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OPCD Graduate Internships

City of Seattle
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The Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD) is seeking motivated graduate students for three exciting internship opportunities! These roles offer hands-on experience in urban planning, data analysis, community engagement, and housing policy - all within the context of Seattle’s evolving land use and equity goals. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to high-impact projects that shape the future of Seattle.

OPCD leads planning and community development efforts in Seattle, with citywide and neighborhood-specific projects. With a focus on racial equity and social justice, OPCD ensures City departments are aligned and coordinated in planning for Seattle’s future development to advance equitable growth, consistent with Seattle's Comprehensive Plan.

If you're interested in city planning, community outreach and engagement, data-driven research and mapping, or equitable real estate strategies, we’d love to hear from you!

 

Job Responsibilities

 

Community Planning Intern

Focus Areas: Community engagement, qualitative and quantitative data analysis, neighborhood planning, interdepartmental coordination

Key Responsibilities:

  • Support community engagement efforts by developing outreach materials, designing activities and surveys, analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, and supporting public outreach.
  • Assist with geographic analysis to support planning efforts in North Aurora, with optional involvement in subarea planning for Ballard, South Lake Union, Uptown, and the University District.

Major Project: Collaborate with SDOT and SPU on infrastructure planning in North Aurora. Help coordinate community engagement and early action strategies, conduct geographic analysis, and contribute to the development of a Community Action Plan that outlines mid- and long-term policy goals for the corridor and surrounding neighborhoods.

Planning & Equity Data Intern

Focus Areas: Data analysis, mapping, equity indicators, comprehensive plan monitoring

Key Responsibilities:

  • Conduct research, organize information, and analyze data to monitor progress toward Comprehensive Plan goals and equitable development outcomes. 
  • Assist with analysis of demographic, housing, land use, socioeconomic, and displacement data; respond to data requests; and support interdepartmental data collaboration. 
  • Produce charts, maps, or other visualizations and summarize findings for internal and external audiences.

Major Project: Support development of the monitoring program for the City’s updated Comprehensive Plan (One Seattle Plan). This will involve researching and developing quantitative and place-based community indicators to monitor progress toward the goals in the Plan, including housing affordability, displacement prevention, neighborhood livability, and equitable development. This will also include working alongside the City Demographer, Planning & Equity Data Analyst, and GIS Specialist on related data tools and collaborating interdepartmentally to leverage key data being collected by other departments.

Homeowner Development Support Intern

Focus Areas: Financial modeling, homeownership, anti-displacement, zoning implementation

Key Responsibilities:

  • Assist in developing strategies to help homeowners understand and use new development options under updated Neighborhood Residential zoning.
  • Conduct data analysis, develop financial models, and contribute to program design .

Major Project: Advance a suite of strategies aimed at helping existing homeowners leverage their property, build wealth, and stay in place. Strategies include technical assistance for legacy homeowners funded by a HUD PRO Housing grant and updates to the City’s ADUniverse platform. These efforts unfold in the context of recent changes to Seattle's Neighborhood Residential zoning, which expand housing choices throughout neighborhoods and fulfill state requirements related to middle housing and accessory dwelling units (ADUs).  

We’re excited to work with students who are:

  • Strong writers and clear communicators
  • Organized, flexible, and proactive with strong time management skills
  • Comfortable working with diverse communities and perspectives
  • Committed to the City’s racial equity and social justice (RSJ) values 
  • A collaborative team player who’s eager to learn and grow
  • Interested in local level government and community-oriented work 
  • Experience with community outreach and/or communications (Community Planning and Planning & Equity Data Interns)
  • Proficient with GIS, Data Visualization (Community Planning and Planning & Equity Data Interns) 
  • Proficient with graphic design tools is beneficial (Community Planning Intern)
  • Familiarity with data analysis and programming with R is bonus (Planning & Equity Data Intern)
  • Familiar with financial modeling, real estate development, and pro forma creation (Homeowner Development Support Intern) 

Don’t meet every single qualification? That’s okay! Studies show women and people of color often hesitate to apply unless they meet all the criteria. We believe diverse backgrounds make us stronger, and there’s no one-size-fits-all path to success! If you're excited about this internship opportunity, we encourage you to apply. We especially welcome applicants from historically excluded communities in the environmental field, including BIPOC, immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

 

Qualifications

 

Applicants must be currently enrolled graduate students in an accredited college or university program. Preferred areas of study include Urban Planning, Public Policy, Real Estate, Data and Information Science, Geography, Sociology, or other related fields. 

Graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA. 

 

Additional Information

 

Hiring Timeline: Interviews will be held at the beginning of November 2025 with new interns starting in December 2025 or January 2026. We anticipate the internships to last until Spring with possible extension into the Summer 2026. 

Schedule & Work Environment: Up to 20 hours/week during the academic year and up to 40 hours/week during summer and breaks. This internship offers the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule, which will be determined with the supervisor. There may be occasional evening and weekend work for community events. 

Benefits: Learn more about internship benefits at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/working-at-the-city/internships

Hourly Rate: $26.71 - $26.71 

Ready to Apply? Submit your application online at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/seattle/transferjobs by 4:00 PM Pacific Time on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Be sure to include:

-  A current resume (PDF) 

-   A cover letter detailing your specific interest working in City government and what background, skills, and lived experience you would bring to this internship.

-  An unofficial transcript that includes your GPA and current coursework 

This internship is open to all who meet the minimum qualifications. OPCD welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and values diverse perspectives. We strongly encourage students of color, immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experience in frontline communities to apply. 

To request an accommodation or ask questions, contact Nicolette Hornbeck at Nicolette.Hornbeck@seattle.gov