Internship: Public Involvement

Note to Applicants: Applications for this internship will be accepted through Wednesday, May 14th, 2025. To ensure a fair and equitable process, all applications received by the deadline will be given full consideration. We encourage early submissions, as application reviews may begin prior to the cutoff.

DEA's Portland, OR office is hiring for a Public Involvement Intern to jumpstart their career in communications or public engagement while making an impact on local transportation projects. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to build their skills and gain hands-on experience in public outreach, project coordination, and strategic communications. This role is anticipated to start in June working through August, and will be 20-25 hours per week, depending on workload.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Support day-to-day operations for assigned public involvement projects;
• Support the development of effective public outreach strategies for high profile transportation projects;
• Create, edit, and produce public involvement documents;
• Monitor and respond to public inquiries via public hotlines and emails accounts;
• Organize and staff events including open houses, workshops, public hearings, neighborhood meetings, ground breakings, ribbon cuttings, workshops, one-on-one meetings and other public events;
• Produce and maintain stakeholder databases;
• Develop public outreach materials and coordinate distribution among project team members, stakeholders, and client as needed;
• Interact with the public utilizing a wide range of traditional and innovative communication methods;
• Act as a liaison between technical project team members and the public;
• Prepare, compose, and maintain letters, documents, and spreadsheets using Microsoft Office applications;
• Performs other duties as assigned or required by DEA and our clients.

Basic Qualifications:

• Good writing and public speaking skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work well with diverse populations
• Ability to work in person for tabling events in the evenings and weekends, as well as during working hours.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Be enrolled in a degree program in Urban/Transportation Planning, Communications or a related field at an accredited college/university.
  Microsoft office suite proficient

Benefits:

• Flexible work schedule
• Opportunity for growth with support and mentoring to help with professional goals

Transportation Jobs with DEA
The increasing complexities of modern transportation include growing demands, aging infrastructure, rising costs, funding challenges, and environmental concerns. Agencies and communities faced with improving their transportation systems must do more with less. From initial investigations through planning, concept development, final design, and construction, DEA responds with solutions that serve today's transportation needs while accommodating tomorrow's growth. Our Transportation Business Unit focuses on five markets; Bridges and Structures, Roads and Highways, Transit and Rail, Smart Mobility and Construction Engineering.