PHIG Communications Intern

King-County,-W; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 21,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) is seeking a graduate student intern in the Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation (APDE) unit to assist with PHIG communications. Work is up to 19 hours/week, hybrid with on-site requirements, and starts in October 2026 for a 12-month period.

The intern will collaborate with the Lead Evaluator and program team to design, implement, and evaluate communications strategies.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in Graduate Program
• Ability to be on site once a week
• Exceptional writing skills without the use of gen-AI
• Experience using Canva or similar graphic design tools
• Experience communicating to a variety of audiences
• Interest in public health communications/evaluation or related field

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a communications plan for the final year of the PHIG.
• Create internal PHIG newsletters and write success stories.
• Maintain the PHIG SharePoint resources site.
• Co-design evaluation presentations with the Lead Evaluator.
• Coordinate and facilitate peer learning sessions.
• Draft key messaging about PHIG activities and disseminate project progress.

Job description

The Health Sciences Division provides robust assessment and evaluation work and population health strategies to influence public health with a focus on community conditions through data, evidence, and emerging best practices in partnership with the community. The duties of the Health Sciences Division include working with community partners to address the root cause of health disparities and improve population health outcomes; providing the functions of assessment, epidemiology, and program evaluation; and advancing health equity in the community through strategies at the individual and environmental levels that promote protective factors and reduce risk for chronic disease, injury, and violence.

This position is based in the Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation (APDE) unit of the Health Sciences Division. APDE is a nationally recognized leader in community health assessment, providing health assessment data and analysis to inform planning, policies, and actions; and developing innovative interventions to improve the health of King County residents. More information about the work of the APDE unit can be found at http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/data.aspx.

The purpose of the job application is to provide us, as the employer, with an accurate representation of you and the skills you have, as related to the position. It is our expectation that our applicants will not use gen-AI in creating their application, or any related materials, or in response to the Supplemental Questions. The Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation Unit (APDE) of Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) is looking for a graduate student intern (up to 19 hours per week) for a professional and practice-based internship to work with the Lead Evaluator on communications for a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant. The internship is anticipated to start in October 2026 and will continue for 12 months.

The Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) is a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant to support state and local health departments to diversify their workforces and strengthen their foundational services. PHSKC is receiving $23 million over 5 years to work towards these goals. Examples of PHSKC’s 28+ PHIG activities include improving onboarding for new employees, developing surge plans for emergency preparedness, and streamlining data for care and resource planning for PHSKC’s clinics.

This position is for a professional communications internship and reports to the PHIG Lead Evaluator. The intern will work with the Lead Evaluator and Program team to engage in a range of communications activities, such as designing and implementing a communications plan; creating an internal PHIG newsletter; writing success stories; maintaining the PHIG SharePoint resources site; co-designing evaluation presentations with the Lead Evaluator; coordinating and facilitating peer learning sessions.

AI statement

At the Public Health – Seattle & King County, due to the sensitive nature of the work we do, we go to great lengths to serve and protect our community. To ensure that we are not feeding any County data and/or information about our residents or their health into AI systems, we do not use generative AI.

This position requires significant writing and content creation that interns must generate themselves without the assistance of gen-AI. These limitations include, but are not limited to, OpenAI, Gemini, Chat GPT, and Grammarly.

If you are selected and become a King County employee, you will be required to follow all King County gen-AI guidance and policies. It is important that we establish that you are qualified and able to perform the job duties and responsibilities below with little or no assistance from gen-AI.

• Work with Lead Evaluator to create, coordinate, and implement a communications plan for the final year of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG).
• Communicate with a variety of audiences in written, visual, and oral formats.
• Collaborate with PHIG leads and staff to document and disseminate PHIG project progress and successes.
• Engage community and internal PHSKC partners on communications strategy on qualitative data.
• Design communications strategies for presentations and dissemination products for a variety of audiences, including but not limited to: internal PHIG newsletters; success stories; SharePoint resources site; evaluation presentations; peer learning sessions.
• Draft key messaging about PHSKC’s PHIG activities.
• Utilize graphic design software, such as Canva, to create data visualizations, presentations, and other communications products.
• Engage in professional development activities as determined in collaboration with the Lead Evaluator.

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum)

• Enrolled in Graduate Program
• Ability to be on site once a week
• Exceptional writing skills without the use of gen-AI.
• Experience using graphic design tools such as Canva, with a foundational understanding of design principles.
• Experience communicating to a variety of audiences.
• Interest in how a local public health department functions and serves the public.
• Considering a career in public health communications, evaluation, program implementation, public health administration, or another related field in public health.

The most competitive applicants will have

• Interest in communicating about data to a variety of audiences.
• Communicating about and telling stories with qualitative and quantitative data to a broader audience in multiple formats.Ability to take and marshal constructive feedback from multiple sources to improve and finalize a communications product.
• Experience working collaboratively with a variety of partners, including community-based organizations and internal partners.
• Ability to manage competing projects and deadlines.
• Has experience with and/or completed coursework in public health communications and/or evaluation.
• Has experience with and/or completed coursework in data visualization.
• Familiarity with universal design principles.
• Familiarity with the Public Health field, whether through coursework, internships, work experience, or other.
• Experience leading projects with supervision. For example, you led the writing of a newsletter article for publication in the department newsletter. You worked with a supervisor to brainstorm staff to interview, set a timeline, create an outline of the article, troubleshoot roadblocks, and review drafts for the final product.

Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

Who May Apply

The graduate intern must:

1. Be enrolled as a graduate student in a Washington state educational institution for the entire duration of the internship. Proof of enrollment may be required.
2. Reside and work in Washington state for the entire duration of the internship.
3. Meet once a week in-office requirement.

Work Schedule

The work schedule will be during regular business hours (8am – 5pm) Monday – Friday for up to 19 hours per week. The intern and supervisor will determine a schedule together that fits both academic schedules and business needs. The internship is anticipated to start in October 2026 and will continue for 12 months.

This position is FLSA non-exempt and overtime eligible.

This is a hybrid position with a once-a-week in-office requirement. The in-office location will be:

King County Chinook Building

401 5th Avenue

Seattle, WA 98104

The intern will be required to work in-office once a week to attend team meetings at the Chinook Building in downtown Seattle or in-person community engagements throughout King County. The weekly schedule is to be determined between the intern and supervisor.

Union Membership

This is not a represented position.