Join The Team

The Ray is a 501(c)(3) Georgia nonprofit organization and a highway testbed, located on Interstate 85 between LaGrange and the Georgia-Alabama state line. The organization began with an 18-mile stretch of interstate named in memory of Ray C. Anderson (1934-2011), a Georgia native recognized as a leader in green business when he challenged his company, Interface Inc., to pursue a zero waste, zero carbon footprint. The Ray Highway continues that legacy by paving the way for a zero carbon, zero waste, zero death transportation system to build a safer and more prosperous future for all. 

Our mission is to reimagine how we connect our communities, our lives and the world in a way that’s safer, more responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, and more capable of generating economic opportunity, through innovative ideas and technologies that will transform transportation infrastructure.

Our team is now accepting applications for the following position(s):

Communications Internship – Summer 2023, GIS Internship – Summer 2023, Policy and Research Internship – Summer 2023,

See full job descriptions below:

The Ray’s Vision: Zero Carbon. Zero Waste. Zero Deaths.

The Ray’s Mission: To reimagine how we connect our communities, our lives and the world in a
way that is safer, more responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, and
more capable of creating economic opportunity through innovative ideas and technologies that
will transform transportation infrastructure.

Background: Ray C. Anderson, the founder of flooring company Interface, ignited a global
movement towards sustainable business practice when he had the courage to ask, “What if?”
Founded in 2015 by Ray’s daughter, Harriet Langford, The Ray is the next leap in that journey,
born of the same question: “what if we reimagine transportation in a way that’s safer, more
responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, and more capable of creating
economic opportunity—today and for generations?” Our work begins at the world’s first
sustainable highway, an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 in West Georgia where we test and
demonstrate the evolving ideas and technologies that will transform transportation
infrastructure. We then partner with public, private and philanthropic partners (P4) to facilitate
similar projects with transportation agencies at the local, state and federal level, and enable the
scaling of new technologies and innovations in transportation. Working together to create a
regenerative transportation ecosystem, we are leading the way with some of the world’s boldest
thinking and most promising innovation, with the aim of building a zero carbon, zero waste, zero
death transportation system.

 

Communications Internship – Summer 2023

The Ray has grown from a Georgia-based nonprofit to a model for innovation with an active
presence in 25 states with more than 30 transportation agencies. To support The Ray’s
expansion and growing influence, we are looking to broaden our media presence as well as
strengthen The Ray’s digital communications effort across the board. The location of work for
this position will be in the office located in Midtown Atlanta, GA.

The intern will work directly with the Director of Communications and will:
● Support The Ray’s social media and external communications strategy alongside the
Director of Communications
● Assist in the planning, editing and scheduling for the development of social media
content on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram
● Analyze weekly and monthly social media and website data to identify themes and
prepare recommendations for improvements
● Examine The Ray’s media coverage and prepare weekly press clippings for the Director
of Communications
● Draft and edit writing projects, including email blasts, press releases, media assets, etc.
● Attend weekly intern meetings with The Ray’s staff and communications team check-ins
with the Director of Communications

Qualifications:
● Interest in public affairs communications, environmental communications, graphic
design, media relations, or video development
● Strong written communications skills, including story-telling and long-form narratives
● Social media and Google analytics experience preferred
● At least one year of undergraduate program completed
● Graphic design and video production skills are a plus
● Detail-oriented, self-motivated, eager to learn, flexible team player with a positive attitude

The location of work for this position will be in the office located in Midtown Atlanta, GA.
This is a paid internship compensated at $10/hour for undergraduates and $15/hour for
graduate students, requiring up to 20 hours of work per week. The summer internship has a
commitment of approximately mid-May through mid-August 2023, but dates are flexible. Regular
video conferences will be required.

Please send a resume, unofficial transcript, writing sample and/or digital portfolio to Sarah
Grizzle at sgrizzle@theray.org by March 31st, 2023.

 

Summer 2023, GIS Internship – Summer 2023

The Ray is pursuing partnership opportunities with transportation agencies across the US to scale the
innovative technologies and methodologies successfully demonstrated on The Ray. To support this
scaling effort, The Ray is developing GIS-based resources and tools to provide specific and actionable
data that our partner organizations can use to build sustainable transportation projects.

The intern will work directly with the GIS Manager and Specialist and will:
● Support the development and management of GIS maps and applications
● Perform geospatial data development and analysis
● Efficiently manage geospatial databases and aerial photography
● Accurately maintain geospatial database information by interpreting data from a variety of
sources and creating, verifying, and updating information in the geospatial database through
the use of GIS software and technologies
● Acquire, process, integrate, visualize, and analyze geospatial data provided by The Ray’s
partners into existing GIS datasets, and
● Attend meetings as requested by The Ray staff.

Qualifications:
● Undergraduate degree or pursuit of an undergraduate degree in a related field
● Proficient in ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online
● Problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical thinking skills
● Strong written and oral communications skills
● Individual and team-based GIS project experiences
● Detail-oriented, self-motivated, eager to learn, flexible team player with a positive attitude
● Commitment and passion for the environment

The location of work for this position will be in the office located in Midtown Atlanta, GA. This is a paid
position at $10/hour for undergraduates and $15/hour for graduates, requiring up to 20 hours of work
per week. The summer internship has a commitment of approximately mid-May through mid-August
2023, but dates are flexible.

Please send a resume, cover letter, and (unofficial) transcript to Jessie
Hong-Dwyer at jessie@theray.org by March 31, 2023.

 

Policy and Research Internship – Summer 2023

About the Position
● Position Type: Paid, part-time internship (30+ hours)
● Reports To: Midwest/Tx Regional Manager
● Location: Austin, TX Metro Area (hybrid environment)
● Schedule: Flexible; hours/days to be discussed upon hire
● Start Date: Flexible

The Ray is pursuing partnership opportunities with transportation agencies across the US to
scale the innovative technologies and methodologies successfully demonstrated on The Ray
Highway. To better understand potential partner organizations, The Ray seeks to gain insight
into the environmental, sustainability, energy, innovation, climate, and intelligent transportation
system programs of transportation agencies both nationwide and internationally. Learn more at
www.TheRay.org.

This internship will focus on the Western and Midwestern regions and will work directly with
those Regional Managers to:
● Research state Department of Transportation (DOT) climate, sustainability, innovation,
electrification, and intelligent transportation system programs, including related goals
and performance metrics
● Research federal, state, and local policies pertaining to DOTs and the deployment of
emerging technology and renewable energy infrastructure
● Research transportation-specific technologies and other innovative technologies that can
be applied to transportation use cases
● Compile a user-friendly executive summaries of research that will be used to inform
partnership strategies
● Attend team and partnership meetings as requested by The Ray staff.

Qualifications:
● Undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree in a related field
● Strong written communications skills
● Analytic skills and experience
● Basic understanding of policy, technology, and government
● Self-motivated, flexible team player with a positive attitude
● Commitment and passion for the environment

How to Apply:
This is a hybrid internship, with some hours to be completed in-office as well as remotely.
Regular video conferences will be required. This is a paid position at $10/hour for
undergraduate students and $15/hour for graduate students. It will require at least 30 hours of
work per week during the summer.

Please send a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to Alex Payson at alex@theray.org.