San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Student Intern Program, Summer 2027 – 5381 Planning Intern (Level 2)

City and County of San Francisco•San Francisco, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is hiring a Planning Intern (Level 2) for its Planning and Engineering Internship Program for Summer 2027. The internship is a temporary, full-time appointment and may be placed in the Streets, Taxis and Mobility Services/Accessible Services, Transit, or Finance divisions. Specific responsibilities vary by team. Interns attend mandatory agency seminars and field trips and participate in PechaKucha presentations at the end of the summer. The internship follows a 40-hour workweek, generally Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The work environment is hybrid or traditional, and interns may be expected to work onsite up to five days per week. Interns must be based in the Bay Area for the duration of the internship. Work outside normal hours may be required for fieldwork or outreach events. Flexible scheduling may be available with supervisor and division approval. Interns may work up to 1,040 hours in a fiscal year. Most positions end at the close of summer, though some may continue into the school year with approval. Depending on the assignment, interns may support community outreach and engagement; transportation, service, and capital planning; data collection and analysis; policy research and development; reports, presentations, and project visuals; geospatial analysis and mapmaking; grant and funding applications; accessibility initiatives; and transportation programs and services. Applicants must be enrolled in a qualifying college or university program when applying and continuing or entering a program in Fall 2027. Undergraduate applicants need prior planning or relevant internship experience; candidates pursuing a master's degree or higher do not need previous experience.

Requirements

At the time of application, be enrolled in an accredited university or community college and pursuing a degree in City Planning, Environmental Policy, Management, Environmental Studies, Geography, Public Administration, Public Policy, Transportation Planning, Transportation Management, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, an engineering field, or a related field.
Be currently enrolled and continuing in an associate, undergraduate, or graduate program, or entering or continuing a graduate program in Fall 2027. Students in their second-to-last or final semester who will soon graduate are also encouraged to apply and may be selected within six months of graduation.
Undergraduate candidates must have prior planning or relevant internship experience to compete for a Level 2 position.
Candidates pursuing a master's degree or higher in a qualifying field do not need previous experience.
Submit proof of current student status or enrollment, a resume in PDF format limited to two pages, and a cover letter in PDF format limited to two pages addressing specified interests, career goals, and examples of desirable qualifications.

Nice To Haves

Interest in public-sector transportation careers, especially public transit, walking, and bicycling.
Understanding of how transportation decisions affect marginalized communities, including people of color, people with low incomes, and people with disabilities.
Experience working with marginalized communities.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, including through school, work, community activities, extracurricular activities, team sports, or volunteering.
Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
Ability to adapt to new situations, changing priorities, and unexpected challenges to meet project goals.
Ability to analyze evidence, consider options critically, and draw conclusions from data.
Knowledge of transportation-planning principles, practices, and techniques demonstrated in coursework or work/internship experience.
Applied knowledge of Microsoft Office, ArcGIS, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, or other software.

Responsibilities

Support project community outreach and engagement by attending stakeholder and public meetings, open houses, and public events; gathering and documenting community feedback through methods such as surveys, door-to-door outreach, phone calls, and email.
Collect and analyze data, which may involve fieldwork, and conduct surveys.
Assist with transportation policy development and report creation.
Conduct geospatial analysis and create maps using ArcGIS.
Support long-range transportation plans and prepare presentations and project visuals.
Evaluate transit, bicycle, and pedestrian plans for accessibility impacts and research or develop best practices for shared-mobility accessibility.
Assist with programs serving seniors and people with disabilities, track data for shuttle and shared-mobility permittees, support commuter-shuttle stop planning, and help improve taxi stands and signage.
Build or update public dashboards, combine data from multiple sources, write memos, evaluate the effects of program rule changes, and assess impacts on underserved or disadvantaged communities.
Assist with transit service-planning and capital-planning projects, data analysis, map and graphic development, and spatial analysis.
Support grant and funding applications and advocacy by evaluating funding opportunities and soliciting project proposals from agency teams.