Historic Preservation Intern

Collectionsthatcare; Salem (OR); On-site; USD 25,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Salem's Historic Preservation Program seeks a Historic Preservation Intern to support the planning team in Salem, Oregon. You will assist with Reconnaissance Level Survey (RLS) and Intensive Level Survey (ILS), document resources and eligibility, and present findings to the Heritage Neighborhood and the Historic Landmarks Commission.

You will also develop educational and outreach materials, follow Oregon's Guidelines for Historic Resource Surveys, and data entry into the OHSD.

Qualifications

• Must pass the pre-employment background check.
• Must have reliable transportation to City offices.
• Current student or recent graduate, either undergraduate or graduate student, in historic preservation, history, public history, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Assist with Reconnaissance Level Survey (RLS) and Intensive Level Survey (ILS) of Salem's Heritage Neighborhood.
• Develop educational and outreach materials based upon research and development of an historic context statement for the Heritage Neighborhood.
• Comply with Oregon's Guidelines for Historic Resource Surveys and data entry into the Oregon Historic Sites Database (OHSD).
• Assist with additional historic preservation projects and outreach.

Skills

Research & documentation

Written & oral communication

Education/outreach material

Education

Historic preservation

Tools

ArcGIS

SHPO Historic Sites Access

Job description

Summary

The City of Salem seeks a Historic Preservation Intern to join our planning team. Below is a short list of the types of things you will work on:

• Assist with the Reconnaissance Level Survey (RLS) and Intensive Level Survey (ILS) of Salem's newest Heritage Neighborhood. Work will include documentation of specific physical information and eligibility evaluations for resources within the Heritage Neighborhood survey area, and will be responsible for presenting this information in both a written and oral report to the Heritage Neighborhood and the Historic Landmarks Commission
• You will be responsible for developing educational and outreach materials based upon the research and development of an historic context statement for the Heritage Neighborhood.
• You will be responsible for complying with Oregon's Guidelines for Historic Resource Surveys in Oregon and data entry into the Oregon Historic Sites Database (OHSD).
• Assist with additional historic preservation projects and outreach.

Key Details

Compensation: $21.06/hour

Duration: Up to 6 months

Deadline:September 20, 2026 (11:59PM PT)

Eligibility

What are the minimum qualifications?

• Must pass the pre-employment background check.
• Must have reliable transportation to City offices.
• Current student or recent graduate, either undergraduate or graduate student, in historic preservation, history, public history, or a related field.
• Preference will be given to those that have:
  • Training, coursework or experience with historic preservation reconnaissance level survey and Guidelines for Historic Resource Surveys in Oregon.
  • Training, coursework or experience with using Oregon statewide land use planning software tools (like ArcGIS) to create maps and/or utilizing the SHPO Historic Sites Access database to survey/analyze historic neighborhoods.
  • Training, coursework and experience in developing educational and outreach materials about historic properties.

About

The Historic Preservation Program is an award winning program housed within the Salem Planning Division. The Salem Planning team has a highly dynamic work environment, and you will be part of a cohesive, multitalented team of dedicated individuals. Our group has a wide variety of responsibilities that can range from helping answer questions on small residential projects, reviewing large mixed-use developments in downtown Salem, processing historic alterations and new construction applications in one of our four National Register Historic Districts and facilitating archaeological permits.