Engagement Specialist

Salary: $20.00 - $28.23 Hourly
Location : City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA
Job Type: Internship
Job Number: NEW
Department: Neighborhood & Community Services
Opening Date: 06/09/2026
Closing Date: 6/23/2026 11:59 PM Eastern


Are you Richmond R.E.A.D.Y ? R espect. E quity. A ccountability. D iversity... YOU !!!


This is an EXCITING time to Join the City of Richmond! We are committed to nurturing talent, fostering growth opportunities, and building strong connections within our workforce. As we continue to make strides to becoming the employer of choice, we are thrilled about the below employee benefit enhancements:

• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• Language Incentive
• Referral Bonus
• T uition Assistance Program

Description
This is a paid intern position for 12 months only.
The Office of Aging & Disability Services seeks a creative and detail-oriented student Intern to support communications, outreach, and strategic initiatives that improve the lives of older adults, individuals with disabilities, caregivers and their families that live in the City of Richmond.
This paid internship provides hands-on experience in public service interacting with City of Richmond offices, communications, local government operations, and community engagement. The intern will play an active role in supporting implementation of the Office's communications plan and ensuring information about programs, services, and initiatives is clear, accessible, and impactful.
Hourly Rate for this position will be $20.00.
This position will only be 20-25 hours a week (as needed by the department).

Duties include but are not limited to
Communications & Public Engagement

• Assist in implementing the Office's communications plan
• Support development and distribution of community mailers and informational materials
• Draft, create, and schedule content across city platforms (constant contact, website, newsletters)
• Develop and update website content to ensure timely and accessible information
• Help create activities calendar, outreach materials and informational flyers for community events and resource fairs

Policy & Council Support

• Develop concise "opportunity briefs" for City Council members outlining program initiatives, resources, partnerships, and community impact
• Conduct background research to support policy discussions and presentations
• Prepare talking points, summaries, and presentation materials

Program & Administrative Support

• Assist with event coordination and stakeholder engagement
• Support data collection and reporting for performance metrics
• Attend team meetings and contribute ideas for strengthening community outreach

• Provide general administrative support as needed

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses
Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program
• Preferred fields: Communications, Public Policy, Public Administration, Social Work, Gerontology, Public Health, Marketing, or related field(s)
• At least one to two years of work experience in the field of Human Services
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Ability to synthesize information into clear, concise briefs
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace
• Experience with social media platforms and basic website editing preferred
• Interest and experience in aging, disability, equity, and community-based services

Preferred Skills

• Graphic design experience (Canva or similar tools)
• Experience drafting policy briefs or executive summaries
• Familiarity with accessibility principles (plain language, ADA considerations)

Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly balance, crouch, reach, walk, pull, work with one's fingers, talk, hear, see, use repetitive motions, and feel; and frequently stand, grasp, push, lift, stoop, and kneel. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be light work (exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects), but may differ based on area of focus. The working conditions may contain environmental hazards, depending on area of focus.

* Internal use: HR Generalist to review.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.


The City of Richmond is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the City of Richmond will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to participate in the job application and/or the interview process, please contact Veronica Kenner, by email at View email address on click.appcast.io.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
The City of Richmond Values Veterans. We are an official V3 Certified Company .

The City of Richmond is a proud partner with the US Army Partnership for Your Success PaYS Program.
With over 4,000 employees, the City of Richmond is an "Employer of Choice" among cities throughout the nation. The City strives to hire and retain employees who bring dedication and talent to the workforce. Offering a competitive, cost effective, and quality benefits package is one element of an "Employer of Choice".


The City offers a full range of benefit programs from initial hire through retirement. Please visit our Web site for details.
01


10-point compensable veteran. You must have an existing compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more. Other 10-point veteran include disabled veteran or a veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for wound or injuries received in action, veteran's widow or widower who has not remarried, wife or husband of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, widowed, divorced or separated mother of an ex-service son or daughter who died in action, or who is totally and permanently disabled. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

02


5-point veteran's must have been discharged under honorable conditions and had one of the following: Active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, in a war, or during the period 4/28/52-7/1/55 or active duty for more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 2/1/55 and 10/14/76 or active duty during the Gulf War sometime between 8/2/90 - 1/2/92 or active duty in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized or active duty for which more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 9/11/2001 and ending on the date prescribed by the Presidential proclamation or by the law as the last date of operation Iraqi Freedom. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

03


Which answer best describes your highest level of education?

• High School Diploma/ GED
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• None of the above

04


Do you have a degree in Communications, Public Policy, Public Administration, Social Work, Gerontology, Public Health, Marketing, or related field(s)?

• Yes
• No

05


How many years of experience do you have in the field of Human Services?

• Less than one year of experience
• One to two years of experience
• Two to three years of experience
• Three or more years of experience

06


Which best describes your skill level with Microsoft Office and or Google Workspace?

• No experience
• Limited use of Microsoft Office and or Google Workspace
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office and or Google Workspace
• Intermediate use of Microsoft Office and or Google Workspace
• Advance use of Microsoft Office and or Google Workspace

Required Question