The City of Bellevue’s Cultural and Economic Development division is hiring an Economic Development Intern to assist in the coming year with work along the Grand Connection corridor in Downtown Bellevue. This student will assist with work to catalog existing and future downtown public spaces, including ownership, management, and maintenance responsibilities. The beauty is that this type of work will be fantastic for a student’s resume/portfolio, as it’s a discrete project with a specific deliverable.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a student interested in public space management and operations, public art and events, and activating the public realm. The job is posted on Handshake for UW students here.
Role Description
Bellevue is a city in transition. As Seattle’s largest neighbor, we are a welcoming, multicultural, innovation-focused community that attracts technology pioneers, outdoor enthusiasts, and pragmatists from around the world. Over 40% of Bellevueites are foreign-born. Major employers including Microsoft, Alibaba, Amazon, SAP Concur, and T-Mobile, attract an international talent pool enriching our community and providing our economy with a global edge.
In the coming years, the city will add more than 30,000 jobs and our first light rail line, marking important milestones for our region. As the city grows, our workers, visitors, and residents are seeking more walkable neighborhoods, community-driven experiences, and high-quality public spaces. The City is working hard to support organizations like the Bellevue Downtown Association (BDA) and the Old Bellevue Merchants’ Association (OBMA) as they seek to play a larger role in management of public space. As part of the Cultural and Economic Development division (CED), you will assist the team in building programs to support activations like streateries, parklets, street furniture, and public events.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Support the city’s work to integrate public space activations, including outdoor dining, parklets, streateries, and other features into the public realm across downtown and the rest of the city. This may include (this list is illustrative and subject to change based on capacity and priorities):
- Actively participate in internal team meetings and take meeting notes.
- Conduct on-site, in-person data collection and community engagement.
- Provide first-stop customer service to businesses interested in deploying public space activations like outdoor dining, streateries, and parklets.
- Coordinate with Right-of-Way staff to answer questions about permit applications while ensuring compliance.
- Write blog posts, press releases, social media content, and other communication resources to promote the city’s activation programs.
- Collect meaningful feedback and supporting information for program evaluation.
- Participate in meetings of the Old Bellevue Merchants’ Association (OBMA).
Catalog existing and future downtown public spaces, including ownership, management, maintenance responsibilities, and uses. This may include (this list is illustrative and subject to change based on capacity and priorities):
- Inventory existing and future private and public spaces; write existing conditions report.
- Catalog the owners, managers, and maintainers of each existing public space, including key space characteristics and contact information.
- Research ways these spaces have historically been used and ways they might be used to enable public gathering and activation in the future, including required approvals.
- Develop an interactive map or report and a process for updating with key stakeholders, including Community Development, Development Services, Transportation, the Bellevue Downtown Association, and private property owners.
- Create a set of marketing materials for various city activation and programming “venues,” including factors which would be important to activation organizers, such as attendee capacity, event types, permitting pathways, and other critical information.
Assist as needed with outreach to Main Street and downtown businesses to support their organizing and placemaking efforts, as well as the city’s business retention goals.
Assist as needed with activities related to the BDA partnership, including on wayfinding, parking communications, and “ambassador” work.
QUALIFICATIONS AND BENEFITS
Education and Experience
- Enrolled student in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in urban planning, public policy, public administration, business administration, or a related field. Preference for juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
- No experience is required; however, prior internship or work experience is preferred.
- Interest in cultural and economic development, urban planning, public space management, public policy, and/or local government.
Skills
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to work efficiently, accurately, and collaboratively to solve problems.
- Ability to work independently with clear direction.
- Ability to quickly establish effective working relationships.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proficiency with Office, Teams, Salesforce, SurveyMonkey, and other digital tools, or an ability to learn these tools quickly and independently.
- Proficiency or working knowledge of ArcGIS, QGIS, or other mapping tools preferred.
- Fluency in Mandarin, Russian, Korean, Japanese, and/or Spanish is a plus.
Benefits for the Intern
- Hands-on experience with economic development program coordination, urban policy and planning issues, and complex public space management issues.
- Deliverables useful for the pursuit of future career opportunities.
- Collaboration and networking with Cultural and Economic Development and Transportation staff, Bellevue Downtown Association staff, local businesses, and property owners.
- In-depth exposure to the management and culture of an award-winning, innovative municipal government that is the commercial and residential hub of the Eastside and actively engages with and promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion.
LOGISTICS
- Application review and interviews: Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply before December 21, but applications will remain open until January 3 at 6am. Interviews will be scheduled between January 5-12.
- Compensation: Compensation range depends on level of education and experience, and ranges between $18.01-$35.15/hour.
- Hours: Part-time, up to 20 hours per week, with potential for increase over the summer.
- Location: Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98105)
- Remote/Hybrid: The City of Bellevue is a hybrid workplace. Community Development staff currently report to the office an average of three days per week, with two days remote within Washington State, but this depends on the role.
- Student Status: This position is open to enrolled undergraduate or graduate students only.
Please include a cover letter and resume with your application. Your cover letter should address your interest in the position, experience working with government and private-sector stakeholders, and any other qualifications and relevant skills.
