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Innovation Internships
The Jefferson County Innovation and Digital Transformation Internship Program offers students and recent graduates the paid opportunity to gain practical work experience by leading technology and business process improvements within local government.
Please apply here or contact the Innovation Team if you're interested or have questions. We'd love to hear from you!
Internship Types
Three types of Innovation Internships are offered: exploratory, industry placement, and class projects.
Exploratory
These projects involve re-designing and improving current county services. Interns will evaluate and prototype cutting-edge technologies and solutions by collaborating with the Innovation Team and our internal partners.
Industry placement
We are constantly seeking individuals with the background, experience, and passion for specific county-related functions, such as GIS or cybersecurity. These internship projects are geared toward students interested in experiencing what a real-world career in local government looks like.
Class projects
Our Innovation Team partners with universities across the front range to solve challenges that impact our communities. Over a semester, an entire class focuses on a specific theme and identifies potential solutions that Jeffco can adopt to better serve our communities.
Application Information
The Jeffco Innovation Team brings on new interns every fall, spring, and summer to align with the school year calendar. The following table provides information on start and end dates, typical weekly hours, and our recruitment windows.
You can access the Innovation Internship Application here.
| Fall | Spring | Summer | |
| Start Date | Late August | Mid-January | Early June |
| End Date | Early December | Early May | Early August |
| Weekly Hours | 10-15 | 10-15 | 30-32 |
| Hourly Rate | $20/hour | $20/hour | $20/hour |
| Apply By | June 15 | November 1 | February 15 |
| Offers Made | Mid-July | Early December | Early April |
Ideal Candidates:
We are an interdisciplinary program and recruit from a variety of backgrounds and degrees, ranging from communications and business, to public administration, to data science and engineering.
We look for the following traits and skills in our candidates:
- Curiosity
- Coachability
- Analytical Skills
- Growth Mindset
- Ability to execute
- Interest in innovation and government services
Highlighted Internship Projects
Innovation Interns are typically assigned to one project for the term. Each intern is expected to lead on their assigned project, researching and uncovering whether a new technology, process, or improvement might help the county better serve it's constituents.
These projects range from exploratory to more technical projects that require certain skills. Use the following links to view some of our final presentations from past internship projects. In addition to these projects, interns have tackled topics such as cybersecurity gamification, financial transparency dashboards, and fleet electrification.
Innovation Interns get to tackle exciting challenges that have the potential to improve services at the county. We don't expect them to do it alone!
Based on our exit survey, 100% of innovation interns agree or strongly agree that their supervisors are available and accessible to answer questions and provide support.
An intern can expect the following support during their internship:
- Weekly one/one meeting with their supervisor to talk through challenges, opportunities, questions, and professional development.
- Biweekly meeting with their project sponsor, key stakeholders, and supervisor to share accomplishments, align priorities, and unpack obstacles.
- Daily 15-minute Stand-up/Wrap-up Meetings during core work days (2 days/week for fall/spring interns, 4 days/week for summer interns)
- Additional meetings as needed to address project obstacles
- Occasional team-building activities
- Optional Lunch and Learn Sessions
Students and Interns love this internship program!
In our exit surveys, 68% of exiting interns rated this experience 'Exceptional', while the remaining 32% rated it as a 'Worthwhile' experience.
"I would recommend the internship to anyone looking for professional development and to give back to the community."
-Alex K, Fall 2022 Cohort
I built out a Robotic Process Automation for server setup at Jeffco. This internship taught me tons of valuable skills, like project planning and building a real-world technical application. It was great getting to see my project come together, and knowing that something I made can save the county time and money. The Jeffco team was full of helpful mentors, and I loved being a part of the program!
- Nicole Dudas, University of Colorado - Boulder
I applied for this internship to gain an understanding of how county services work and to showcase my skills in piloting emerging technologies. Overall, I learned a lot during my time with Jeffco: technical skills, core values, how to work as a team, and the weekly presentations helped me articulate my thoughts better!
- Kearthika Balasubramanian, University of Colorado
During my internship project, I derived KPIs for eight departments and seven divisions. I identified the data needs for those KPIs, requested the datasets, and built three dashboards. It was an opportunity to apply my education to the real world and I found myself surrounded by mentors who were dedicated to helping me succeed.
- Gita Marahatta, University of Colorado
Some accomplishments from my time at Jeffco include creating objective assessments to evaluate county processes for automation, identifying a pilot project, collaborating with a vendor on the discovery process, and creating a queue of processes for Jeffco to automate in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with the program.
- Christopher Seven, University of Denver
I applied for this internship because it was a great opportunity to tie my interest in technology with my passion for community development. I worked on integrating government services and information into digital voice assistant technology. I learned a lot about project development and how to effectively communicate the value of my work.
- Carly Oliver, Colorado School of Mines