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Historic Preservation Intern

City of Salem
Salem, OR Intern
POSTED ON 9/14/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 10/14/2026
Job Summary

This internship position is for current undergraduate or graduate students to work temporary assignments up to six (6) months from date of hire.

Make An Impact

Salem is a fast-growing city with many opportunities to be involved in planning for Salem’s future. If you are seeking an opportunity to work in an award-winning Historic Preservation Program and to expand your skillset and professional experience, look no further than the City of Salem

What You Will Do

We are seeking 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.

What can we offer you for all your hard work?

  • Learn from a highly talented team responsible for a wide range of programs and projects.
  • Learn about the regulatory framework of Historic Preservation, including the roles of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and city government in Historic Resources Surveys.
  • Interact with staff, consultants, contractors, senior managers, elected officials, and the public.
  • Learn how planners play a major role in determining how our community will look decades into the future.
  • Learn how to explain technical information to the public and decision makers.
  • Your work will be both independent and collaborative.
  • Work under a highly supportive management structure.

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.
  • Hiring managers do not have access to view resumes as part of the application review process, please make sure to give detailed information in your application that includes your experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as requested in the supplemental questions and job advertisement.

About Us

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.

The City of Salem values employees and their professional development. If you are someone who takes pride in collaborating on innovative ideas, proactively responding to community needs, and being a good environmental and financial steward, we look forward to meeting you! The Planning Division promotes a healthy work life balance, and we maintain the utmost dedication to the health, safety, and welfare of our community, including our team! The City of Salem is the second largest City in the State of Oregon. Located in the lush Willamette Valley, Salem is the capital city of Oregon with a population over 182,000. Centrally located, Salem is 47 miles south of Portland and an hour from the Cascade Mountains to the east and an hour from the ocean beaches to the west. Salem is an exceptional community for living and working with exciting new and comfortable well-established neighborhoods and carefully preserved historic buildings.

A full-service City, Salem has eight primary departments: Community Services, Finance, Fire, Enterprise Services, Legal, Police, Public Works, and Community Planning and Development. Several departments also have functional divisions within their department. The City has five labor unions and employs roughly 1,350 talented and dedicated staff members. The Urban Renewal Agency and the Salem Housing Authority are separate municipal corporations. The Agency contracts with the City for services and the Authority is led by the Housing Administrator within the Community Planning and Development Department.

Where can I find out more about the position?

Go to the menu option for Class Specifications and search for Intern .

How can I apply?

The City of Salem invites individuals of all diverse communities and backgrounds to apply for our available job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to everyone. The City of Salem is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all and has a culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that by welcoming differences, encouraging new ideas and views, listening to, and learning from each other, we are better able to serve the community.

To apply, click on the green “Apply” button to complete your application. Make sure that you specify how you meet the qualifications outlined in the class specification and complete the application.

Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications as outlined above but not selected for this position may be placed on an eligibility list, and candidates may be hired from the list. Eligibility lists are valid for six months. The City will send email notifications to eligible candidates about potential hiring opportunities so please ensure your email settings accept our system generated email notifications.

You may subscribe for automatic notification of job openings at the City through the Job Interest Cards – sign up today!

For more information about employment at the City of Salem, please visit our website at www.cityofsalem.net/jobs .

This announcement is not an implied contract and may be modified or revoked without notice.

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