Sustainability Intern, 2027 Season

About the role

Sustainability Intern reports to the Sustainability Program Leader. Located in Indianapolis, IN. Seasonal position from February 2027 – August 2027. Penske Entertainment creates world-class events across four iconic motorsports brands: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) – home of the world’s largest spectator sporting facility and host of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge; INDYCAR – the Indianapolis-based governing body for North America's premier open-wheel auto racing series (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) and its developmental series, INDY NXT by Firestone; IMS Productions – a multifaceted broadcast and multimedia division that brings INDYCAR and IMS events to global audiences; and Motorsports Events Management (MEM) – which promotes major events featuring premier motorsports series throughout the United States. The team fuels unforgettable moments for fans, partners, and teams across the motorsports world.

The Penske Entertainment Sustainability Intern supports all sustainability initiatives across these business units, including data collection and tracking of emissions sources, planning and communication of relevant initiatives, supporting waste diversion efforts during events, and drafting reports and presentations for new initiatives and projects under management direction. The role works closely with the Sustainability Program Leader to advance Penske’s corporate decarbonization initiative, taking ownership of key responsibilities, collaborating across departments, and bringing energy and innovation to a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Support the planning and execution of major racing events
• Collaborate with internal teams and external vendors
• Help maintain high standards of operational excellence and fan experience
• Deliver outstanding service to partners, guests, and colleagues
• Partner with Penske Entertainment business units (IMS, INDYCAR, MEM, IMSP) across operations, products, partners, vendors, and supply chains on environmental sustainability initiatives
• Communicate, coordinate, and implement environmental sustainability initiatives with business operators throughout their respective business units
• Work with the Facilities team during events to collect food donations and composting as part of ongoing waste diversion efforts
• Assist with management of housekeeping and recycling temporary staffing agencies during public events
• Assist with tracking and measurement of sustainability efforts, including data input for utilities, waste diversion, and vendor response management
• Interpret data, synthesize findings, write reports, and make actionable recommendations based on market research and data analysis
• Assist with documentation collection and submission for sustainability certifications
• Understand and integrate industry trends and competitive landscape as it applies to current and/or future initiatives
• Mentor and train event staff team members
• Other projects as assigned

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of MS Office, with emphasis on Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• High level of integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality
• Innovative and critical thinker, self‑starter with problem‑solving skills and results‑driven goals
• Effective communication and relationship‑building skills; both verbal and written
• Ability to work in a role that requires attention to detail, organizational and time‑management skills
• Demonstrated ability to multi‑task and prioritize in a fast‑p