Assistant Project Coordinator

Organizational Background

The Joint Meeting of Essex & Union Counties (JMEUC) is a wastewater treatment facility that services 12 municipalities out of Essex and Union County, New Jersey including Newark, Elizabeth, and Union. Since 1889, it has brought together the efforts of the member communities to dispose of their community waste.

Today, the Joint Meeting has a service area of 64 square miles, serving nearly 450,000 people in the state. Its treatment capacity is 85 million gallons of wastewater per day. In addition to sewer lines and a plant for pretreatment and primary and secondary wastewater treatment, the Joint Meeting encompasses a Biosolids Facility, where sludge generated by the wastewater treatment processes is treated so it can be beneficially reused at agricultural sites, and an Industrial Laboratory to examine wastewater from Industrial Discharge.

Position Overview

The JMEUC is seeking candidates for its Assistant Project Coordinator and Administration Internship. This position will assist the full-time Project Coordinator with tasks related to the JMEUC’s capital improvement program, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Mitigation and Operation and Maintenance projects facility-wide. Interns will assist the Project Coordinator with the execution of construction contracts, and learn how they should be monitored. Interns will also learn how to review change orders for accuracy, and how to inform other Joint Meeting Officers of project details. 

Through this program, interns will work with multiple departments within the JMEUC – such as Mechanical Maintenance, Information Technology, and Electrical Engineering. This internship will expose candidates to all aspects of wastewater treatment, from operations, planning, engineering, scheduling implementation, and funding management. Interns will assist in multiple phases of important projects, and gain valuable, rounded experience in the process. This position is a great opportunity for someone to learn the functions of a wastewater treatment facility at a macro-level, understand each of the JMEUC’s essential services for local municipalities and have a hand in the many administrative functions that support these services.

Assistant Project Coordinator and Administrative intern will have an opportunity to play a role in JMEUC’s ongoing and upcoming projects that include the following:

Six (6) Phases of the FEMA Flood Mitigation Project:
• Phase I- Effluent Pump Station
• Phase II - Cogeneration Facility Upgrades
• Phase III - Main Plant Site Wall
• Phase IV – Army Corp of Engineer’s Stormwater Pump Station (reducing flood   risk from the Arthur Kill)
• Phase V – Biosolids Facility Site Wall
• Phase VI – Biosolids Facility Pump Stormwater Station (reducing flood risk from the Arthur Kill)

2025 Capital Improvement Program
• Digester #3 Cover Replacement
• Primary Settling Tank #4 Upgrades (removing and replacing all equipment)
• Cogeneration Engine Platforms
• Elevator Repairs and Modernization
• Dewatering Facility
• Laboratory and Training Facility
• Digester Building

This position will last from May to August 2026, and interns are expected to commit to at least twenty hours of work per week over ten weeks. Interns will be paid $20.00 per hour.

Responsibilities

• Monitor contractors to ensure that they are performing in accordance with the contract requirements with respect to the correct minimum number of workers and minimum wage law requirements.
• Examine all payment requests submitted by contractors as assigned by the Project Coordinator.
• Review all change orders for accuracy as requested by the Project Manager and Project Coordinator.
• Maintain accurate records with respect to each project undertaken by the Joint Meeting.
• Update and assist the Project Coordinator with the preparation and implementation of presentations to various Joint Meeting Officers regarding the status of pending Joint Meeting projects.
• Assist other Joint Meeting Departments with projects (such as Mechanical Maintenance, Information Technology, and Electrical Engineering) as assigned by the Project Coordinator on an as-needed basis.
• Report all problems to the Project Coordinator immediately.
• Comply with all safety procedures within the unit at all times.
• Comply with all agency policies, procedures, and rules, written or otherwise, at all times.
• Perform all other duties as assigned and/or required.
• Coordinate with the Project Coordinator and safety officer and ensure safety procedures within the unit at all times.

Desired Qualifications

• Must be an undergraduate student, graduate student, or recent graduate from a New Jersey institution of higher education or a New Jersey resident receiving education out of the state.
• Must be pursuing or have received a degree in a science or mathematics-related field, such as Engineering, Health Professions, Life Sciences, Math & Physical Sciences, Technologies & Technicians.
• Experience managing a personal schedule.
• Experience collaborating with others on complex projects.

Interested applicants should email a resume and cover letter to Director Hanifa Johnson at internship@jmeuc.com. The subject line of email responses should contain the following: “Assistant Project Coordinator and Administration Internship”, Candidate’s Full Name, Candidate’s Institution of Higher Education, Candidates Major(s).