Vermont Innovation Summer 2026 Operational Development Intern

Vermont Innovation Summer 2026: 

Wasted* Operational Development Intern

“Potties with Purpose”

Vermont Innovation Summer: 

This opportunity is part of Middlebury College’s Vermont Innovation Summer cohort program, sponsored by the Innovation Hub. This program supports students working with companies across Burlington’s innovation ecosystem. Vermont Innovation Summer internships will run from June 8—July 31, 2026.  Students will receive a $5000 funding award through Innovation Hub at Middlebury College.  For more information about Vermont Innovation Summer, please contact Dana Anderson at danaa@middlebury.edu.

This position comes with access to affordable, fee-based dormitory housing through Champlain College in Burlington. More information will be available in March upon the intern’s offer of employment, however students will need to accept housing by April 1 in order to secure their spot.  ELIGIBILITY: Interns must have at least a semester left at Middlebury following the conclusion of the internship to qualify. This position is not open to graduating seniors.

Full time | 35-40 hours a week

About Wasted* PBC

Wasted* provides Potties with Purpose — we bring sustainability to sanitation and demonstrate that human waste is a valuable resource. We offer urine-diverting and traditional portable restrooms, and at our headquarter *Lab, we recover and reintroduce a portion of the water and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) from human waste.

Role Description

We’re seeking an enthusiastic Operational Development Intern with an interest in business systems, process design, and operational excellence. This role is perfect for a student who enjoys solving complex problems, building organizational tools, and bringing clarity and structure to growing teams. You’ll work closely with our Operations, Sales, and Product teams to build foundational systems that improve efficiency, support growth, and strengthen our internal infrastructure.

This internship is ideal for someone with coursework or interest in business, operations management, supply chain, entrepreneurship, or organizational systems—and who is genuinely excited to see how a climate-tech porta potty startup operates from the inside. Every day may look different—so flexibility, initiative, and a spirit of adventure are key!

Possible Tasks and Responsibilities:

Procurement & Inventory System improvement - this may entail developing and refining a procurement guide that documents vendors, purchasing processes, pricing information, and preferred materials or improving inventory management tools to track supplies, equipment, and product materials across teams. It may also entail analyzing procurement workflows to identify opportunities for cost savings or operational efficiency.

Operational Processes & SOPs - this may look like drafting and standardizing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across multiple areas including service routes, equipment handling, product assembly, and internal communication practices; interviewing staff to understand existing workflows and translate them into clear, accessible documentation; or recommending improved workflows or operational adjustments as appropriate.

Internal Business Tools - this may look like building or refining internal sales tools, such as pricing references, customer-facing materials, or CRM system workflows; collaborating with the Sales Team to understand their needs and translate them into actionable, user-friendly tools, or supporting the creation of dashboards, templates, and resource libraries that help streamline day-to-day operations.

External Lead Sourcing & Market Development - this could mean conducting research to identify potential customers, partners, and distribution channels; generating organized lead lists and assisting with outreach preparation (not active sales, unless interested); or analyzing market categories and trends to support strategic business decisions.

Qualifications and skills

• Reliable transportation or willingness to take the bus to Williston, VT
• Team player with a "can-do" attitude.
• Outgoing and comfortable talking to customers, potential customers and the community in general.
• Strong verbal communication skills.
• Self-starter and willingness to learn about Wasted*, our mission, WeeBloom, and other aspects of our business. 
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Able to walk up to 30 minutes at a time without exertion,  lift 30 lbs from floor to head, and push/pull 100 lbs horizontally. 
• Willing to learn, ask questions and jump in and try new tasks and experiences. (Yes, you will do a few ride-alongs, servicing toilets and seeing how the process actually works.)

Company Values

• Biophilia: We hold a sacred celebration of the natural world and recognize Earth as our primary stakeholder. With a profound sense of interconnection, we consider all life in everything we do.
• Reverence: We have deep respect for all those that make our work possible: service technicians and customers, those who came before us and those who work alongside us. We hold ourselves and each other in high regard, prioritizing honest and integrity driven collaboration. We recognize that each of our individual actions – and how we do them – matters.
• Fun: In our approach to life and work, we maintain a perspective of levity and positivity. We embrace the notion that fun is not merely an outcome, but a lens through which we view the world. We take responsibility for consciously infusing fun into our professional endeavors.

Contact | careers@wasted.earth