Institute of Politics

About the 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 create 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 IOP House Intern program offers students the opportunity to work closely with IOP staff to facilitate operations and programming, playing a central role in supporting the IOP's many activities and initiatives. Interns gain valuable knowledge and skills in public and social service as well as in specific program areas. IOP House Internships are available to undergraduate and graduate students, are paid, and are eligible for work study.

Internship Description: This Intern will provide assistance to the team at all stages of the event production process and will report directly to the Production Manager and work closely with the Director of the Speaker Series. It is expected that this person be onsite for most Speaker Series programs. No prior IOP experience is required, but previous experience as an Event Ambassador is highly suggested. The day-to-day functions for this role vary and are largely dependent on whether we have in-person programming.

The Speaker Series intern specializing in event production will undergo 10 hours of training during spring quarter of 2026, as the incoming intern will be trained and onboarded by the current (outgoing) intern. The internship will then begin in a full-hours capacity in the fall of 2026 and continue through the end of spring quarter (June 2027). Selected interns will be required to attend mandatory training and onboarding sessions in late September with the rest of the house intern cohort.

Duties include (and are not limited to):

• Managing event ambassadors (recruitment, selection, training, and scheduling), including weekly emails
• Coordinating event set-up and breakdown
• Overseeing attendee check-in at events
• Providing customer service and answering inquiries from event attendees
• Assisting with ordering catering and tracking expenses
• Sending thank you notes to speakers
• Analyzing attendance data
• Managing data entry of speaker information
• Attending a weekly team meeting
• Serving as front desk receptionist during IOP business hours

Qualifications:

• Excellent customer service skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Comfortable working with and managing peers
• Strong research abilities and resourcefulness
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills
• Efficiency and comfort working under pressure
• Ability to work with minimal oversight; self-directed and motivated
• Ability to work non-traditional working hours
• Ability to carry 35 lbs.
• Interest in politics and public service

Application Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Hours: 10-15 hours/week

Compensation: $16.60/hour