Local Food Initiative Graduate Intern

Are you passionate about building a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable food system? King County's Local Food Initiative Graduate Intern position offers a unique opportunity to help implement the County's newly updated 2025 Local Food Initiative Strategy while working alongside leaders from across Washington's food system. In this role, you'll engage with farmers, food businesses, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, funders, and community partners to advance innovative projects that strengthen the local food economy and improve food access. A major responsibility of the position is developing the Initiative's monthly newsletter, giving you the opportunity to develop strong communications skills while helping tell the story of this important work. Ideal candidates are deeply interested in food systems, agriculture, and/or food access and are excited to gain hands-on experience in public policy, partnership development, communications, and collaborative project management that will have a lasting impact on communities throughout King County.

About the Role:
The Local Food Initiative Graduate Intern plays an integral role in supporting the implementation of King County's 2025 Local Food Initiative Strategy by advancing communications, stakeholder engagement, and collaborative projects that strengthen the local food system. The intern will support the development and publication of the Initiative's monthly newsletter, helping communicate the impact of King County's work to partners and the public. The position also supports planning and coordination of the King County Food System Advisory Council and contributes to a variety of high-impact initiatives, including the Farmland Leasing Program, development of the Farm King County web resource, and Farm to Community programming. Working closely with staff and partners from across the food system, the intern will gain valuable experience in public policy, communications, project management, and cross-sector collaboration while helping advance a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable food system for King County.

About the Team:
The Local Food Initiative is housed within the Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) Director's Office and is led by the Local Food Economy Manager. Our team works collaboratively across DNRP—including the Water and Land Resources Division and Solid Waste Division—and with partners such as Public Health – Seattle & King County, the King Conservation District, community-based organizations, farmers, food businesses, and other public agencies. Together, we are implementing King County's 2025 Local Food Initiative Strategy, a long-term roadmap for building a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable local food system. Our work advances DNRP's mission by protecting and restoring farmland and natural resources, supporting climate-smart agriculture, reducing food waste, strengthening local food businesses, and expanding equitable access to healthy, locally grown food. As part of our small, collaborative team, you'll have the opportunity to work on projects that create meaningful environmental, economic, and community impact while gaining exposure to partners and initiatives across the region's food system.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Local Food Initiative Graduate Intern, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at  King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. What You Will Be Doing:

• Coordinate the publication of the Local Food Initiative monthly newsletter. Identify story ideas, interview partners and staff, draft articles and blog posts, coordinate with the Public Affairs team, and manage the publication and distribution of the newsletter.

• Support the King County Food System Advisory Council (KC FSAC). Assist with planning and coordinating quarterly meetings, preparing agendas and meeting materials, communicating with council members, documenting meeting outcomes, and maintaining council records.

• Develop communications for key Local Food Initiative programs and projects. Research, write, and create content that highlights King County initiatives such as the Farmland Leasing Program, Farm King County, Farm to Community programming, and other Local Food Initiative projects for partners, stakeholders, and the public.

• Conduct research and policy analysis. Research emerging issues, best practices, funding opportunities, and policy trends related to food systems, agriculture, farmland preservation, food access, and economic development to inform Local Food Initiative implementation.

• Support collaborative projects and stakeholder engagement. Assist with planning and implementing Local Food Initiative projects by coordinating with farmers, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, food businesses, and other partners, while providing project management and administrative support for meetings, events, and outreach activities.

Qualifications You Bring:

• Demonstrated interest and relevant experience in farming, local food systems, food access, sustainability, and advancing racial equity and social justice.

• Ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal formats, build and maintain constructive working relationships, and adapt communication style to meet the needs of varied audiences.

• Demonstrated strong written communication skills, with the ability to craft clear, concise, creative, and persuasive messages for diverse audiences.

• Ability to think critically and strategically when developing communications, including analyzing audience needs, setting goals, selecting effective tactics, and evaluating results.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze issues objectively, identify root causes, and propose practical, well-reasoned solutions.

• Basic understanding of local government and public policy.

• Working knowledge of software products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook, Google Sites, and WordPress.

Competencies You Bring:

• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Plans and Aligns: Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.
• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Self-Development: Actively seeking new ways to grow and be challenged using both formal and informal development channels.

Working Conditions:

• Work Location: The DNRP Director's Office team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104.
  Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
  King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
• Work Schedule: This part-time position works up to 20 hours per week (up to 40 hours during summer).  This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is not represented.

Application Instructions:

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.   

Anticipated Timeline for this recruitment (dates subject to change): 

• Panel Interview: Virtual via Teams, mid to late October 2026
  • Candidates invited to the panel interview may be asked to provide a writing sample.  

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Responses to the supplemental questions

Note: Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our DNRP website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News. 

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.  

Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Application Process

If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Rodney Dungo at [email protected].

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.