A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What We Offer:

Impact - The work you do here matters to millions.

Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it?

Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.

Benefits - We care about your well being.

Agency Information 

The Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) was created to focus on improving the way the City allocates resources, acquiring goods and services, and the way it hires, trains, and compensates employees. The CAO has an emphasis on improving efficiency and effectiveness across government. The Chief Administrative Officer reports directly to the Mayor.

The Human Resources and Talent Unit is responsible for the implementation of key strategic HR services such as recruiting, training, onboarding, and process improvements. The HR and Talent Unit oversees the annual planning and implementation of the City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Internship Program (MIP). MIP is an opportunity for current college undergraduate and graduate students to learn about and contribute to the City government that manages operations for the nation’s 6th largest municipality. The MIP hosts the best and brightest students from around the country to come to Philadelphia every summer and explore all that our great city has to offer.

The Mayor’s Internship Program (MIP) is a ten-week paid internship beginning June 12, 2023 and ending August 18, 2023. The candidate must also be available to work for the duration of the internship program (MIP will, on a case-by-case basis, consider limited exceptions for applicants with exigent circumstances or an academic conflict).

The MIP consists of three main components:

• Work assignment: placement in a single department completely substantive work assignments under the guidance of a City of Philadelphia leader or area expert.
• Leadership Development: programming every Friday designed to develop leadership skills and the acumen to successfully navigate the 21st century workplace – including speaker events, networking opportunities, and visits to municipal operations and programs.
• Projects with Impact: an interdepartmental issue that a group of interns is assigned to analyze and develop strategies to address. City employees and/or Graduate-level interns serve as the project managers for the group.
• Bonus: Interns are invited to participate in the “My Philly Summer” program with Campus Philly. This program engages interns working across various businesses in Philadelphia over the summer of fun, thought-provoking, and free networking events throughout the summer.

There will also be occasional after-hours social and networking events for Mayor’s Interns to attend, but such events are not mandatory.

Essential Functions

Mayor’s Interns work on projects and tasks providing research, administrative, and staff assistance to City managers. Past interns have assisted City staff in various functions such as:

• Research and analysis
• Drafting presentations, reports, and press releases
• Financial analysis
• Program Planning & Improvement
• Organizational and Administrative Support

Summer interns come from across the country and represent a wide range of colleges, graduate programs, and majors. Mayor’s Interns have helped complete grant applications, compile and analyze financial data, develop training and policy manuals, improve constituent relations, and plan and implement key City events across various departments and agencies. Examples of participating departments include:

• Mayor’s Office
• Office of Emergency Management
• Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office
• Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
• Mayor’s Office of Communications
• Department of Labor
• Office of Black Male Engagement
• Licenses & Inspections
• Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity
• Office of Human Resources
• Mayor’s Office for Engagement of Women
• Police
• Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs
• Office of Information and Technology
• Office of a City Councilmember
• Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services
• Procurement Department
• Department of Revenue
• Community Behavioral Health
• Office of the City Commissioners
• Department of Human Services
• Law Department
• Programs - Parks & Recreation
• Free Library of Philadelphia
• Office of Children and Families
• Managing Director's Office
• Water Department
• Office of Black Male Engagement
• City Planning Commission
• Chief Administrative Officer
• Office of Sustainability
• And more!

NOTE: For language access and or ADA related accommodations, please contact Jonathan Hanson via email at [email protected] or via telephone number at 267-252-7871 by March 29th, 2023.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Strong oral and written communication

Work-Life

Working hours are a minimum of 25 hours per week for ten weeks. The maximum is 37.5 hours per week, contingent on the department’s need. Interns will be with their host departments from Monday through Thursday. Depending on their department’s policy and guiding project, the intern can have virtual days and/or in-office days. On Fridays, interns will be with CAO in-person. These are Leadership Development Days where students can work on group projects, hear from speakers, hone their skillsets in various trainings and workshops, go on tours throughout the city, and engage in a plethora of activities.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be current undergraduates who have completed their sophomore year before June 2023 or graduate-level students (recently graduated seniors may be considered).
• Community college students who will have completed their second year before June 2023 are encouraged to apply.
• MIP will consider graduates of the Class of 2023.

Salary: $15 per hour

Application Timeline

• Application Closes: April 10th, 2023 (11:59pm)
• Application and Phone Screening Begin: March 27th, 2023
• Department Interviews Begin: April 24th, 2023
• Offer Notification: May 22nd, 2023

Applicants must submit all parts of the application (as detailed below) by 11:59 PM EST on Monday, April 10th, 2023.

The application consists of the following items:

• Resume
• A letter of recommendation completed by an academic or professional contact that can accurately speak to your skills, abilities, and interests.
• A brief cover letter that responds to the following:
  • Why do you want to participate in the Mayor’s Internship Program?
  • What areas of the City government are you most interested in working in? If you know specific departments, please provide those in your response.
  • What skills or qualities will you bring as a Mayor’s Intern?

Please be sure to submit all three of these items to the corresponding section and the additional materials section. Upon receipt of your application materials, we will contact you to describe the remaining selection process. Selected applicants should be available to participate in an interview with City departments between April 24th and May 8th, 2023. Virtual interviews may be requested by the host department or by applicants outside of Philadelphia.

Candidates selected to participate in MIP 2023 will receive an internship on or around May 22nd, 2023. They will then have 48 hours to accept to decline the offer.

For questions about the program, consider joining one of our Virtual Information Sessions at either of the following times:

• Tuesday, March 14th, 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm http://bit.ly/3YBkD78
• Tuesday, March 21st, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm http://bit.ly/3J6UiYT 

Please note that effective September 1, 2021, the City of Philadelphia is requiring all new employees to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this program can be sent to [email protected].

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to pchr@ phila.gov. For more information, go to Human Relations Website at http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations.