Communications & Public Engagement Intern

Purpose of the internship: 
The purpose of this Creative Services Intern position is to provide on-the-job training and experience focused on content creation for social media, print, video, and physical elements. This position engages in a variety of social media management, graphic design, and video production projects of varying complexity, structured to enable the individual to gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities needed to perform at a professional level. This position receives training and mentorship in planning and carrying out all assignments. 

Education or Experience Required: Pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in Communications, Graphic Design, Public Relations, Marketing, or related field. Experience with design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, Canva or other visual and video editing software. 

Additional/Preferred Education, Training and/or Experience: Experience with Social Media preferred.

Physical Requirements: This job mostly involves light work, like occasionally lifting things that weigh up to 20 pounds or using up to 10 pounds of force to move objects. You should be able to move AV equipment that weighs up to 20 pounds.

Samples

Preferred applications to share sample of work that demonstrate skill in:

Writing (e.g., Social Media posts, articles, or campaign copy)

Photography (Same shots taken with DSLR)

Design examples created in Canva and/or Adobe software

Short Video Clips or reels

Examples of previous social media content or campaigns managed

Please include links or attach files with your application submission.

Essential Projects and Learning Objectives:

Provide entry- to intermediate-level content creation services, under supervision of County Creative Services staff, as appropriate to the day-to-day operating objectives of the Communications and Public Engagement department.

Participate in planning, design/filming, editing, and publishing of creative content projects aligned to the needs of the organization.

Interact directly with colleagues and/or other internal or external departments in development of engaging content published across various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Generate new ideas and concepts for graphic design and video content that resonate with Buncombe County residents and visitors.

Receive guidance, training, and mentoring from the Creative Services Team in planning and carrying out activities and assignments.

Use analytics to measure effectiveness of digital campaigns

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Knowledge and proficiency in Adobe Suite (e.g. Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro), Canva, and/or other design specific software

Skills in videography and photography.

Demonstrate storytelling and creative skills.

Understand social media platforms and video content best practices.

Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across projects and departments

In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions.

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age, or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected classes. In addition, the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.