Policy Fellow

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• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
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• Referral Bonus
• Tuition Assistance Program

Description

The City of Richmond, Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development seeks an intern for the Summer of 2026 to serve as a Policy Fellow. The Policy Fellow will be a key member of the team updating the City’s Strategic Housing Plan, with the opportunity to shape the future of affordable housing in Richmond.

About the Department: Richmond’s Department of Housing (HCD) is responsible for managing programs and investing funds for the development of housing, community revitalization, and housing related services, including grants and loans from the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund; tax incentives for the building or rehabilitation of affordable housing; the City’s Federal Entitlement funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and grants to support eviction diversion, right to counsel, and home repairs. More information is available at https://www.rva.gov/housing-and-community-development.

About the Internship: The internship will provide an undergraduate or graduate student the opportunity to learn from the City’s subject matter experts on affordable housing, while making meaningful contributions to the City’s efforts to promote the creation and preservation of housing affordable for low income Richmonders. Specifically, the intern will assist with the comprehensive updates to the City’s Strategic Housing Plan. “One Richmond: An Equitable Affordable Housing Plan” was adopted in 2022. Over 2026, the Department will conduct an in-depth review and update of the plan. The Department seeks an intern interested in public policy research and data analysis to join the team’s work updating the plan. The intern will be a key member of the Plan Update Team, with the opportunity to shape the future of affordable housing in Richmond.

This is an ideal internship for someone looking to learn more about affordable housing public policy; local government; and the intersection of public and private entities in the housing market.

**The duration of this Internship program is 8-12 weeks, to be completed between May 1, 2026 and September 11, 2026**

Duties include but are not limited to

• Contribute to the update to the City’s Strategic Housing Plan
• Conduct public policy research and data analysis
• Draft public policy writing samples
• Make policy recommendations
• Observe internal meetings and external hearings
• Performs other duties of a similar nature and level as assignedDepending on the interests and experience of the candidate, the internship could also include
• Support for stakeholder engagement
• Website content creation and management
• Grants management
• Legislative analysis and drafting
• Drafting of standard operating procedures
• Program development in the area of eviction diversion and public incentivization of resilient and innovative design in affordable housing.

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses

EDUCATION FIELD:

• Public Policy, Public Administration, Political Science, Law, Government, Data Analytics, or Economics

To be considered for an internship in this program, applicants must adhere to the following criteria:

• The student must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program, be in good academic standing (as defined below), and have completed at least 30 credit hours of undergraduate coursework. Summer Interns do not have to be enrolled in summer school but must be enrolled for the upcoming Fall semester.
• After graduating from a degree program, the student no longer qualifies for an internship with this program unless they have been accepted into a graduate program which is scheduled to begin within twelve (12) months of the hire date.
• Students must provide a college transcript prior to the interview date. Unofficial transcripts are accepted.
• Students must be lawfully authorized to work in the United States and are required to present proof of such eligibility prior to beginning work.
• Undergraduate students must have completed 30 credit hours and have at least a 3.0 overall grade point average.
• Graduate students must be enrolled at an accredited institution and have at least a 3.0 overall grade point average.
• No special certification or license is required.

Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly finger, talk, hear, see, and perform repetitive motions; frequently walk; and occasionally stoop, reach, stand, push, pull, lift, grasp, and feel. The working conditions may contain environmental hazards. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be sedentary, exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to move objects.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

The City of Richmond is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the City of Richmond will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to participate in the job application and/or the interview process, please contact Jessica McKenzie, Human Resources Manager by email at Jessica.McKenzie@RVA.GOV.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

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No benefits offered.