Summer 2023 Mayoral Fellowship Intern Program
The Mayoral Fellowship Program is a premier opportunity for engaged, motivated, and civic-minded graduate/undergraduate students from all disciplines to apply their coursework to one of the greatest municipalities in the world: the City of Detroit.
Interns will serve the people of Detroit by supporting policy, communications, and public engagement initiatives within the city government. By working hand-in-hand with senior staff across many different City of Detroit departments and sister agencies throughout the city, interns will offer recommendations and possibly implement programs that improve the lives of Detroit's 673,000 residents. This unique opportunity to work with current decision makers and assist in the implementation of strategy will distinguish you and your skillset to any future employer.
Examples of Duties
- Interns are placed in a City department based on their stated experience, background and suitability for a specific project or office.
- Interns work under the direct supervision of a department mentor on high-impact projects designed to improve the quality of life for Detroit residents.
- Interns will have the opportunity to participate in our lunch and learn speaker series, which will give them an opportunity to be exposed to both private and public sector leaders.
- Daily responsibilities will vary by position. Regardless of placement, interns are guaranteed to be exposed to varied responsibilities within their role.
Minimum Qualifications
- There is no subject specific bachelor's or master’s degree requirement although the program mainly attracts people focused on public administration, public policy, urban planning, public health, law, business administration, social work, or transportation planning and engineering.
- Be a currently enrolled undergraduate/graduate student or recent gradate at the time of employment
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to excellence as evidenced by professional success, academic honors, leadership ability, extracurricular activities, and involvement in community or public service
- Be enthusiastic about public service and city government
- Embody strong personal character and conviction
Supplemental Information
Participating Department Descriptions
- The Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) has seven (7) main divisions: Development Resource Center; Construction Inspections; Environmental Affairs; Property Maintenance; Licensing & Permits; Plan Review; Zoning/Special Land Use.
- The Department of Public Works (DPW) has five (5) divisions and the Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority (GDRRA): Administration, Traffic Engineering, Solid Waste, Street Maintenance, and City Engineering.
- The Office of the Chief Financial Officer is a centralized financial management operation which consolidates all budget and finance related functions within the City. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer includes the following divisions: CFO’s Office; Office of the Assessor; Office of Budget; Office of Contracting & Procurement; Office of the Controller; Office of Departmental Financial Services; Office of Development & Grants; Office of Program & Performance Management; Office of the Treasury
- The Detroit Health Department assumes responsibility for ensuring that essential local public health services are provided in the city; that the State of Michigan Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funding requirement for local government funding contributions is met, and that the public health of our community is improved. The Health Department is building the capacity and infrastructure necessary to address Detroit’s most pressing public health challenges; establishing initiatives in unaddressed priority areas; addressing city health data and policy analysis needs; and supporting and sustaining department growth in the best interest of the public’s health.
- The Human Resources Department consists of seven (7) divisions and sections that provide a full range of personnel and other services to City departments and agencies in accordance with the City Charter: The Office of Talent Acquisition; The Office of Employee Services; The Office of Labor Relations; The Benefits Administration Office; The Office of Policy, Planning and Operations; The Office of Talent, Development and Performance Management; The Office of Classification & Compensation
- The Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity Department, by City Charter, serves as an alternative dispute resolution agency. The department is responsible for addressing barriers and/or discrimination issues that adversely affect the well-being and image of the city of Detroit, its residents, visitors and employees.
- The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) is a central staff agency responsible for developing and providing information technology and consulting services to City agencies that will innovate on how they deliver services and interact with citizens. The responsibilities of DoIT include: strategic technology planning, business needs solutions, information management, Cyber Security, special project management, application development and implementation, system/application maintenance and support, telecommunications, data center operations, technology acquisition, data security and other services to empower agencies to use technology to improve operations and the quality of services provided to their customers.
- The Law Department is headed by the Corporation Counsel, who is appointed by the Mayor with approval by City Council. The Law Department is organized in seven (7) divisions: Appeals (Tax Appeals), Criminal Enforcement/Qualify of Life, FOIA, Labor & Employment, Litigation, Transactions and Economic Development and Workers’ Compensation. These divisions are responsible for matters arising from discrete areas of the law. Matters arising from activities outside these areas are considered special projects.
- The Mayor’s Office mission is growing Detroit’s population and improving the quality of life for its residents. The initiatives and strategies focus on improving internal and external operations to achieve that mission. The Executive Office is the administrative component of the executive branch of City government. Under the Mayor’s direction, the Executive Team is responsible for developing and directing the execution of the Mayor’s vision and key initiatives.
- The Housing & Revitalization Department activities are implemented through six (6) divisions: the Public Private Partnership Division, Office of Housing Underwriting, Community Development, Administration and Finance, Policy Development & Implementation and Special Initiatives.
- The Planning & Development Department has five (5) main divisions: The Office of Planning and Design; The Office of Zoning Innovation; The Office of Historic Preservation; The Office of Urban Research and Outreach; The Office of Administration
- The General Services Department operating divisions are focused on the shared services of city government. The Grounds Maintenance Division maintains all City-owned grounds, parks, rights-of-way, vacant lots and the urban forest. The Fleet Management Division procures, maintains, and makes available appropriate vehicles for General City operations. The Facilities Management Division maintains buildings, provides custodial and security services, designs and develops parks. The Landscape and Blight Divisions build or remediate public spaces or corridors. The Strategy and Planning Division performs business analysis and receives, organizes, stores, and tracks usage of assets for major city field operations. GSD now provides recreation programs and activities throughout the City
- The Water & Sewerage Department has two primary roles, to provide delivery of potable water for more than 175,000 customers, delivered at various points in the system at adequate pressure to meet our customers’ needs. The department furnishes sufficient water pressure and pipeline service to ensure acceptable fire protection. And, provide for the safe, efficient and cost-effective collection of wastewater for transportation to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) for treatment while promoting and preserving the public health by meeting or exceeding all state, federal and department standards.
Application Process
Submit a resume, cover letter, and unofficial transcript. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until filled, the first application review period will begin March 1, 2023.
Agency
City of Detroit
Address
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Ave ste 316
Detroit, Michigan, 48226
Website