We're hiring a Community Impact Intern for the Port of Portland! Join our team in advancing community-centered solutions for a sustainable port. This role supports a range of outreach, education, and engagement activities - from hosting tours and public events to collecting data and capturing stakeholder input. You'll help ensure our efforts are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the communities most impacted by port-related operations!
To be considered for this intern position you must be a current student enrolled in an Oregon/Washington school for the duration of employment. Spring 2026 graduates will not be eligible for this internship unless documentation of continued educational classes (graduate school documentation related to the field) can be provided at the time of application.
Duration: Expected sunset date on or around May 31, 2027, with full-time work during school breaks and part-time during the school year.
Compensation is determined by school year and experience.
Public Involvement Support
Assist in planning, scheduling, and staffing stakeholder engagement activities, including industry roundtables, listening sessions, open houses and focus groups.
Support documentation of stakeholder input so that key findings are incorporated into project planning.
Education and Outreach
Support public outreach activities, including community meetings, educational events, tours of port sites, and public information sessions.
Contribute to the development of strategies and engagement tools that are accessible and culturally relevant particularly for communities disproportionately impacted by Port-related activities.
Participate in the development of educational materials about Port activities and projects, support staff and consultant-led engagement sessions, and help create interactive learning experiences that accommodate diverse learning styles.
Data Collection, Entry and Analysis
Collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data from surveys, focus groups, and interviews to identify themes, research questions, and priority focus areas.
Help integrate community feedback into project strategies.
Administrative Support
Supporting the project team, tracking emails, managing staff or volunteer sign-ups for events, and scheduling with stakeholders and/or community partners.
Assist with tracking inventory and updating logs.
Portfolio Project
During the first quarter of the internship, the intern will work with their supervisor to define a project that aligns with their capacity, skills, interests, and area of study, while also supporting team priority initiatives.
This project will serve as a culminating body of work that demonstrates the intern’s contributions and learning over the course of the internship.
Education and Experience:
Currently enrolled in an accredited Oregon/Washington college or university and seeking a degree in a related field.
Training, classwork, and/or practical experience in public involvement, urban planning, cultural studies, community organizing, collaborative governance, social sciences, aviation, community development, small business/economic development, and/or communications will be helpful.
Student must also provide current unofficial transcript at time of application.
Maintenance of a minimum 2.5 grade point average and continued enrollment in classes pertinent to the internship is required.
Bilingual or multilingual proficiency (e.g., Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, or other languages commonly spoken in the region) is a plus!
Demonstrated Skills & Abilities:
Demonstrate commitment to valuing differences among individuals and a passion for being inclusive.
Promote safety as a guiding principle and a regular practice in accomplishing work, focus on safety improvements, and comply with safety and health policies and procedures.
Show the utmost respect for others and act as a team player.
Knowledge of community engagement practices.
Experience developing educational or marketing materials for community outreach purposes.
Familiarity or experience working/living/volunteering around Columbia River communities.
Work in a team environment and manage time to complete tasks and meet deadlines.
Experience and/or interest in understanding the use of different learning styles to develop engagement strategies and/or community education tools.
Work collaboratively with people from different backgrounds, values, and professional responsibilities, and/or experience working in a multi-cultural setting.
SELECTION PROCESS(tentative schedule):
A minimum qualification evaluation of education, training, and experience of submitted application packets will take place by Human Resources the week of May 18, 2026.
A Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel will perform an evaluation of experience and training taken from your employment application materials including any responses to the supplemental questionnaire.
Our goal is to schedule panel interviews with candidates that successfully passed the SME evaluation as soon as possible. The successful candidate will be notified after interviews are complete, with a tentative start date in June 2026.
