DDA Intern

City of Royal Oak, MI; Royal Oak (MI); Hybrid; USD 20,000 - 29,000; Part time

Job summary

City of Royal Oak, MI is offering an internship with the Downtown Development Authority in Royal Oak. The intern will engage in hands-on projects related to business development, placemaking, and revitalization, gaining practical knowledge of commercial district improvements.

The role is part-time with in-person requirements at Royal Oak City Hall, offering flexible scheduling around academic commitments and opportunities to contribute to ongoing initiatives and events.

Qualifications

• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with local businesses and team members.
• Ability to stay organized, manage multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to build relationships and feel comfortable reaching out to businesses.
• Ability to research information and share ideas or findings clearly.
• Knowledge of downtown development, business development, or community initiatives.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office; familiarity with social media or design tools is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Research vacant properties and develop strategies to fill them with tenants.
• Analyze the Downtown Dollars gift card program and recruit new businesses.
• Support outreach to businesses, write content for newsletters, and coordinate with social media team.
• Identify funding opportunities and support projects, including Fifth Street Pedestrian Improvement Phase 1.
• Support data entry and maintenance in CRM systems including business, property, and vacancy data.
• Assist with logistics for special events and provide on-site operational support.
• Provide general administrative support and organize documents.

Skills

Communication

Organization

Relationship building

Research skills

Education

Current college student (senior or recent grad)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description

The Royal Oak Downtown Development Authority is pleased to provide an opportunity for an intern to join our small but dynamic team of downtown revitalization professionals in Royal Oak. Over the course of the internship, the candidate will have an opportunity to participate in hands-on projects that strengthen their knowledge of business development, placemaking, and downtown revitalization. They will leave the internship with a deeper understanding of what it takes to achieve commercial district revitalization results.

Salary

$18.00 Hourly

Location

Royal Oak City Hall

Job Type

Part-Time

Job Number

202500117

Department

Downtown Development Authority

Opening Date

09/02/2026

Closing Date

9/20/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Workplace Requirements

In-person presence is required. Some hybrid work from home flexibility may be available at managers' discretion.

Work Schedule

Some flexibility will be provided based on the applicant’s academic schedule. The ideal schedule would include three working days per week.

Essential Job Functions

• Research currently vacant properties and work on strategies to fill them with tenants to enhance the business mix.
• Analyze the Downtown Dollars gift card program. Sign up new businesses to participate and work with participating businesses to increase their sales.
• Support business development through conducting outreach to businesses, writing content for our newsletter, and connecting with our social media team.
• Identify funding opportunities to support current and proposed projects of the Downtown Development Authority. This includes completing funding for the Fifth Street Pedestrian Improvement where Phase 1 of construction is now underway.
• Support data entry and maintenance in the Salesforce/District 360 CRM system, including business, property, and current vacancy information.
• Support the planning and execution of special events by assisting with logistics, coordinating with vendors and partners and providing on-site operational support as needed.
• Provide general administrative support, including document organization, scheduling coordination, and other special projects as assigned.

KSA

• Current college student in senior standing, recent graduate, or current graduate student pursuing relevant studies.

Qualifications For Employment

• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with local businesses and team members.
• Ability to stay organized, manage multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to build relationships and feel comfortable reaching out to businesses.
• Ability to research information and share ideas or findings in a clear way.
• Knowledge of or interest in downtown development, business development, or community initiatives.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with social media or design tools is a plus.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate in person, by computer and by telephone, read regular and small print, view and produce written and electronic documents and enter data on a computer keyboard with repetitive keystrokes. The employee is expected to be capable of prolonged periods of sitting or standing at a desk. The employee must be mobile in an office setting, stand, sit, stoop and kneel, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move items of light weight to moderate weight. The employee will frequently travel to other locations using personal or commercial transportation and may be faced with potentially adverse outdoor weather conditions. Allergens and airborne particles. The typical work environment of this job is a business office setting where the noise level is quiet and sometimes moderate. This position is not eligible for benefits.

Employer

Royal Oak, City of (MI)

Address 203 S Troy St

Royal Oak, Michigan, 48067

Phone [phone]

Website https://www.romi.gov/