Internship - Using AI in policy studies for urban water and climate adaptation

Applications are possible until October 22. On October 23, the manager will review all CVs and the candidates who proceed will be invited for an interview. The interviews will take place in week 43 (October 26-30). Preferably on location: Amersfoort, Amsterdam, or Den Bosch.

Arcadis is the global partner at the forefront of the most impactful projects of our time. We help our clients make sustainable choices through a combination of digital innovation, expertise, and future-oriented skills in areas including environment, energy, water, buildings, transport, and infrastructure. We take that extra step to offer our clients tailored solutions for design, engineering, and consultancy. By utilizing data-driven insights, we shape the natural and built environment together.

With more than 34,000 people, we pool global expertise and tackle challenges such as climate, affordable energy, and livable cities together. We improve quality of life through our presence in more than 30 countries.

Arcadis carries out numerous policy studies in the field of urban water and climate adaptation. For example, we periodically create a Water and Sewerage Program for many municipalities, develop climate strategies, and draw up implementation agendas. All of this is increasingly in line with the new Environment Act (Omgevingswet), as this law makes a clear distinction between an environmental vision, an environmental plan, an environmental program, and digital accessibility.

The integral nature of such studies means we often have to "make links to other policies" in order to safeguard and increase the synergy between different plans. This often involves analyzing administrative frameworks, policy documents, regulations, and research.

AI can support us in these analyses and help structure them. We have already gained positive experience with this, but we would like to expand the use of AI in our work.

We are looking for a student who has an interest and affinity for urban water, climate adaptation, and AI. During the internship, you will investigate how AI can be smartly deployed in policy studies, by, among other things, having AI structure large amounts of data (such as laws and regulations, environmental visions) and developing prompts to make the synergy between different policies visible. By the end of your internship, an AI assistant will have been developed that can generate a policy analysis based on a specific region or location.

In short: we are looking for a curious and eager-to-learn student who can add a new dimension to our work.

You will join a close-knit team full of knowledge in the fields of hydrology and climate adaptation. Additionally, there is plenty of room to develop within projects and exchange knowledge with the various advisors in the team. We do this, among other things, by regularly planning collaborative workdays. In addition to the collaborative workdays, everyone is active in meeting each other and working together at the various offices.

Team members work from various offices in the Netherlands. Your personal base of operations is negotiable, for example, depending on your own place of residence.

Affinity with urban water, climate adaptation, and AI is a plus.

Your advisory group is Water & Climate Adaptation and falls under the CARE market group. The advisory group is organized into five national teams (approx. 95 team members): Water Optimization, Water Quality and Ecology, Water and Climate Analysis, Groundwater, and the Water and Climate Managers. We work together integrally on themes such as climate adaptation, the transition of urban and rural areas, safeguarding sufficient clean (drinking) water, and closing loops in the water cycle.

Qualifications & Experience:
If you are completing a HBO (applied sciences) or WO (research university) degree in hydrology, water management, urban water, or climate adaptation then you can join us with this internship or graduation topic.

• You are available from February for at least 4-5 months. More is also possible.
• You have clear ambition or interest in AI, digitalization, data processing, etc.
• You possess an excellent command of the Dutch language and a good command of the English language, both spoken and written.
• You have an open and eager-to-learn attitude to master new subject matter and to collaborate with specialists or fellow students in this regard.
• Additionally, you can work well independently and have sufficient decisiveness to engage in discussion with experts in the field and to establish contact with clients to obtain background information or data.

Desired competencies

• Since our clients work and communicate in Dutch, we expect you to have a good command of the Dutch language, both orally and in writing.
• You have an analytical eye.
• You have an independent and proactive attitude.
• You are entrepreneurial, proactive, flexible, and independent, whereby we expect that you can collaborate well and enjoy contributing to our team.
• You have no objection to traveling regularly to various offices to work there with your team members, such as Amersfoort, Arnhem, Den Bosch, or Amsterdam.

We grow through the knowledge and expertise of our employees and interns. With your input, energy, passion, and vision, we continue to grow and ensure a better quality of life.

For interns, we have been introducing our Blueprint program since September 2026. A special program for students to help in your development as young professionals. With themes ranging from Digitalization & Hybrid Working to Collaboration & Communication to Self Development & Customer Focus and much more.

Where you help us, we also want to help your career grow.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Recruitment, secondment, and HR agencies do not need to respond; acquisition following this vacancy is not appreciated.

An assessment and/or pre-employment screening may be part of the application procedure.