Cultural Affairs Intern (Marketing & Social Media)

Job Description:

Cultural Affairs Intern (Marketing & Social Media)

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San Jose, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San Jose employees work together as one team to make San Jose a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and to learn more about San Jose.

The City of San Jose is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San Jose is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285,711(TTY), or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov.
About the Department
The City Manager's Office of Economic Development & Cultural Affairs (OEDCA) has three integrated divisions:
Cultural Affairs: Arts, Sports, and Entertainment - Fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and creative city by advancing cultural expression, supporting artists and arts organizations through grants and technical assistance, promoting access to sports and entertainment, commissioning and preserving public art, producing/coordinating outdoor special events and destination marketing, and stewarding City-owned convention and cultural facility assets and partnerships.Economic Growth and Business Development - Accelerating San Jose's economic vitality by driving business retention, expansion, and attraction; supporting real estate and catalytic development; strengthening Downtown as a thriving urban center; and advancing commercial corridor revitalization and small business success across San Jose's diverse neighborhoods.Workforce and Talent Development - Building a resilient and inclusive workforce by connecting job seekers to training, education, and career pathways; delivering supportive services that reduce barriers to employment; and partnering with employers to design hiring initiatives that align with regional industry needs and economic opportunity.
OEDCA's mission is to catalyze equitable job growth, investment, entrepreneurship, cultural vibrancy, and talent attraction and retention in San Jose while strengthening the City's fiscal health. In support of its mission, OEDCA focuses on five key areas:
Retain/grow jobs and revenue and promote innovation from large and medium-sized businesses in key sectors such as manufacturing and artificial intelligence.Foster small business resilience and create thriving business districts.Accelerate a thriving Downtown.Activate San Jose as the South Bay's hub for sports, arts, and entertainment.Prepare residents to participate in the local economy through training, education, and career support.

Position Duties

Are you a passionate storyteller, social media guru, and lover of all things arts and culture? The City of San José's Office of Cultural Affairs is looking for an innovative and driven marketing intern to join our dynamic team! If you’re excited by the prospect of shaping creative campaigns that engage a vibrant community, this is your chance to dive into hands-on work with two of San José’s most exciting cultural initiatives: #WeCreate408 and Make Music San José.

You’ll gain real-world experience in crafting short-form content, managing social media, coordinating with arts partners, and bringing events to life across San José’s thriving arts scene. Whether you’re a seasoned content creator or a marketing enthusiast looking to level up, this internship offers the perfect blend of creative freedom and impactful community engagement.

Jump in and be part of a team that celebrates creativity, music, and cultural connection every single day! Apply now to turn your marketing talents into something bigger—and help shape the cultural heartbeat of San José.
The City of San José, in coordination with the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), is seeking an intern to support the Create and Connect programs #WeCreate408 and Make Music San Jose in the first half of 2025.

The #WeCreate408 creative challenge is a campaign aimed at building public will for the arts in San José with a call to action introduced on social media in the form of a daily prompt of creativity. This multi-lingual campaign coincides with Arts, Culture, and Creativity Month in April and includes dozens of partners around San José. Each daily prompt is shared via website, email, and social media, with contributions coming in using the #WeCreate408 hashtag and through email submissions. See the campaign at wecreate408.org.

Celebrated each year on June 21, Make Music San José coincides with festivities in more than one thousand cities worldwide as part of Make Music Day. The whole idea for the day is to share the joy of making music with everyone who wants to participate, from students, hobbyists, and professional musicians as well as the musically curious. Events will be throughout San José at community centers, parks, restaurants, museums, and more. See past Make Music San José events at www.makemusicday.org/sanjose.

Duties And Responsibilities

The essential duties of the Intern for the Office of Cultural Affairs position include, but are not limited to:

• Develop engaging short-form content for the #WeCreate408 Creative Challenge, crafting prompts that inspire public creativity.
• Manage daily posts on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, to promote the challenge and engage the community.
• Interact with the public by responding to submissions and comments related to the #WeCreate408 challenge.
• Collaborate with partners and participants to coordinate giveaways, ensuring a smooth and exciting experience for all involved.
• Represent the City of San José at select festivals and events, engaging with the community and promoting arts initiatives.
• Ability to attend events and meetings around San Jose with a passion for networking and connecting to communities and people.
• Promote musicians and performances for Make Music Day through engaging social media content.
• Communicate with musicians and venues to ensure seamless coordination for Make Music Day events.
• Support the logistical scheduling for Make Music Day and assist with on-the-ground event coordination on June 21st.

February 3 - May 7, 2026:

• Develop engaging short-form content for the #WeCreate408 Creative Challenge, crafting prompts that inspire public creativity.
• Manage daily posts on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, to promote the challenge and engage the community.
• Interact with the public by responding to submissions and comments related to the #WeCreate408 challenge.
• Collaborate with partners and participants to coordinate giveaways, ensuring a smooth and exciting experience for all involved.
• Represent the City of San José at select festivals and events, engaging with the community and promoting arts initiatives.
• Ability to attend events and meetings around San Jose with a passion for networking and connecting to communities and people.

May 7 - June 23, 2026:

• Promote musicians and performances for Make Music Day through engaging social media content.
• Communicate with musicians and venues to ensure seamless coordination for Make Music Day events.
• Support the logistical scheduling for Make Music Day and assist with on-the-ground event coordination on June 21st.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education : Currently enrolled as an advanced undergraduate or graduate student.
• Experience : Proficient in using social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) for content creation and engagement.
• Strong written communication skills, with a knack for creating compelling content
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks while meeting deadlines.
• Comfortable making phone calls and reaching out to partners and participants.
• Availability to work at least 1.5 hours per day throughout April for the #WeCreate408 challenge.
• Ability to work on Sunday, June 21st, if the internship extends through June.

Other Qualifications

• Multilingual proficiency in English, Spanish, or Vietnamese.
• Experience with website content management systems.
• Basic understanding of data analytics to track social media performance.
• A passion for local events with a desire to stay plugged into the San José arts and culture scene.
• Creative thinker who can bring fresh ideas to the table and execute them.
• Love for music, arts, and community-driven initiatives.
• Skilled in using a phone camera and content creation apps to capture compelling visuals.

Competencies:

• Job Expertise: d emonstrates a knowledge of and experience with digital marketing and social media management.
  

• Communication Skills: effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally, and in writing; demonstrates effective listening skills; displays openness to other people’s ideas and thoughts.
  

• Creativity: Addresses objectives and problems while questioning traditional assumptions/solutions in order to generate creative ideas and new ways of doing business; exhibits creativity and innovation when contributing to organizational and individual objectives ; seeks out opportunities to improve, streamline, and reinvent work processes.
  

Selection Process:
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Lori Venzon at lori.venzon@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

Part-time positions(less than 40 hours per week) are required to participate in the City’s PTC 457 Deferred Compensation Plan per Federal regulations. Employees are required to contribute 3.75% of gross earning and the City contributes a matching amount of 3.75%. The funds contributed by the City are 100% vested upon initial deferral and will be held in in a stability of principal investment. This plan is in lieu of social security and does not include any healthcare benefits or contributions.

Part-time employees may elect to contribute additional retirement savings through the City’s Voluntary 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. Additional Information on both plans can be found on the City’s website.

Closing Date/Time: 10/19/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$15.86 - $22.65 Hourly