Institute of Politics

Overview of Organization: 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.

The Institute of Politics Career Development team connects hundreds of passionate, public-service-oriented UChicago students with internships and job opportunities every year. The IOP’s jobs and internships, as well as dozens of unique career workshops and 100s of personalized office hours appointments, help students springboard exciting careers. Our work further develops ties between the IOP and the greater Chicago community and Washington, DC, through our partnerships with government offices, NGOs, and nonprofits.

Internship Summary: The IOP Career Development Team is hiring a talented and scrappy Data Engineer who likes to think about systems, data, processes, efficiency, and high-level customer service. We are looking for a skilled and motivated individual who can work collaboratively with the CD team to manage our AY and Summer internship portfolios, dozens of annual workshops, 100s of office hours, and relevant admin and data. The primary responsibility of the data engineer is to ensure efficiency and accuracy between resources located on our Career Development Google Drive, AY, and Summer internship Trackers, the IOP website, and our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, Neon. The data engineering intern will also create visualizations of data for daily review by the CD team and for weekly memo presentations to the greater IOP members and staff. The Data Engineer intern will also be asked to participate in other CD events and responsibilities as needed, including workshops, hosting office hours, employer interviews, etc.

Preference will be given to students who can occupy the role (1) part-time during spring 2026, (2) then full-time during summer 2026 (either in Chicago or DC, to provide support for our SIW and SIC programs), and (3) next year through the AY 26-27 internship cycle.

Members of the career team are known for the volume of work we produce, the networks we’re willing to share and create, and our ability to simultaneously run 100s of internships, events, and office hours during all times of the year. Each member of the team, including the data engineer, is expected to be scrappy and flexible, assisting with all group tasks as they come creatively and with a great attitude. We’re a work-hard, play-hard type of team.

Responsibilities:

• Managing the AY and Summer Internship Trackers on a macro and granular level, including visualizations, data validation, data automation, and email (Outlook) syncs.
• Translating employer information into the CD internship infrastructure (this happens primarily through email and is then distilled into data points).
• Creating an efficient and accurate information flow between employers, students, and IOP Staff (the candidate will have some creativity in how to do this, but should operate within the current Google / Outlook infrastructure that we have now).
• Organizing data for easy retrieval and comprehension by CD staff throughout various seasons of our work.
• Troubleshooting potential issues with the internship tracker/ IOP website and collaborating with fellow IOP staff, interns, and external vendors to quickly identify problems and troubleshoot solutions.
• Communicating with employer partners through professional video calls and email communications.
• Providing one-on-one coaching and support for fellow undergraduate and graduate-level students through office hours on a weekly basis. A specific training relevant to IOP CD will be provided, but an overall comfort with providing office hours is required. The candidate should also be comfortable navigating ad hoc student conversations in the IOP’s public areas and at our events.
• Working closely with the rest of the CD team to create a seamless internship experience for students, including employer relationship development, employer data collection, easy and straightforward student application access, timely and routinized internship application follow-up, agreement review, stipend dispersal, and internship administration.
• Other tasks assigned by other departments in the IOP including Speaker Series, Pritzker Fellows, Civic Engagement, and Operations.

Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Forms, Slides).
• Familiarity with spreadsheet software (Excel, Google Sheets).
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal, professional and political).
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong prioritization skills, ability to take in many constantly evolving inputs from many directions and people.
• Ability to move between tasks quickly without compromising quality.
• Astute attention to detail.
• Interest in Politics/Public Policy.
• Interest in data/statistics.
• Coding experience (Java, HTML, Google Scripts) is a plus but not required.

Eligibility:

• Undergraduate and graduate students
• Domestic and international students

About the Supervisor: Mark Schauerte manages the placement of undergraduate and graduate students in internships nationwide and internationally. At the IOP, Mark helps bring speakers to campus to discuss career paths, roles in politics and journalism, and skills for students to position themselves for careers in public service. He previously served as chief of staff to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) for more than four years, working both in Washington, D.C., and the Chicago suburbs. Mark is also an attorney and worked as an award-winning journalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Chicago Lawyer Magazine.

Laresa Lund helps manage the IOP’s 300+ academic-year and summer internships, with a primary focus on the Chicago-based academic-year internship portfolio. Her areas of expertise include Chicago-based internships, resume development, cover letter writing, and networking preparation. She is also excited to help rural students, folks interested in conservation work, and those searching for AmeriCorps opportunities.

Other staff: This team member will also collaborate closely with our graduate and undergraduate support team. Our team is composed of our director, Mark Schauerte, assistant director Laresa Lund, our “chief of staff” intern role, and a variety of other positions, term to term. Success on the CD team requires flexibility and teamwork, as there are always many tasks to accomplish across a lean team.

Location/Modality/Commute: The intern will work at the IOP House (5707 S Woodlawn Ave) on the University of Chicago Campus.

Start/End Date: Summer internships will take place during the period of June 1 - September 25, with specific dates to be determined by the employer partner and intern during the interview process. Ideally, a candidate would be identified and interviewed during the end of the winter quarter (including review during spring break), with selection and onboarding early in the spring quarter.

Required Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter