Summary Description
Do you have a passion for coordinating? Are you a connection-maker and love talking to people?
Spend your summer building relationships and sharing your passion with the Urbandale community!
The City of Urbandale is seeking highly motivated candidates for the seasonal position of Economic Development Project Intern. Urbandale is a suburb of Des Moines, located on the northwest side, and is nestled between West Des Moines, Clive and Johnston. We are a progressive and growing community of over 45,000 people. The person chosen for this internship will make a substantial contribution to the City’s Economic Development efforts.
Duties
The Economic Development Project Intern will learn and perform duties related to economic development, volunteerism, and marketing with the City. The internship is designed to be a well-rounded, comprehensive experience and may be well-suited to candidates with experience, knowledge, and/or interest in:
- Working one-on-one with business contacts throughout the community.
- Organizing and planning large group events.
- Interest in marketing and communication for a large scale event.
The anticipated length of the internship is May 2025 through October 2025. The Economic Development Project Intern will be expected to work at least 10 to 16 hours per week. Regular working hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Routine Job Duties/Responsibilities
- Lead the Urbandale Uplift Project, the City's primary volunteer program.
- Recruit, organize, and coordinate volunteer teams from area businesses.
- Coordinate with vendors for event planning.
- Coordinate with area non-profit organizations.
- Develop and implement email campaigns.
- Market and advertise volunteer opportunities to Urbandale businesses and employees.
- Assist with updates of departmental marketing materials (profiles, flyers, etc.).
- Attend occasional City, community, and industry meetings.
- Assist with event/meeting planning and coordination, as needed.
- Document volunteer participation milestones and maintain records of volunteer events.
- Add to database of City photos to be used for promotional materials.
- Respond to/assist with inquires and complete special projects; other duties as assigned.
Periodic Job Duties/Responsibilities
- Attends training sessions and other meetings as required.
Typical Qualifications
- Must be at least 18 years of age.
- Open to current undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a degree in a preferred field real estate, community/regional planning, public administration or fields of marketing/communications, meeting and event planning, social work, political science, business administration, finance, business, or related field. Recent college graduates (within 12 months of graduation date) may also be considered.
- Must have a valid Driver’s License.
Skills:
- Ability to communicate professionally, in person and in writing.
- Ability to function effectively as a team within a larger office environment.
- Ability to self-direct work and be productive independently.
Knowledge:
- Ability to define tasks that lead to finished high-quality work product that meets deadlines.
- Ability to research and identify credible sources of information.
- Ability to problem solve and develop solutions independently.
- Knowledge of event planning.
- Knowledge of community and neighborhood planning and redevelopment.
- Knowledge of economic development.
- Knowledge of project management.
Supplemental Information
Our Economic Development department is highly interactive and collaborative. The ideal candidate must be able to operate successfully in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. The Intern will function as an integral member of the team while remaining independently productive on assigned tasks and duties. The Intern is expected to demonstrate a high-level of professionalism and dedication to assigned projects.
Please attach your resume and a cover letter to your application. For more information, please contact Aaron DeJong, Director of Economic Development, at (515) 251-1644 or via email at adejong@urbandale.org.
Post offer/preemployment background check and drug test are required.
The City of Urbandale is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Persons with disabilities must submit requests for ADA accommodations to the Human Resources Department, in writing, prior to the application deadline.
This position is not eligible for health benefits but may be eligible for IPERS. IPERS eligibility and participation will begin once an employee earns $1,000 or more in two consecutive quarters and will continue for the duration of employment.
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Are you at least 18 years of age?
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Are you a recent graduate (within 12 months of graduation date), a current undergraduate, or a current graduate student pursuing a degree in a preferred field (marketing/communications, meeting and event planning, social work, political science, business administration, finance, business, or related field)?
