About Our Job

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 $19.29 hourly. 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 Flexibility

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model with a required 3 days in office. Employees work where needed to support business at Denver International Airport (DEN). 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 10-week internship from Monday, June 1, 2026 - Friday, August 7, 2026, with typical hours not exceeding 39 hours a week.

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’s Culture & Strategy Division is actively seeking a Continuous Improvement DENtern to contribute to their division. As part of DEN's Strategic Plan, Vision 100, which envisions reaching 100 million annual passengers, Culture & Strategy plays a pivotal role in setting strategic objectives, developing tactics and using associated data to measure and evaluate impacts.

As part of the DEN Chief of Staff portfolio, the Culture & Strategy Division is responsible for leading DEN’s efforts in the following areas impacting the entire organization, including our stakeholders: (1) Strategy & Innovation; (2) Airport Access & Business Opportunity; and (3) Strategic Outreach & Engagement.  

As a DENTERN you will get to work alongside the Continuous Improvement team a variety of projects including the Green Belt Certification and the Everyday Innovation Program. Green Belt Certification is a beginner-level continuous improvement training where employees learn tools to solve problems, improve processes, and complete a small project that shows what they learned. It’s a great way for our staff to build real leadership and project‑management skills. Everyday Innovation is a program that empowers employees to improve how we are delivering value to our customers.  

You will work on projects such as, but not limited to:

Project #1: Problem Solving & Innovation Support

Help take notes during team problem solving workshops and capture key ideas and action steps.

Support the Everyday Innovation program by organizing employee ideas and helping highlight creative suggestions.

Assist staff with sharing and promoting innovation across the airport.

Help lead a short activity or icebreaker with guidance from your supervisor.

Project 2: DENtern Green Belt Certification

Learn introductory Continuous Improvement tools (PDCA, problem‑solving basics, process maps)

Apply these tools to create your own Green Belt project that helps the Continuous Improvement Team

Assist the team in their effort to support other DENterns as they work toward their Green Belt certifications

Project #3: 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:

• Strong desire to solve complex problems with creativity and persistence

• Curiosity about the future of aviation and a passion for exploring emerging trends

• Ability to connect and relate to a diverse organization

• Passion for data-informed decision-making, leveraging insights to drive improvements

Desired Skill Set:

• Creativity: Generating innovative ideas and solutions

• Customer Service: Understanding and addressing client needs

• Interpersonal Skills: Building rapport and working well with others

• Research Skills: Ability to gather and analyze data

• Self-Motivation: Demonstrating drive and enthusiasm for learning

Minimum Qualifications

• Education Requirement: This position is open to 16 to 19 year olds who are currently enrolled in high school, are homeschooled, or up to one year post high school graduation.

• Experience: None 

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

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 decisions.

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 Sunday, February 22, 2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than February 22nd at 11:59 PM.

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.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

TA1585 Youth Assistant

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

Position Type

Oncall

Position Salary Range

$19.29 - $19.29

Target Pay

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.