Student Assistant - Visual and Digital Content

The State Controller's Office (SCO) is seeking to hire a motivated and dependable student assistant to fill a critical role supporting the SCO with visual and digital content. The Student Assistant will provide the Public Affairs Office (PAO) with creative design, support, and management for products across the spectrum of SCO use: outreach and engagement, constituent affairs, education/awareness campaigns, media relations, and ongoing [Re]Imagined SCO styled communications and branding.

The student assistant will be hands-on with creative development and delivery, adapting to changing priorities and deadlines. This candidate may liaise with the other divisions to support updates to the public and internal websites, provide content/design upgrades, and guidance on graphic support options. Specific deliverables may include presentations, digital or print flyers, social media carousels and reels, photo gallery curation, creation of new templates for digital or printed use, maintenance and implementation of new branding guidelines across Microsoft Office products, updates to branded asset creative.

In this role, the student assistant will have the opportunity to develop effective communication, critical thinking, professional etiquette, and research skills.

Requirements

Conditions of

Employment

This is a part-time, temporary, non-benefited, student position. Employment in all positions with University Enterprises, Inc. is dependent upon the mutual consent of University Enterprises, Inc. and the employee. This means that either University Enterprises, Inc. or the employee can, at any time, terminate the employment relationship at will, with or without cause.

Depending on the type of position you are applying for, a pre-employment background check consisting of one or more of the following may be conducted: employment history, professional references, criminal check: educational verification (degree, license, or official transcript) or DMV clearance. Applicants will be required to pass required pre-employment checks to the satisfaction of University Enterprises, Inc. (UEI) and the hiring Agency or Department.

UEI does not allow students to hold more than one UEI Job at a time, or work in more than one account per pay period. UEI employees who are considering leaving their current UEI student assistant position for a different UEI student assistant position should inform their supervisor in writing and provide at least a week’s notice.

UEI is not a multi-state employer. UEI only employs candidates who live and work in the state of California. If selected for the position you must reside in California and all work must be performed in the state of California throughout the course of employment.

Prerequisites

Must be a college student attending classes during the regular term (Fall, Spring and Winter, if applicable), at one of the accredited colleges or universities on our affiliation list. To view our current affiliation list please paste the following URL into your browser: http://www.calinterns.org/wp-content/uploads/Affiliation_List.pdf

Students must be enrolled in at least: 12 semester units or 12 quarter units for undergraduate students; eight-semester units or eight quarter units for graduate students.

Students declared major must match the major(s) listed in the job posting and students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Majors/Fields of Study

Graphic Design, Digital Arts, Multimedia, Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, Public Administration or Advertising

Work Schedule

Flexible workdays and work hours, Monday – Friday, between 9 AM – 4:30 PM. The final work schedule will be determined by the supervisor

Additional Work Schedule

Student Assistant and Graduate Assistant employees generally work up to 24 hours per workweek (Monday - Friday) during the academic year and up to 40 hours per workweek during breaks; (winter, spring, and summer).

Compensation

$18.00 - $26.00 per hour.

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong written, verbal, and active listening communication skills.
• Ability to prepare clear, accurate, and concise emails, memorandums, reports, and other written materials.
• Ability to communicate complex information effectively with internal and external parties.
• Strong organizational, time management, and workload prioritization skills.
• Ability to adapt and respond effectively to changing workloads, priorities, and deadlines.
• Demonstrates initiative, accountability, self-motivation, and a positive attitude.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, including the ability to analyze data and draw sound conclusions.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and within time constraints.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles of public administration, executive & organizational communication, purpose-driven writing and editing that is clear, concise, and accurately explains the complexity and services of the SCO.
• Ability to complete deadline-driven project management assignments and translate complex financial and government information into plain language for diverse audiences.
• Experience with Adobe InDesign and Canva software is ideal.

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall Learning Objectives

Executive communication, visual storytelling for complex and high-visibility issues, multichannel project/deliverable delivery, interpersonal communication, and integrating purpose-driven multimedia across platforms and channels, tracking and reporting efficacy with different audiences and data points, adapting to changing priorities and deadlines, problem solving, content creation and management, deadline-driven campaign development

Administrative & Organizational Duties

Review existing SCO/PAO graphic materials, recommending and providing updates as needed to keep the brand dynamic and responsive.

Keep organized records of drafts, approvals, final versions of designs and deliverables.

Research & Data Gathering

• Research and share best practice for multimedia design and outreach.
• Stay current with digital content engagement trends, visual storytelling.
• Contribute recommendations, track relevant news/issues, contribute ideas for adjusting SCO messages to stay current and impactful.

Communication & Collaboration

Contribute to creative development and planning meetings with the PAO team and in cross-divisional meetings, providing expertise on graphic design options to support business needs and communication goals.

Develop creative to enhance communication efficacy and impact across different platforms and audiences, supporting internal and external communication efforts.

Physical Requirements

Sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment including computer workstations, telephones, calculators, copiers, printers, and scanners with or without reasonable accommodation.

Working Conditions

Work is performed in an office environment.

Application Instructions

Please complete all fields of the employment application. Include your educational history in the "Educational Experience" section and any employment history in the "Employment Experience" section of our application.

In addition to your resume, please upload the following documents:

Resume

List of two references

Cover Letter

Current GPA

Transcript (Unofficial is accepted)

Apply by: October 14, 2026

Summary

As the chief fiscal officer of California, the fourth largest economy in the world, Controller Malia M. Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources.

Controller Cohen also safeguards many types of financial property until claimed by the rightful owners, independently audits government agencies that spend state funds, and administers the payroll system for state government employees and California State University employees. She serves on 70 boards and commissions with authority ranging from state public land management to crime victim compensation. The Controller is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board and Board of Equalization. She also serves on the boards of the nation's two largest public pension funds.

The Controller is one of eight statewide constitutional officials who are elected every four years in California.