Now Hiring: Intern

Press release from the Village of Algonquin:

The Village of Algonquin is seeking an enthusiastic, self-motivated, and creative individual to join our team as a Intern for the Community Development Department. Under general supervision of the Community Development Director, provides general support relating to all activities, public inquiries and daily departmental operations.

The Community Development Department, as a whole, is responsible for land use planning, economic development, building inspection, permitting, and code enforcement.

About the Community

The Village of Algonquin provides residents and businesses an exceptional quality of life with recreational amenities, educational opportunities, and a numerous mixture of restaurants and shopping malls which offer a variety of leisure time activities.

Algonquin sets the standard for excellence for providing a family-friendly and safe community. In our most recent Annual Community Survey, 9 out of 10 residents rated their neighborhood as a place to live and Algonquin as a place to live as either “Excellent” or “Good.” In addition to those quality of life indicators, over 90 percent of residents reported to feeling “Very safe” or “Safe” in their neighborhoods during the day and at night. Overall, residents continue to feel satisfied with the quality of life.

In addition to providing a friendly and safe community, Algonquin believes in providing residents leisure opportunities involving the great outdoors. There are abundant parks and recreation amenities in Algonquin, with a park located within walking distance of most residents. There are 21 parks conveniently located throughout the Village to ensure regional connectivity. The Village of Algonquin strives to achieve environmentally friendly initiatives along with appealing environmental aesthetics. 87 percent of Algonquin residents rated the maintenance of parks as either “Excellent” or “Good.” Algonquin continues to receive recognition for providing premier parks and trails for its residents as it has been named a Tree City USA for 25 consecutive years, since 1996, by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Home to approximately 30,900 people, Algonquin is nestled in the Fox River Valley which lies in both Kane and McHenry Counties and is conveniently located 45 miles from the Chicago Loop. The Village was officially incorporated in 1890 and has experienced much of its growth since 1990. At the 1990 Census, Algonquin had 11,663 residents which increased to 23,276 at the 2000 Census and to 30,046 at the 2010 Census. The median age of Algonquin residents has been steadily increasing with further population growth. In 1980, the median age of Algonquin residents was 28.9, with the median age at 38.7 in the 2010 Census.

The median household income in Algonquin is $98,092 according to the 2010 Census, up 23 percent from 2000. Approximately 86 percent of Algonquin households have an annual household income above $50,000.

The Village of Algonquin offers a variety of housing choices, a large majority of which fall into the single-family category. Single family homes can be found varying in unique and charming styles, set into many types of neighborhoods. The diversity in housing choices adds to the appeal of Algonquin which is demonstrated by 95.5 percent of total housing units being occupied.

Governance and Organization

The Village of Algonquin was incorporated on February 25, 1890 and operates under the Council-Manager form of government, which was adopted by ordinance in 1995. Algonquin is a home rule unit of government by virtue of its population. A President and Board of Trustees elected at large for four year staggered terms set policy for the Village. A Village Clerk is also an elected position, serving four year terms. The Village Board appoints the Village Manager to carry out its directives and oversee the delivery of public services. The Village Manager also supervises the daily operations of the Village and all of its departments.

Algonquin earns its reputation as the “Gem of the Fox River Valley” by providing quality services and amenities to the community. The 2020 Annual Community Survey which was sent to 1,500 randomly selected residential households highlights the top-quality services per department. In addition, the survey highlighted the Village’s customer service. Overall, employee interaction was rated overwhelmingly Excellent or Good in all three evaluation categories: knowledgeable (89 percent), responsive (87 percent), and courteous (91 percent).

Village services are organized among four major service areas: General Services Administration, Community Development, Police, and Public Works. Each of these departments is further delineated into specific teams that provide public services. Overall, the Village has 132 full-time and 57 part-time/seasonal staff.

About the Role

Education/Experience: Requires graduation from undergraduate program or equivalent experience. Applicants working towards graduate degree in Public Administration, Political Science, Planning, Urban Studies or a related field are preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of office procedures, practices and operation of standard office equipment and computer software
• Requires ability to organize files and develop an effective flow of office correspondence
• Requires ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Requires ability to respond to inquiries for information, and project a positive customer service approach when dealing with the public
• Requires knowledge of arithmetic and ability to perform numerical calculations
• Requires ability to maintain confidentiality on those issues that may involve sensitive information
• Requires possession of a valid Driver’s License

Ability to use computers and related software applications; applying policies, procedures, laws, and regulations; analyzing problems. Identifying alternative solutions. Projecting consequences of proposed actions; collecting and analyzing data; preparing reports; performing research; drafting policies and procedures; communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work.

General Duties:

• Assist walk-ins and answer the phone as-needed
• Process ‘over-the-counter’ building permits
• Conduct studies and analyze data in assigned area of responsibility; prepare related reports and summary findings
• Perform research on latest trends, technologies, and/or developments
• Shadow supervisor and other departmental employees to learn about assigned programs and operational aspects of assigned area of responsibility
• Assist with drafting policies and procedures
• Archive and file plans and other files as-needed
• Providing general support to administrative staff in day to day operations of Community Development
• Assignment and coordination of various requests
• Performs other duties that may be assigned or required

Example dashboard created using Microsoft PowerBI.

Interested?

A resume and cover letter may be submitted to the Village online.

This press release was produced by the Village of Algonquin. The views expressed here are the author’s own.