Public Relations Intern

Arlington County VA•Arlington, VA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a one-year, full-time, paid Internship Program. Arlington County’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is seeking a Public Relations Intern to support the implementation and management of a comprehensive, integrated public relations program that includes: media relations, digital communications, publication development, civic engagement, graphic design, internal and external communications and event management. The Intern will work across the entire unit, gaining experience in every aspect of public relations. Work will vary depending on the current needs of the organization. Aside from the responsibilities listed below, the intern will be responsible for completing various long-term projects, which could include developing and executing department-wide marketing plans. Arlington County is an innovative local government in Northern Virginia seeking motivated candidates for one-year internship opportunities across multiple departments. These roles are ideal for recent graduates and current graduate students with limited professional experience who are looking to kickstart their careers. Interns gain hands-on experience supporting key County initiatives while participating in a structured cohort-based development program. Throughout the year, interns work under the mentorship of senior staff, contributing fresh ideas, improving processes, and leveraging technology to enhance organizational effectiveness, all while familiarizing themselves with a public-sector environment.

Requirements

Recent, 2025 and/or 2026 college graduates earning either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in the area of consideration prior to the start date of the Cohort Program (Sept. 2026)
No professional-level work experience (less than one year) in the internship field
Currently enrolled student in a Master’s degree program related to the internship, but you must not have significant professional-level work experience in the internship area and must be available to work during designated hours.
Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Public Affairs, or related discipline.

Nice To Haves

G.P.A. of 3.0 or above is preferred and applicants may be asked to provide certified official transcripts
Advanced experience utilizing Microsoft Office Suite products
Experience in content creation, photography, and videography
Advanced experience in web development, social marketing, video editing, Adobe Express, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and/or Premier
Experience researching/analyzing information to ensure accurate and engaging communications as well as proofreading, copy editing, writing, editing grammar, formatting, editing layouts, and design.

Responsibilities

Developing and editing articles for print and digital publications, eNews, calendar listings, fact sheets and talking points following the AP and Arlington County Style Manual
Providing daily media clips on topics related to Arlington Parks & Recreation
Creating public information or educational materials to disseminate program information to the public, business, interest groups and other impacted communities
Serving with DPR event management to assist with designing special events, coordinating event publicity, and assisting with event logistics
Engaging DPR staff to develop interesting, engaging and accurate press releases, flyers, web and print content using Adobe Creative Cloud programs including Adobe Express
Developing and updating web pages
Creating photos, images, text and video to post on DPR social media to support the department's facilities, events, programs and services
Gathering and analyzing social media and web statistics
Helping to organize, track and maintain public relations and event materials including storage spaces
Providing direct services to customers and analyzing the effectiveness of services to make recommendations for enhancements