Park Planning and Project Management Internships

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is seeking student interns in planning, geography, architecture, and engineering disciplines, to support our Capital and Planning Division for a year-long (or longer) part-time internship. This is a great opportunity to work during the summer and the following school year as an integral part of our team. 

We are now accepting applications for 2024-2025 internships!  

Application Period: The application period for 2024-2025 opens on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, and applications can be submitted through Monday, January 15, 2024.  

Internship Period: Summer 2024 to Summer 2025 or longer. Interns are eligible to work part-time for 6-months post-graduation or 6 months after they stop taking classes.

Time Commitment: A minimum of two days (16-20 hours) per week during the school year, and up to four days (32 hours) per week during the summer months, for a total of 1,040 hours a year.

Preferred Candidates: 

Planning: 

Candidates should be current graduate students in an Urban Planning, Geography, or similar graduate program, with at least one year left of schoolwork. Candidates must be able to report to work in person in San Francisco a minimum of twice a week during the school year. Successful candidates will have previous work experience and working knowledge of Microsoft Office, ArcGIS, and Adobe Creative Suite.   

Project Management:

Candidates should be current graduate students in Landscape Architecture, Architecture, or an architecture/landscape architecture related field (such as Environmental Design) with at least one year left of schoolwork. Candidates must be able to report to work in person in San Francisco a minimum of twice a week during the school year. Successful candidates will have previous work experience and working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Auto CAD, and Adobe Creative Suite.   

Pay: $34.87 per hour

To apply please visit the Citywide 2024 Summer Student Intern Program website: https://sfstudentintern.org/  and select the application link for the Recreation and Park Department or directly apply here: Capital & Planning Division - Student Intern Program, Summer 2024 – Open Space Planning and Project Management - Recreation & Parks, (5380) | City and County of San Francisco (sf.gov)

Planning Intern Roles & Responsibilities: 

  1. Perform site review, research and data analysis, and preparation of reports related to property acquisition, park improvement projects and natural resources. 
  2. Prepare informational and analytical maps and graphic materials using ArcGIS software and the Adobe Creative Suite.
  3. Prepare presentations and staff reports to citizen advisory groups and the Recreation and Park Commission; assist project managers at community meetings; conduct user intercept surveys.
  4. Analyze existing and proposed open spaces and population growth impacts.
  5. Assist planning staff with review, analysis and preparation as needed of Environmental Review documents such as California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) reviews and SF Planning Dept Certificates of Appropriateness (CoA) for projects impacting Recreation and Park facilities.
  6. Evaluate shadow impact studies for Proposition K (SF’s “Sunlight Ordinance”) analysis and prepare reports with recommendations for Commission consideration. 
  7. Assist in grant applications through grant writing, policy and environmental sciences research, and graphics preparation.
  8. Monitor and update capital project schedules in Airtable and other software.
  9. Basic administrative support including filing, ordering supplies, receiving mail, data entry, word processing, creating spreadsheets, and other administrative tasks as needed. 

Project Management Intern Roles & Responsibilities:

  1. Research historical park construction documents for park and recreation improvement projects.
  2. Prepare informational and graphic material for community outreach and grant applications using Adobe Creative Suite and potentially CAD – creating site maps, plans, etc.
  3. Additional support for community meetings including taking notes, analyzing survey results, and follow up communications.
  4. Photograph site conditions at various park locations, including organizing project photos.
  5. Basic administrative support including filing, ordering supplies, receiving mail, data entry, word processing, creating spreadsheets, and other administrative tasks.
  6. Posting notices related to projects on-site at various locations in SF. 


For questions regarding these positions please email Kerstin Kalchmayr (kerstin.kalchmayr@sfgov.org).