Summer Internship Program

The summer internship program with our engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, construction management and information technology divisions is for currrenty-enrolled college students and offers an opportunity to gain valuable experience.
 

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*For Architectural students, and Landscape Architectural students, submit a school/work portfolio (PDF only, limited to 10 pages) and include it as an attachment to your application. 

The Bureau of Landscape Architecture is responsible for providing planning and design services to agencies and departments responsible for the development of the City’s rights of way, parks, playgrounds, plazas, green infrastructure, and open spaces. Interns will assist with production drawings, 3D modeling, renderings, community presentations, and construction administration for a wide variety of public open space projects. 

 

Check out our portfolio.
 

 

The Bureau of Construction Management oversees, manages, and inspects construction contracts executed by private contractors on behalf of the City & County of San Francisco.  Its mission is to serve the citizens of San Francisco by ensuring that public improvements are carried out safely, efficiently, and within established timelines. 

The Bureau maintains consistent standards of care across all construction projects, whether they involve capital improvements, infrastructure development, or the renovation of construction of public facilities.  It enforces contract and permit requirements, interprets plans and specifications, coordinates construction activities, resolves field issues, and assesses the quality of work performed.  

Projects managed by the Bureau encompass a wide range of public works, including but not limited to roadway and utility improvements, traffic signalization systems, bridge retrofits, wastewater facility upgrades, and the construction of essential facilities such as fire and police stations, hospitals, laboratories, schools, libraries, City administration buildings and offices, recreation centers, parks, and playgrounds. 

Bureau engineers and inspectors ensure that all contractors comply with applicable codes and regulations while also conducting thorough quality checks on the work performed. As an agency that collaborates with various government departments, the Bureau is dedicated to exceptional customer service, teamwork, and continuous improvement.  

The Project Controls and Services section provides specialized services, such as materials testing, contract preparation and contract management. and site assessment and remediation, 

• Materials Testing Laboratory (MTL):  The MTL is a fully certified testing laboratory owned by Public Works of the City and County of San Francisco. The MTL Section provides professional quality control services to ensure that construction projects are built in compliance with the contract plans and specifications. The MTL provides services that include both Field Tests / Inspections and Laboratory Tests. Our main services include sampling or testing for soils and aggregate, Portland cement concrete, asphalt concrete, reinforcing steel, brick, and concrete block. Other services include welding inspection, design consultation, plan and Specifications review, and Quality Assurance Plans. 

• Construction Contracts Services (CCS):  The CCS Section provides contract preparation and contract management services for Public Works projects.  Before a project is advertised, the contract preparation team works with the design team to prepare the Divisions 00 and 01 of the Project Manual, ensuring that applicable regulations and bidding requirements are complete and accurate.  Another group manages the Job Order Contract (JOC) and As-Needed Construction Contracts.  These contracts provide a quick and efficient procurement options for small projects with tight schedules. 

• Site Assessment and Remediation (SAR): The SAR section provides environmental services for City projects. Their main services include site investigation, risk assessment and remediation, lead, asbestos, hazardous material assessment and remediation, regulatory compliance, hazardous materials management, above and underground storage tanks, environmental planning, sediment, construction management support and monitoring, and special inspection and testing. 

The Bureau of Project Management oversees the implementation of capital improvement projects for right-of-way infrastructure projects, public buildings, and public facilities. The Bureau works effectively to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget. Project Management works with engineering teams, consultants and sister agencies to deliver that project teams deliver a high level of customer service and professional quality contract documents throughout the life cycle of a project—throughout the planning, design, construction, and project closeout phases.  

Interns will be working closely with Project Managers to support the various programs described below. Specific tasks will include preparing meeting agendas and minutes, preparing presentations, data entry, schedule coordination and preparation, budget review and analysis, and other assigned tasks.   

• Street Resurfacing and Curb Ramp Program: San Francisco Public Works maintains more than 900 miles of streets comprising more than 12,900 street segments or blocks. Streets provide mobility for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Public transportation and the movement of goods and services are made possible with a system of well-maintained streets.  

The Public Works Street Resurfacing Program maintains City streets through various curb to curb street resurfacing. techniques, such as grinding and paving and pavement preservation. Street surfaces must be routinely maintained, renewed, and resurfaced to extend the service life of the pavement by applying a proper treatment type at different stages of the pavement life - "It's right road, right treatment, right time, for the right price."  

The Street Resurfacing Program includes the oversight of the Curb Ramp Program. The objective of the Curb Ramp Program is to provide accessible path of travel for all public sidewalks throughout San Francisco through the installation of curb ramps. Public Works provides the engineering to design the curb ramps. Curb ramp requests and projects come from Public Works's paving projects, DPT, MUNI, Mayor's Office on Disability, SFUSD (School District) and the Recreation and Park Department.  

• Better Market Street: The Better Market Street project will revitalize and improve San Francisco’s busiest and most prominent corridor. This multi- agency project, which stretches from Steuart Street to Octavia Boulevard, will make traveling along Market Street safer and more efficient, while creating a vibrant and inviting atmosphere for everyone who visits, lives, or works on Market Street. The project will be constructed in phases to reduce the impact to the local community. The first phase includes targeted infrastructure improvements for the Mid-Market area between Fifth and Eighth streets.  

• Streetscape Program: The Streetscape Program plays an important role in infrastructure renovation and beautification of San Francisco. The program manages complete streets projects that meet a variety of the City’s needs; from utility improvements and street renovation, to landscaping and placemaking, to transit and pedestrian safety enhancements. The Streetscape projects are often partnered with sister agencies (such as SFMTA, SFPUC and Capital Planning) and various community groups to collaboratively implement public realm area plans and initiatives like Vision Zero SF to improve multimodal safety on City streets for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. 

The Public Works Streetscape Program strives to preserve the City’s individual neighborhood identities while making the City more beautiful and safe for all. Our program prioritizes a robust community engagement process for all projects, ensuring that the project goals are developed and aligned with the needs and aspirations of the communities we serve. 

• Bridge and MUNI Forward Program: The Bridge Infrastructure Program includes project management of capital improvements and maintenance of bridges that are owned or managed by Public Works, including federally-funded rehabilitation projects such as the 3rd Street Bridge, 4th Street Bridge and Islais Creek Bridge.  

The Bridge Infrastructure Program includes oversight of the Muni Forward Program. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is currently advancing its Muni Forward program, a series of improvements to that transit system that will create a safer and more reliable experience both on and off transit. The Muni Forward Program also includes important safety and accessibility improvements across the city which, combined with the WalkFirst projects, will better accommodate the needs of families, seniors, and the disabled, enhancing comfort and safety for all riders while aligning with the City’s Vision Zero goals.

• BSM Permits issues about 35,000 permits per year, which can be grouped into two different categories: Construction (or Engineering-related) and Commercial.  Interns in the permit section review permit applications and plans to ensure designs meet code, regulation, and design requirements. 

• BSM Inspection & Enforcements is Public Works’ “boots on the ground”; not just because it enforces BSM’s permits, but also because it does general code enforcement across the city.   

• BSM Subdivision & Mapping is led by our County Surveyor. It is composed of two different groups: Land Surveying and Subdivision & Mapping. The land surveying group handles surveys for almost all capital projects performed by city departments. In contrast, the Subdivision & Mapping group reviews and approves subdivision maps, condo conversions, lot mergers, plats, legals, street vacations and street renaming.