Public Service Internship Program

Center for Presidential Transition (3-4 positions)

The Center for Presidential Transition helps presidential candidates and their transition teams, second-term administrations and federal agencies navigate the transition process and ensure our president will be ready to govern.

Center interns will play an important part in supporting effective transition preparations ahead of the 2020 election. These interns support events that educate leaders in government and members of the public about presidential transition, conduct in-depth research on transition-related issues and assist with program administration.

The Center offers interns an opportunity to contribute to an historic process while learning more about the federal government and developing expertise in a niche subject area. Candidates must have excellent written and oral communication skills, strong attention to detail and time management skills. Additionally, the ideal candidates will proactively take initiative, be able to thrive in a fast-paced, changing work environment and commit to serving in a nonpartisan manner.

Communications (2-3 position)

The Partnership’s communication efforts are designed to change public perceptions, educate the public about the need for a high-performing government and help connect citizens to their government. In addition, the Communications team ensures that Partnership programs and activities are heard, understood and are actionable.

The Communications interns are an integral member of the Communications team and assist with writing, editing and brainstorming new ideas. These interns generate the Partnership’s daily electronic newsletter, help the team plan and execute events from start to finish, including the Partnership’s annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals, manage the Partnership’s social media outreach including Twitter and Facebook, and assist with our email marketing, event invitations and constituent database. This is a terrific opportunity for individuals who are interested or have experience in communications, marketing or event planning.

The ideal candidate is outgoing, detail-oriented, a team player and has excellent writing, organization and public speaking skills. You will have the opportunity to develop marketing experience by representing the Partnership to the public and also gain experience using CRM and email marketing systems, two highly marketable skills for communications professionals.

For Spring 2020, we will also be hiring a third intern to focus directly on communications for our Center for Presidential Transition. The Center helps presidential candidates and their transition teams, second-term administrations and federal agencies navigate the transition process and ensure our president will be ready to govern on day one. Once considered presumptuous, a well-organized and resourced presidential transition is a necessity, and must begin long before Election Day. Throughout 2020, the Partnership will bring together key stakeholders and experts, and provide a rich collection of resources to inform and support presidential transition teams and federal agency leaders.

The Center Communications intern will support the Center’s communications efforts by assisting with areas including events planning, the Center newsletter, copy for social media efforts related with transition, possible podcast recording, background research on key transition players and gathering information on transition-related reporters. The ideal candidate will have a flexible mindset, an aptitude for fast-paced environments, working knowledge of the federal government and be an avid consumer of news.

Development (1 position)

The Partnership’s fundraising efforts extend across the organization and focus on ensuring long-term financial viability. The Development team identifies, cultivates and secures financial and in-kind support for the Partnership’s programs and activities.

The Development intern will learn the basics of nonprofit fundraising and relationship management, including how to conduct prospect research, cultivate new donors and work with our corporate sponsors and other existing supporters.

Specific responsibilities will include: identifying and researching prospective sponsorship and foundation grant opportunities; drafting correspondence related to Partnership programs; providing logistical support for a wide variety of corporate-sponsored events; preparing for and observing meetings; assisting with mailings; and tracking and acknowledging incoming donations using our customer management system (Salesforce). Exceptional written and spoken communication skills are essential.

Government Affairs (2-3 positions)

The government affairs team is the Partnership’s voice on Capitol Hill, working to advance the organization’s good government agenda by building bridges of understanding between federal agencies and Congress, advocating for a modernization of America’s civil service system and sharing the Partnership’s work with committees, members and their staff.

Interns on the government affairs team will follow Hill activity related to our core initiatives of civil service modernization, while helping deliver content to congressional staff and agency employees with the goal of improving understanding between branches of government. Interns will also assist with our project to strengthen congressional resiliency and restore Congress as a co-equal branch of government. The Government Affairs team offers interns the opportunity to become more informed about the legislative process and the policies and practices of the federal government.

The ideal candidate will have strong communication, teamwork and time management skills, flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and a commitment to public service.

Government Leadership and Management Programs (6-8 positions)

Programs team interns have the unique opportunity to develop leadership and management skills by helping our team deliver a variety of programs for federal employees. Our programs aim to develop strong leaders, engage employees, enhance management, encourage innovation and address workforce challenges, such as recruiting and hiring talent. Our audience includes agencies as varied as the Executive Office of the President, NASA and the Intelligence Community.

Interns’ work portfolios will align with our programmatic areas of federal workforce programs, government effectiveness, leadership development and federal executive networks. Interns’ specific responsibilities will include a combination of program administration, training and event planning and logistics, presentation development, data and information synthesis and analysis, note taking, and background research. Interns will support a variety of programs and projects and work closely with multiple people across the organization.

The ideal candidate will have strong time management and communication skills, attention to detail, adaptability, commitment to exceptional customer service, and a willingness to learn professional skills indispensable in any workplace.

During their internship, interns will learn more about project management, nonprofit management, data collection and analysis, relationship management, event planning and logistics, and customer service. At the end of their term, interns will come away with a greater understanding of how the federal government and its agencies work.

Research, Analysis and Program Evaluation (2-3 positions)

The Partnership’s research advises government on topics such as customer experience, artificial intelligence, innovation, change management, recruiting and hiring talent, employee engagement and performance management, and oversees the Partnership’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning portfolio.

Research, Analysis and Evaluation interns will have the opportunity to work on research products, data analysis, and/or program evaluations. Interns may shape research products that aim to make government more effective, helping to produce high-visibility reports, insightful issue briefs and innovative research projects, such as the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® Rankings. Additionally, interns may assist in evaluating the short-and long-term outcomes of the Partnership’s programs and support efforts to increase data-driven decision-making.

Interns’ specific responsibilities will include a combination of conducting background research, attending and writing summaries of interviews with federal leaders and private sector experts, analyzing program data or responding to information requests. Most research interns also assist in planning and carrying out the logistics of roundtable discussions and public-facing report release events. Interns may also collect, analyze and present on quantitative and qualitative data, build databases and dashboards for tracking program metrics, and assist with survey design and management.

The ideal candidate will have some social science research experience and possess strong writing skills, qualitative or quantitative data analysis and visualization skills, organization and time management skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel. Experience with Qualtrics and/or PowerBI/Tableau is a plus. Data science skills highly desired. Candidates should be able to work independently and in a team setting.

Operations (1 position)

The Operations team plays a critical role in supporting the Partnership’s people and projects, enabling teams to further our mission to make the federal government more effective. The Operations intern will have a unique opportunity to support the organization’s project management, human resources and talent acquisition processes.

The Operations intern will support our talent acquisition process from creation of position descriptions through hiring and onboarding of new employees. Specifically, the intern will work directly with the Senior Operations Manager to organize hiring resources, create and update candidate communications and interview questions, and prepare new employee onboarding materials. The intern will support broader talent management through the creation and maintenance of position descriptions for positions across the organization.

The Operations intern will also support the organization’s ongoing project management efforts. This includes gaining an understanding of project management principles and tracking 40+ projects across the organization. The intern will collaborate with project managers and keep track of new and ending projects. Additionally, the intern will provide operational support to our human resources team through tasks such as, but not limited to, updating documents and maintaining records.

The ideal candidate will have strong communication and time management skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn, take initiative and problem solve. Candidates should be able to work independently and in a team setting and must show a demonstrated ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism. During the internship, the Operations intern will learn more about project and budget management and hiring and talent acquisition strategy. At the end of the term, the intern will come away with an increased understanding of nonprofit operations management.