- Salary
- $17 – $22/hr
- Location
- City of San Luis Obispo, CA, CA
- Workplace
- Remote, Onsite
- Type
- Internship
- Seniority
- Internship
- Education
- High School
- Closing date
- Today
- Source
- GovernmentJobs
Description
Position OverviewThe City of San Luis Obispo is seeking a creative, dependable and hardworking college student to assist with a range of strategic public information and public engagement tasks for at least three months, and up to 1 year.
Interns will report the City's Public Communications Manager and gain first-hand experience in communicating on behalf of a local government organization.
This is an excellent opportunity for students studying communications, marketing, public relations, public policy, public administration, political science, or community engagement.
Schedule & Work Environment- The intern will be expected to work 20 - 25 hours per week, with some evening and weekend hours may be required for community events and meetings on an as-needed basis.
- This role includes a combination of in-office work, remote tasks, and field-based outreach throughout San Luis Obispo.
- Experience with bilingual outreach (note: Spanish language skills are highly desirable but not required)
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- Highly organized, dependable, and able to manage multiple tasks with little supervision.
- Strong interest in civic engagement, elections, public service, and community outreach.
- Graphic design skills with a strong understanding of basic graphic design principles.
- Comfortable engaging with the public in a professional and inclusive manner.
- Currently enrolled in or recently completed coursework in any of the following or related fields:
- Public policy or public administration
- Political science
- Communications, journalism, or marketing
- Sociology or urban studies
- Familiarity with social media platforms, graphic design tools, or data analysis or visualization tools.
Under the direction of the Public Communications Manager, key responsibilities of the intern include but are not limited to:
- Communications & Content Development
- Assisting with executing the City’s content strategy 2027, which includes
- Creating, editing, publishing, and distributing outreach materials, including news releases, website content, flyers, mailers, toolkits, and social media content.
- Supporting bilingual (English/Spanish) communications efforts, including culturally responsive outreach.
- Coordinating and attending meetings, responding to emails, reviewing social media comments and flagging them for the Public Communications Manager to review.
- Assisting with executing the City’s content strategy 2027, which includes
- Volunteer Communications
- Assisting with volunteer recruitment, training logistics, scheduling, and communications.
- Supporting coordination with community partners such as schools, civic organizations, and neighborhood groups.
- Event & Meeting Support
- Supporting pop-up events, community meetings (virtual and in-person), and neighborhood outreach efforts.
- Helping prepare materials for presentations to community groups, schools, and neighborhood organizations.
- Assisting with meeting logistics, sign-ins, material distribution, and post-event follow-up.
- Evaluation & Reporting: Assisting with tracking outreach metrics such as event participation, website traffic, social media engagement, and community feedback.
This is a paid internship, and interns are also eligible for course credit where applicable. The City is open to coordinating with academic institutions to meet internship requirements.
Contact Whitney Szentesi at [email protected] with questions.JOB SUMMARY:
The Intern classification series is used Citywide to introduce the City to students as a potential employer and to provide practical work experience to local students. Duties are defined by the internship level and the departments to which the Intern is assigned. Interns may advance in both level and pay based on education and operational needs.
CLASS CHARACTERISTICS:
Intern II
Interns at the II level are freshman or sophomore year college students, community college students, or vocational school students who have completed high school. They are able to evaluate information gained in accordance with established policies and procedures and assist professional staff in ongoing project work.
Intern III
Interns at the III level are junior or senior year college students, or degree-holders working on their secondary degree. They are only eligible to work in a position related to their field of study. They participate in project work in an increasingly responsible role and may participate in the analysis of problems and in the preparation of reports under the supervision of professionals.
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of:
- Common computer systems and applications.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and other agencies.
- Understand, interpret, and apply instructions, rules, and regulations.
- Carry out oral and written instructions.
- Communicate effectively in English, both orally and in writing.
In order to qualify for the Intern classifications, a student or recent graduate must:
- Have the legal right to work in the United States.
- Be enrolled in an accredited institution or a school licensed by a state agency, or have graduated from such an institution or school within the last six months.
- Have an overall grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale.
- Submit a completed application for employment, unofficial transcript, and proof of enrollment or course schedule for the current school session.
POSSESSION AND MAINTENANCE OF:
- High school students under 18 years of age must obtain a work permit prior to employment.
THIS POSITION WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING BEFORE A FINAL OFFER IS MADE:
- Depending upon assignment, may be required to pass a background check.
- Depending upon assignment, may be required to pass a physical exam.
Skills
Graphic Design