Are you an aspiring urban planner or GIS professional looking to develop and enhance both your creative and technical skills? As our intern, you'll work directly with our city departments to streamline and improve local government services. You will hone and expand your skills in long-range planning, data visualization, cartography, web mapping, user experience, graphic design, spatial and tabular data analysis, and GIS project management. If that sounds like your cup of tea (or coffee, we don't judge), apply today to be a part of our Planning Department! This position will work closely with our award-winning GIS program!  We are looking to hire up one intern in 2026.  
 
Want to know more about the history of our internship program and see the kinds of work you’ll do as an intern for Brooklyn Park? Check out these highlights from the past GIS interns!

• Prepare data, analyses, and maps for the 2050 Comprehensive Plan
• Tell data-driven stories with maps and other visualizations
• Create and manage GIS datasets
• Practice unstructured problem solving, i.e., how real-world GIS projects happen
• Assist or lead GIS planning projects
• Assist the GIS team with a wide variety of internal and public GIS projects
• Assist the Planning team with expanding data analysis capabilities

Working Conditions
As a technology-heavy position, this internship can be a hybrid position. Three work days must be in office days, one of which must be Wednesdays, with up to two days a week available for remote work. Remote employees will need to confirm they have access to a stable internet connection and an ergonomically appropriate work-space.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully and safely perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to fully and safely perform the essential duties. 

• Core business hours are set by departments based on operational needs.  Alternative schedules can be arranged, but must comply with the City’s Alternative Work Arrangement policy.
• Monday – Friday, normal office hours
• This is a 11-week, temporary internship position that will work up to 40 hours per week, subject to a flexible schedule 
• Anticipated start date is May or June 2026 (start date is flexible and subject to candidate availability)
• Ability to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods
• Office environment with exposure to computer screens and repetitive keyboarding movement

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Have or pursuing a degree or certificate in geography, GIS, urban studies, urban planning, environmental policy, public administration or a closely-related field, or equivalent demonstrated experience using GIS via an online work portfolio or other concrete examples

Experience
Six (6) months of experience working with ArcGIS and related software

Equivalency
An equivalent combination of education and experience closely related to the duties of the position MAY be considered

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the fundamentals of GIS
• Ability to clearly, concisely, and effectively communicate, specifically in written formats
• Ability to conduct research and apply organizational and analytical skills 
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and direction
• Ability to relate and work effectively with people from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds
• Ability to provide a level of customer service that meets/exceeds customer expectations
• Embrace and engage in cultural shift toward Continuous Improvement

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with or an understanding of urban planning principles 
• Experience with creating and editing spatial datasets
• Experience with spatial analysis and geoprocessing
• Experience with ArcGIS Online
• Experience with cartography or other graphic design
• Experience with data analysis
• Experience developing StoryMaps
• Previous experience working with people from various cultural, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds

Background Check
The City has determined that a criminal background check and/or qualifications check may be necessary for certain positions with this job title. Applicants may be required to sign an informed consent form allowing the City to obtain their criminal history and/or verify their qualifications in connection with the position sought. Applicants who do not sign the informed consent form will not be further considered for the position.

Selection Process
The selection process will consist of one or more of the following steps: a rating of relevant education and experience and/or an oral examination (100%). It is important that your application show all the relevant education and experience you possess. This information will be used to determine which candidates will proceed in the selection process. A submitted application is also used to verify the answers to any supplemental questions.  Only those candidates who attain a passing score (70%) on each step in the selection process will be placed on the eligible list. Human Resources Department reserves the right to limit the number in any phase of the selection process.

Application Review Process:  In order to minimize bias in the hiring process, the hiring manager will review the applications without candidate identifiers. The hiring manager will only receive the information applicants submit in their online application. Applicant names and attachments will not be revealed until after the initial department review is completed. As such, you are STRONGLY encouraged to completely fill out the application.

Supplemental Documentation:  At your discretion, you may submit a cover letter, resume, and references, but these materials will not be provided to the hiring manger until after the applicant review has been completed.    

We welcome applications from all individuals, including (but not limited to): people of all abilities, persons of color, Veterans, LGBTQ+ and women.  If you need these materials in an alternate format or if you have a disability-related need and need assistance with the application process, please contact Human Resources at either 763-493-8016 or via e-mail at HumanResources@brooklynpark.org.