Long Beach's Management Assistant Program Is Hiring: Info Sessions Start September 21

Published: September 20, 2026 | By LocalJobPage Team

LONG BEACH, CA — The City of Long Beach runs 24 departments, and once a year it opens a side door most job seekers never find. The Long Beach Management Assistant Program, a paid one-year apprenticeship that rotates its hires through four City departments, is recruiting its 2027-2028 class right now. The first information session is Monday evening.

Three virtual info sessions run between September 21 and November 16, 2026, with drop-in help in December. The application closes Friday, December 11 at 2:00 p.m. You need a master's degree to apply, and that one line decides whether the rest of this is for you.

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📍 At a Glance

Program	City of Long Beach Management Assistant Program, 2027-2028 class
Info sessions	Monday, September 21 · Wednesday, October 14 · Monday, November 16, 2026
Session time	5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Drop-in hours	December 7 and 9, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.; December 11, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Format	Virtual, on Zoom. Recordings posted after session one
Deadline	Friday, December 11, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. PST
Eligibility	Master's degree earned or finished by June 2027, plus six months of relevant experience
Length	One year, four three-month rotations
Contact	hr-talentacquisition@longbeach.gov or 562-570-7198

What a Management Assistant Actually Does

This is not a filing job with a fancy title. Per the City's own description of the program, a Management Assistant spends the year in four three-month rotations: one in the City Manager's Office, one in Financial Management, and two more wherever the City Manager has flagged a critical project. That is how people end up on the Port, on housing and on the airport inside the same twelve months.

⚠️ Read This Before You Register

The front door is narrow. You need a master's degree, already earned or finished by June 2027, in public administration, public policy, urban planning, business administration, organizational leadership, public health, social work or a related field, plus six months of relevant experience. No degree and no firm graduation date means this is not your recruitment, and better to learn that in September than in December.

The application is heavier than a typical city posting: a cover letter, a resume, proof of the degree, and three written responses capped at two pages each. Finalists go to an Assessment Center. The City's FAQ also takes up the use of AI tools in the application, so read it before you draft a word.

One gap worth naming: no salary figure appears on the City's program pages, and it was not reachable on the live posting when this was written. Ask for it on the call.

📅 The Sessions, and the December Deadline

All three sessions are virtual and run 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., a deliberate kindness to people already working days. The City's recruitment events calendar carries the Zoom link for each, and recordings go up after the first one.

The December drop-in hours tell you something too. The last one ends at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 11, and the application closes that same day at 2:00 p.m. That is a one-hour cushion between your last question and the door shutting, so do not plan around it. Start the written responses in October and use the City's How to Apply page as your checklist.

💼 Where to Aim While the Application Is Open

A December deadline is a long wait, and nobody should spend the fall staring at one application. The analytical and administrative work that feeds this career gets posted around Long Beach year-round.

Start here:

Long Beach Management Assistant Program FAQ

Do I really need a master's degree?

Yes, earned or finished by June 2027, in one of the fields listed above, plus six months of relevant experience.

When does the application close?

Friday, December 11, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. PST. It is a hard cutoff on an online submission, so do not leave the written responses for that morning.

Do I have to attend an info session to apply?

The City does not present them as mandatory and it posts recordings. A live session is still the cheapest way to ask about pay and the Assessment Center.

What does it pay?

The City describes a paid apprenticeship, not eligible for overtime, but posts no figure on its program pages. Call Human Resources at 562-570-7198 before you invest the hours.

Do I have to live in Long Beach or go to a California school?

The City's program FAQ takes up both questions directly. Read its answers on the Management Assistant Program site.

Put September to Work

If the degree box is checked, register for Monday's session and start the written responses this week. If it is not, those same departments hire constantly for roles that require no master's. Create a free LocalJobPage account to save searches and apply faster, and browse every job posted in Long Beach right now.

Employers: recruiting analysts, coordinators or administrative staff in Long Beach this fall? Post your jobs on LocalJobPage and get in front of the people reading this.