About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

This internship is an on-call position, which means it is a part-time, hourly role. The City and County of Denver offers a competitive pay rate to commensurate with education, with the pay range for this position between $20.22 - $22.78 based off level of education. This position is eligible to enroll in the City and County of Denver’s 457b retirement plan. This position is not eligible for other additional benefits. On-call positions may have routine or variable work schedules.

Location

This position is mostly on site with limited remote work opportunities. Employees work where needed to support business, at the Denver International Airport. We do not offer housing or relocation assistance for this position. Employees must work within the state of Colorado.

Internship Duration and Hours

This is a 1-year internship from Monday, June 1, 2026 - Friday, May 15, 2027, hours typically vary between 20-39 hours a week during the summer and 15-30 hours a week during school semesters. The DENtern’s work schedule will be flexible to accommodate their current academic commitments. Hours not exceeding 39 hours a week or 1,559 hours over a year.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

Since opening on Feb. 28, 1995, Denver International Airport (DEN) has become one of the world’s busiest airports. In 2025, 82,427,962 passengers passed through DEN, making DEN 4th busiest airport in the U.S. and the world’s 10th busiest airport. DEN is Colorado’s primary economic engine, generating $47.2 billion in annual economic impact for the state. At DEN, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We celebrate individuality and strive to keep Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) at the center of all that we do.

Through the DEN Intern (nicknamed “DENtern”) Program, students gain real world experience in aviation and workforce development while building professional skills. DENterns participate in a cohort-based model that emphasizes networking, collaboration, and professional growth, attending all scheduled professional development sessions, tours, and engaging in impactful projects across the airport.

DEN Safety is actively seeking an Airport Safety DENtern to contribute to their division. As part of DEN's Strategic Plan, Vision 100, which envisions reaching 100 million annual passengers, DEN Safety plays a pivotal role in transforming the aviation industry.

The Airport Safety Division leads DEN’s enterprise-wide SMS, conducts airport-wide safety risk assessments, manages hazard reporting, supports regulatory compliance under FAA Part 139 Subpart E, and oversees employee occupational health programs including industrial hygiene, exposure assessment, injury reduction, and safety training. The team partners with every division at DEN as well as airlines, ground handlers, and the FAA.

As a DENtern you will get to experience working on projects such as, but not limited to:

• Project #1: Safety Management System (SMS) Hazard Reporting & Analysis

  • Review employee-submitted hazard reports and assist with categorization, trend identification, and preparation of data summaries for leadership.

  • Support improvements to DEN’s hazard-reporting workflows and the SMS software platform (ProDIGIQ/Veoci integrations).

• Project #2: Safety Risk Assessments (SRAs)

  • Help scope, prepare, and document Safety Risk Assessments for operational changes (e.g., new technology deployment, autonomous systems, lithium-ion battery operations, airfield construction changes).

  • Assist with documentation, meeting notes, and control-tracking within DEN’s risk register.

• Project #3: Occupational Health & Industrial Hygiene Projects

  • Assist with exposure-assessment activities, employee workplace walk-throughs, noise mapping, ergonomic evaluations, and trend reporting on injuries and near-misses.

  • Help update OHS policies, Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs), and employee safety-training documentation.

• Project #4: DEN Safety Communications & Promotion

  • Support development of monthly Safety newsletters, dashboards, infographics, and promotional campaigns aligned to “Safety Starts With Me.”

  • Assist with planning Safety Summit materials, safety-action team meetings, and multi-department safety engagements.

• Project #5: Program Research & Benchmarking

  • Conduct research on national SMS and airport-safety best practices (FAA, ICAO, ACRP).

  • Benchmark safety programs at other Core 30 airports to support DEN’s ongoing improvement and national leadership role.

• Project #6: Field Engagement, Tours & Observations

  • Participate in airfield tours, facility walk-arounds, and construction-site visits with DEN Safety personnel.

  • Prepare short observational summaries highlighting hazards, improvements, and safety-culture indicators.

• Project #7: Aviation Megatrend Research

  • Collaborate with a team of fellow DENterns to conduct discovery research on a key aviation megatrend. This includes gathering data, interviewing industry experts, and analyzing findings. At the end of the summer, your team will present insights to DEN’s executive leadership to help shape strategic innovation and prepare the airport for the future.

What You’ll Bring

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following interests, characteristics and skills:

• An interest in aviation safety, public service, and improving the working environment for employees.

• Curiosity about Safety Management Systems, regulatory compliance, and real-world risk reduction.

• A desire to learn how large airports manage hazards, incidents, and operational complexity.

• A positive attitude with willingness to adapt in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

• Strong professionalism, reliability, and motivation to contribute to safety improvements.

• Creativity and problem-solving approach when supporting safety-promotion and program design.

Desired Skill Set

• Attention to Detail: Ability to accurately document hazards, findings, and data.

• Communication Skills: Supports clear written and verbal communication for safety notices, reports, and presentations.

• Research Skills: Ability to gather, interpret, and summarize regulatory and technical information.

• Data Analysis: Supports trending, charting, and interpreting safety and injury data.

• Project Management: Helps plan and track progress on safety and industrial-hygiene initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education Requirement: This position is open to students currently enrolled in an accredited college program leading to a certificate, licensure, associates, bachelors, higher degree, or up to one year post college graduation

• Experience: None 

• Education and Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted

• Licensures/Certification(s): Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application

• Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment

Mandatory documentation required to be considered for this position

• 1-2 page resume.

• Transcripts – either official or unofficial; dated within your current academic term. This is only used to verify amounts of credits; grades will not influence hiring decision.

Optional Documents

• Cover letter detailing why you are interested in this position and 3-5 new skills, experiences, or tools you are hoping to take away from this experience.

Application Deadline 

This position is expected to stay open until Monday, February 23, 2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than February 22nd at 11:59 PM.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

FBI Background Check: FBI criminal background check is required for all positions at Denver International Airport (DEN). Employees are also required to report any felony convictions and/or moving violations to maintain this clearance and be eligible for continued employment. By position, a pre-employment physical/drug test may be required. 

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

TA3181 Professional Administration Intern

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Oncall

Position Salary Range

$20.22 - $22.85

Target Pay

$20.22 - $22.78, based on level of education

Agency

Denver International Airport

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [email protected] with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.