Internships with the Office of the Mayor

Location: 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place (San Francisco City Hall). All mayoral internships are in-person.

Duration: Typically 16 weeks, offered during one of three terms:

• Spring (January-April)
• Summer (May-August)
• Fall (September-December)

Hours:

Fall & Spring Internships: 10–20 hours per week. Class schedule dependent.

Summer Internship: 20 hours per week, minimum. Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Eligibility: Current students who are currently enrolled at an accredited college and university. The Mayor’s Office does not currently have an internship program for high school students.

Credit: Course credit available (students must consult with their academic department).

Compensation: This is an unpaid internship through the Mayor’s Office. However, a stipend may be available through the City's Opportunities for All (OFA) program. Please visit their website for more information regarding eligibility and compensation.

HRC youth career exploration opportunities | SF.gov

Open Application Periods and Deadlines:

• Spring: October 1-31 (Deadline October 31; notified by December 1)
• Summer: March 1-31 (Deadline March 1; notified between April 15 - May 1)
• Fall: June 1-June 30 (Deadline June 30; notified by August 1)

Applications are only accepted during the periods noted above. Late or early applications will not be accepted.

Interns will work within one of the following focus areas:

• Communications: Assist in crafting speeches, press releases, social media content, and internal communications for the Mayor's Office. Help manage public relations efforts and contribute to shaping the city’s narrative in the media.
• Government Affairs: Learn how local government interacts with state and federal agencies. Assist with tracking legislative developments, supporting advocacy efforts, and preparing briefing materials for meetings with policymakers.
• Community Affairs: Engage with San Francisco's diverse communities. Support civic outreach efforts, attend community meetings, and assist in managing relationships with community organizations and local stakeholders.
• Policy: Support policy research and analysis on key issues facing San Francisco. Assist in developing policy recommendations and briefings that inform the Mayor’s decisions on local legislation and city initiatives.
• Protocol: Coordinate global partnerships to drive the City’s priorities and strengthen its position on the international stage. Assist with managing and executing foreign affairs initiatives at the municipal level.
• Special and Large-Scale Events: Support the planning and execution of mayoral and city-wide events from start to finish. Responsibilities include coordinating logistics, managing resources, and assisting staff to ensure successful operations.
• Housing and Economic Development: Support the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development through housing research, policy analysis, and community partnership engagement, while developing recommendations to advance San Francisco's housing and economic landscape.
• Public Health and Human Services: Support city-wide health initiatives by coordinating across health agencies, creating presentation materials, and researching human services policies. Connect federal and state-level policy changes to local programs to ensure initiatives stay informed and aligned.
• Infrastructure, Climate, and Mobility: Support policy development and project coordination across transportation, infrastructure, climate, and public space initiatives. Conduct research, prepare briefing materials, and track interdepartmental projects to advance mayoral priorities like street safety, transit, climate resilience, and emerging mobility technologies.
• Mayor’s Office of Innovation (MOI): Assist with data analysis and human-centered design projects aimed at improving city services across key priority areas, including homelessness, permitting, public safety, and transportation.
• Mayor’s Office of Budget: Assist with fiscal and policy analysis, help prepare budget materials, and monitor city department spending and performance to support a balanced and efficient city budget.
• Legislative Ethics: Facilitate legislative research, track policy and ethics compliance, and monitor city ordinances and Board of Supervisors’ actions to help ensure the administration operates within legal and ethical guidelines.
• Public-Private Partnerships: Learn the processes and intricacies behind identifying public-private partnerships. Assist with interest and conflict checks throughout the partner selection process.
• Appointments & Operations: Support the appointments and reappointments process within the Mayor's Office by assisting with the identification, tracking, and vetting of potential candidates for San Francisco's commissions and board seats.

• Mentorship: Interns will be paired with a staff member who will provide guidance, support, and career development advice throughout the internship. This mentorship will give an inside look at navigating a career in public service.
• Networking: Opportunities to network with key figures from local government, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. This gives interns direct access to professionals who can help guide their careers.
• City Initiatives & Public Engagement: Interns will visit key sites where the Mayor’s Office is working on initiatives like affordable housing and sustainability. They’ll also attend public events and press conferences to see how the office interacts with the community and media.
• Behind the Scenes Exposure: Interns will shadow meetings and gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of how decisions get made, priorities get set, and change gets driven at the local government level.