Public Affairs Undergraduate Intern

Full Job Description

This recruitment is being used to fill a Public Affairs Undergraduate Intern position within King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Are you an undergraduate student interested in public affairs, public relations or public policy? The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (PAO) team is looking for a highly motivated Public Affairs Intern to contribute to our communications and legislative affairs operations. You will report to the Director of Legislative & Public Affairs and the Director of Communications, assisting with projects ranging from legislative research to work on the communications landscape. This is a unique opportunity to gain professional experience in the public affairs arena in the 2^nd largest law firm in Washington State while making significant impacts in your community!

About the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Our mission is to do Justice:

• We exercise the power given to us by the people with fairness and humility.
• We serve our diverse community, support victims and families, and hold individuals accountable.
• We develop innovative and collaborative solutions for King County and the State of Washington.

We value diversity and strive to hire a workforce that reflects the community that we serve. It is essential to our mission that we create and maintain an office that is diverse and inclusive. All PAO employees are expected to participate in PAO equity work and attend equity trainings and discussions. PAO employees are expected to comply with race, equity, and social justice principles, and to work with PAO colleagues and management to identify opportunities for improvement.

Who May Apply: Currently enrolled Bachelors/Associates level studies at an accredited university/college through Fall quarter of 2026. Proof of enrollment status is required upon hire. Interns must commit to working for at least for six months.

Work Location: Downtown Seattle in King County, WA

Interns are expected to be on-site throughout the duration of the program to collaborate closely with our team, participate in hands-on projects, and engage in day-to-day operations. This structure ensures meaningful mentorship, real-time feedback, and a more immersive learning experience.

Union Representation: This position is not represented by a labor union.

Salary: Range 26--$22.00 hourly

Work Schedule: Our office is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Interns may work up to 12 hours per week during the school year and up to 20 hours per week during the summer break.

Karla Avila Vargas
HR Analyst
Kvargas@kingcounty.gov

Please note this position is not eligible for King County leave, holiday, health benefits, or other benefits. However, administrative interns accrue sick leave at the rate of 0.025 hours for each hour in pay status. Please contact the recruiter on the posting for any additional questions regarding associated benefits.

Requirements

Job duties will be based on assigned project needs and work output will be reviewed by KCPAO staff. Possible job duties include:

• Assisting with media tracking, including regularly identifying, compiling and analyzing news articles relevant to the work of the office.
• Research and identify public affairs opportunities and challenges.
• Assist with bill tracking, list management, watching/analyzing committee hearings and other tasks related to the legislative process.
• Help with reports related to key areas of the office’s work. Produce content that may be used for the KCPAO blog and other office communication, following reviews from KCPAO staff.

Qualifications

We hire interns for their potential and ability to learn. If you are excited about this opportunity and believe you can grow in this role, we strongly encourage you to apply.

We prioritize initiative and the ability to learn as much as deep expertise for our internship roles.

Successful candidates will demonstrate this potential alongside a fundamental foundation public affairs skills and a commitment to continuous learning.

Technical Knowledge & Experience

• Completed coursework in communications, public relations, marketing political science, public policy or related courses or equivalent personal project experience).
• Basic familiarity with the concepts of criminal justice.
• Competence in Microsoft Office programs including Outlook and Word.
• Experience with Facebook, Instagram, X, Bluesky, and/or TikTok.

Core Professional Skills

• Ability to Accept Feedback and Supervision: Demonstrates a high degree of willingness to learn and accept direction.

• Strong Analytical and Communication Skills: Ability to synthesize information and communicate clearly.
• Teamwork and Initiative: Ability to work independently and as a team member, using initiative and attention to detail to see projects and assignments through to completion.
• Confidentiality and Professionalism: Ability to maintain security, confidentiality, and discretion involving highly critical matters at all times.
• Commitment to Race, Equity and Social Justice work, including ongoing cultural competence development.
• Demonstrate timely, reliable, and predictable attendance.

Additional Information

The Prosecuting Attorney's Office is dedicated to making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. 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.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. 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.