City Council Work Study Intern – Public Service

Job Description

Summer Quarter City Council Work Study Intern- CM Foster | City of Seattle

The Tone:
This is an internship at the City of Seattle, located in Seattle, WA. The City of Seattle is a large public service organization, committed to creating a positive impact in the community while valuing diversity and inclusion. This role is crucial in supporting a City Councilmember and their staff within the Legislative Department, enabling the intern to directly contribute to local governance, engage with constituents, and participate in the policy-making process by applying learned skills and building new ones.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Part-time (up to 19 hours/week)
• Location: In-person, Seattle, WA
• Pay: $22.56–$27.67 hourly
• Team: Office of Councilmember Dionne Foster (Position 9); reports to Councilmember and Legislative Assistants
• Mission: Support the Councilmember and staff by assisting with projects, engaging with community members, and collaborating across City departments to apply new skills and make a positive community impact.
• Tech Stack: Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel), photocopiers, scanners

What You’ll Actually Do
• Policy Research: Assist Legislative Assistants (LAs) by thoroughly researching and tracking important public policy and current issues.
• Communication Drafting: Draft issue statements, speaking points, and various other communications for the Councilmember and LAs.
• Stakeholder Monitoring: Track committee meetings, key stakeholder interests, and issues specifically pertaining to constituents.
• Information Management: Compile information and data efficiently using Microsoft Office and other relevant programs, and manage email correspondence for review.
• Constituent Engagement: Answer and direct phone calls, assist constituents visiting the office, and compose routine correspondence as instructed.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in Washington State, pursuing a major concentration in Political Science, History, Law, Public Affairs, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a comparable field of study.
• Experience: Must be currently eligible for Washington State Work Study and provide proof of eligibility to work in an off-campus work study job. Undergraduate students must maintain a GPA of 2.0, and graduate students a GPA of 3.0, throughout the internship duration.
• Skills: Possess excellent written and verbal communication abilities, demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook, Excel), and be skilled in conducting thorough internet research.
• Bonus: Enjoy helping others and providing excellent customer service, have a commitment to identifying local community issues through an equity, social justice, diversity, and inclusion lens, and maintain punctuality and reliability as a team member.