The National Academy of Public Administration (the National Academy) Internship Program is designed to offer both undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to participate in addressing critical and timely government challenges and to consider careers in public service. Interns are given the opportunity to gain solid work experience. In addition to their day-to-day assignments, interns will have the opportunity to attend National Academy Project Panel meetings and to network with Academy Fellows.
The National Academy’s Fellows are elected based on their distinguished contributions to the field of public administration and serve as expert advisers on Academy projects. Academy projects are performed at the request of and/or funded by Congress, government agencies, or foundations, and are influential in the formulation of public policy at the federal, state and local levels.
Sponsorship Opportunities: We welcome inquiries from colleges and universities that would like to support one or more students in a work-study program in collaboration with the National Academy. Students are highly encouraged to inquire within their institution about work-study sponsorship opportunities. For further information, please contact: Victoria Wickert, vwickert@napawash.org.
Program Structure
In addition to participants of work-study sponsored programs, the National Academy hopes to sponsor several interns during the fall of 2009. NAPA seeks interns with a broad range of backgrounds, including but not limited to: public administration, political science, business, finance/accounting, marketing, and information technology. Candidates should be familiar with the Microsoft Office Suite Software and Internet research techniques.
Undergraduates who are completing their junior or senior year and graduate students will be considered.
Duration of Assignment: Internships may range from two to three months, depending on the assignment and the available funding. Interns must reside in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area during their assignment.
Stipends: These are non-paid interships.
Available Opportunities
Strategic Planning and Business Development: Intern will assist in the delivery of strategic initiatives by conducting primary and secondary research, interviewing clients and other stakeholders; gathering and analysis of facts; synthesizing conclusions and recommendations; and learning about how technology and business forces are changing the way government works.
Collaborative Technology: Intern will support the activities of The Collaboration Project, an independent forum hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration. Focus of this role will be the expansion and refinement of the Academy's internal and external wiki sites. Expert-or advanced-level knowledge of the Confluence wiki platform a must; strong familiarity with third-party plugins for Confluence, particularly the Scaffolding templating plugin and Adaptavist ThemeBuilder, strongly preferred; advanced knowledge of HTML and CSS a plus.
Financial Management: Intern will have a significant role as part of a project to document and diagram the internal processes and decision points of internal controls. This will involve exposure to the organization as a whole, as well as evaluation of accounting and other systems strengths and weaknesses. Knowledge of business and accounting principles helpful.
Fellow Relations: Intern will perform a variety of tasks related to the Fellow and Board nomination processes, including but not limited to drafting candidate profiles, researching additional biographical information on the candidates, compiling committee briefing books, providing on-hands assistance with the Fellows and Directors election process and assisting on a number of Fellow initiatives, including refining Fellow biographies and launching the NAPA in the Classroom initiative.
Project Research: Intern will be assigned to work in tandem with project staff on one or more of the National Academy’s government studies. Tasks will include but are not limited to conducting government document and literature reviews; setting up and participating in group conferences and study related interviews; writing, editing and reviewing various documents; and providing support for the day-to-day operations.
Information Technology: Intern will work closely with the Information Technology Department to help maintain and implement the current and new Academy technologies. Duties may include configuring and replacing hardware and software applications; helping to maintain and monitor the Academy’s security infrastructure; assisting in the implementation of technology solutions and web technologies; and providing helpdesk support for daily operations.
Human Capital Studies: Intern will perform a variety of complex duties to support planning, execution, and reporting on studies. The intern will focus on identifying ways to integrate information technology tools and programs into data gathering and analysis. Specific duties will include providing support for the design of wiki pages, monitoring data entered on “wiki jams”, analyzing content and identifying themes, and developing suggested areas of inquiry or follow-up. Proficiency in the use of spreadsheets, charts, bar-graphs, and other approaches to display data required.
How To Apply
To apply for a NAPA internship, please send the following to Victoria Wickert, HR Director, vwickert@napawash.org:
A resume
A letter that indicates which internship position you are interested in and why, briefly describes your qualifications, and indicates the timeframe during which you will be available and for how many hours per week
