Institute of Politics

Please apply to this internship by sending your resume and cover letter to iopcd@uchicago.edu by Thursday, September 19 at 5 pm CT.

Overview of the IOP:

Founded in 2013 by David Axelrod, the Institute of Politics, a non-partisan, extracurricular organization at the University of Chicago, aims to inspire and cultivate the next generation of political and public service leaders. Four core programs form the heart of the Institute: civic engagement opportunities that enable students to experience politics-in-action through political exploration trips, leadership training, service programs, and voter engagement projects; visiting fellowships where distinguished political officials, policymakers, journalists, diplomats, and others are in residence on campus during an academic quarter; political and public service internships that provide students with paid, substantive career development opportunities; and a continuous series of public events featuring leading political figures sharing their insights on key issues of the day.

Internship Summary:

The Career Development Data Engineering Intern will work closely with the Career Development team to give students 300+ annual substantial experiences in public service. This intern will work on our summer, academic year, financial, ad hoc, and external internship portfolios, including coming up with innovative ways to track and analyze our internship data. The role consists of managing large sets of data, designing scripts and formulas within Google Sheets, other data-oriented tasks, and assisting the team in other non-data tasks. Applicants should send in a resume and cover letter.

Responsibilities:

• Manage our summer and academic year internship databases in Google Workspace and maintain a streamlined display of data for internal team use, including Google-based dashboards, widgets, and inter-spreadsheet formulaic relationships. This intern will work with the team to identify questions and provide easily digestible data-based answers to the CD team and IOP leadership.
• Validate and standardize large data sets in Google Workspace and in connection with our Customer Relationship Management software, Neon.
• Move data that is collected through forms to our database environments in an automated or semi-automated workflow.
• Create, edit, and debug Google Apps Script functions connected with internship trackers, financial trackers, and other CD Google Sheets. These functions aim to help the CD team complete tasks with greater efficiency.
• Daily/weekly management of our internship hub (managed through Google Workspace and website host, Firebelly).
• Manage mass targeted, customizable communications with our employer partners, interns, student applicants, and prospective employers through Google scripts, aliasing, and/or other creative solutions. Data points are created and housed in Google Workspace, and communications are sent from a departmental Outlook account.
• Upload internship and event-related data sets to IOP Customer Relationship Management software, Neon, at least once per quarter.
• Understand the big-picture goals of the IOP CD and be an active thought partner with team members.
• The intern will complete other individually assigned data and other non-data tasks and manage priorities in the project management software Asana. Many of the IOP CD team’s day-to-day functions include short-term tasks related to unique cases for one or a few IOP interns. The CD intern is expected to work on these case management issues wherever necessary, work to understand the history of the case (through talking to other team members or reading the relevant email communications), and develop connections to bigger-picture goals. Flexibility and a team-player attitude are paramount.
• As the intern becomes familiar with IOP CD work, the intern will take the initiative in pinpointing and executing projects that they have deemed necessary while constantly thinking of ways to improve daily efficiency through automations
• During IOP events, the intern is expected to help out with any related tasks, including, but not limited to, planning, setting up, attendance, and clean up.

Qualities and qualifications:

• The intern should have at least 1 (one) year of academic and/or job experience using programming languages. Ideally, the intern should have experience with Google Apps Script/Javascript, but not necessary. -The intern should also be comfortable with independent learning, creative problem-solving, and adjusting to the Script environment.
• The intern should be interested in developing unique data solutions for a fast-paced, dynamic team as we facilitate hands-on public service opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Chicago. This position is perfect for a student who enjoys breaking down complex systems, developing streamlined systems, and using technology to create easier user experiences.
• This intern will be a scrappy, creative thought partner to our full-time and student staff members. The intern will quickly come to understand the scope of our work and will understand our data environment as it exists in its current state, executing current workflows and thinking about improvements term to term.
• The intern will be an active contributor to the IOP CD team. Therefore, the intern should be an effective communicator, an active listener, and a supportive team member. The intern should also be able to independently produce and execute project work while maintaining proper communication with the team.
• The intern will be able to manage their own workflow and collaborate well with a team of undergraduate and graduate interns. The intern will report on daily tasks within Asana and will deliver a weekly report to the team during an all-hands meeting. The intern is also expected to have good time management skills and effectively work on all the projects at hand.
• The intern should have good big-picture thinking, feel comfortable in contributing to a non-data workflow, and provide a data-oriented perspective to general tasks.
• The intern should be able to take the initiative and reach out to different team members regarding their projects, learn about details, and be ready to help out.
• The CD team works on many different projects, and the intern should be able to easily adapt, ask questions, and contribute however necessary.
• Experience with website design or user experience is preferred but not required.
• Desire to acquire new skills, learn quickly, solve problems, and participate in the work of the IOP as a team player.
• General involvement and familiarity with the IOP is preferred but not required.

Hours and Compensation:

The intern should be able to complete a minimum of 13-15 hours per week, mostly during traditional business hours, for the 2024-25 academic year. During the academic year, the intern will work mostly from the Institute of Politics (5707 S Woodlawn Ave), with the ability to work remotely during some shifts once onboarded. The intern will be compensated $16.20 per hour (undergraduate rate) or $20.00 per hour (graduate rate).