the renewable energy industry.

Key Responsibilities

Community Research & Landscape Analysis
• Conduct research on Illinois communities where renewable energy projects are being developed.
• Identify local nonprofits, civic organizations, community leaders, and institutions relevant to Community Impact initiatives.
• Develop summaries of local priorities, stakeholder landscapes, and community dynamics.

Community Partnership Research
• Identify organizations aligned with Chaberton’s community investment priorities, including environmental organizations, workforce development programs, educational institutions, community service providers, and organizations serving low-to-moderate income households
• Conduct background research on organizations and help prepare potential partnership outreach.

Stakeholder Engagement Support
• Assist the Community Impact team in preparing for conversations with community members, nonprofit organizations, and local leaders, including stakeholder identification, power mapping, and contributing to project-specific engagement plans.
• Observe stakeholder meetings and discussions (virtual or in-person) to understand engagement approaches.
• Take notes, track key themes, and help synthesize and report on community feedback.

Industry & Policy Research
• Research emerging best practices for community engagement and benefit-sharing in distributed energy development.
• Track policy developments and stakeholder engagement expectations within the Illinois solar and battery storage landscape in collaboration with our Policy team.

Program Coordination & Team Support
• Support administrative and coordination tasks related to Community Impact work, including: maintaining research and partner tracking systems, preparing briefing materials, organizing outreach lists and project information, and coordinating project-related mailings
• Assist the Community Impact team and broader Marketing Communications team with work across the full functional area when needed.

Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a graduate student who is curious about how renewable energy projects interact with local communities and who wants to learn how thoughtful engagement can shape better outcomes. Strong community engagement can lead to better project design, more productive local partnerships, and more successful project outcomes, while also contributing to increased trust in the renewable energy sector.

The ideal candidate enjoys research, synthesizing complex information, and engaging thoughtfully with people.

Required
• Current graduate student pursuing a degree in a complementary field such as: Urban Planning, Sustainable Business / MBA, Environmental Policy, Public Policy, Environmental Science, Public Administration, or Political Science / Government
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and in a largely remote environment while contributing to a collaborative team.

Preferred
• Interest in renewable energy, climate change mitigation, or energy policy.
• Familiarity with stakeholder engagement, public participation, or community-based research.
• Interest in how infrastructure development interacts with local governance and community priorities.

Position Structure

Hours: Approximately 20 hours per week

Location: Illinois-based candidates preferred. The role is remote but may involve occasional travel within Illinois to better understand project communities, or infrequent travel to Chaberton’s headquarters in Maryland for team meetings.

Compensation: Competitive hourly rate commensurate with experience ($23-27/hour) with reimbursement for approved travel and field expenses.

Duration: The assistantship will begin during the summer term and continue through the fall semester. Subject to mutual interest and performance, the position may be extended through the spring semester.

What the Assistant Will Gain
• Hands-on exposure to and experience in renewable energy project development
• Insight into how developers engage with communities and local stakeholders
• Experience conducting community landscape research and stakeholder mapping
• Mentorship from professionals working at the intersection of clean energy, policy, and community engagement
• A deeper understanding of the social and governance dimensions of the energy transition

Application Instructions
• Applicants should submit: Resume, Optional cover letter, & Thoughtful responses to the following two questions.
• Please respond to both questions in 500 words or fewer total. We value clarity and focus over comprehensiveness.

1. Renewable energy projects often generate both excitement and concern within local communities. What do you think are the most important factors in building trust between developers and community members?

2. Choose a community in Illinois that is experiencing or could experience renewable energy development. Briefly describe what organizations, institutions, or stakeholders you would want to understand first when beginning community engagement.

Applications may be submitted through Handshake or directly via email to Chaberton Energy. Applications submitted through any channel without the full Application Package as detailed below may be delayed in consideration, or removed from consideration altogether.

· Chaberton Energy | Handshake (joinhandshake.com)

· internship@chaberton.com

Application Timeline

Applications are due April 13, 2026. Selected candidates will participate in an initial screening call, after which finalists will be invited to in-person interviews in Illinois during the week of May 6, 2026. Chosen candidate to begin role within 3-6 weeks from May interviews.