Community Planning Intern

ABOUT THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT:

The Community Development Department (CDD) is the planning agency for the City of Cambridge. Encompassing the Community Planning, Economic Opportunity and Development, Environmental & Transportation Planning, Housing, and Zoning & Development divisions, CDD’s mission is to foster a livable, sustainable, just, and equitable community. CDD engages and collaborates with community partners, other government agencies, businesses, and residents to make Cambridge a desirable place to live, work, learn, play, and innovate.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Community Planning Division guides growth and development to improve quality of life in the city by providing planning and design services related to citywide and neighborhood planning, development review, and parks and public space planning, design, and programming.

This position is an opportunity for individuals interested in planning or community development to gain first-hand experience in a very active planning office, working directly with planning staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Community Planning Intern will provide general support for the division. Specific activities may include:

• Helping to craft and assess community engagement tools, and help plan and staff community engagement activities and events
• Helping organize stakeholder and community meetings and provide communications and administrative support
• Researching best practices and case studies for planning projects and policies
• Analyzing and summarizing quantitative and qualitative survey data
• Helping to design and distribute outreach materials, both online and physical
• Additional projects may be identified based on the applicant’s skills and interests, and the Division’s needs

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education & Experience:

• Current student pursuing a degree in urban planning or related fields, or a recent graduate.
• Experience in urban planning is desired, but we encourage applicants with relevant experiences in education, community organizing, and other related fields to apply.
• Experience communicating research findings in ways that are accessible to a range of non- technical audiences.
• Experience with social service delivery or community engagement.
• Experience with ArcGIS or QGIS, Zoom, Adobe Creative Suite, and SurveyMonkey preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in written form, with external partners including planning and design consultants, and the general-public
• Overall computer proficiency including general office applications (Microsoft Office)
• High level of motivation, and detail-oriented skills
• The City of Cambridge's workforce, like the community it serves, is diverse. Applicants must have the ability to work and interact effectively with individuals and groups with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies.
• Familiarity with Cambridge, and current policies and planning processes
• Knowledge and interest in principles related to sustainable design and development, community engagement, racial justice, and social equity
• Proficiency with languages spoken in Cambridge (Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Kreyol, Amharic) is a plus
• Strong writing and research skills

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work involved is primarily indoors in a professional office setting. Standard office environment with fluorescent lighting, air conditioning, and moderate noise level. This position may be eligible for hybrid work under the City’s Telework Policy, depending on operational needs.

START DATE:

March 2025 (exact date negotiable).