The Effective Institutions Project envisions a future in which powerful institutions serve the general public, not the other way around. To make that future a reality, we’ll need new innovations in collective leadership that are fit for purpose in the 21st century. Founded in 2021, EIP is a network of philanthropic and civic leaders striving to improve the quality of decision-making at important institutions around the world. We monitor national governments, major corporations, and multilateral bodies to determine what could shift their actions in ways that lead to better outcomes for all, and work in partnership with our global community of changemakers to respond to challenges and opportunities as they emerge.
Over the past three years, our team has published research on the world’s most important institutions, built an expansive network of experts and advisors on high-profile institutions and relevant issue areas, formed relationships with dozens of funders and talent partners interested in our work, and established a regranting fund to support outstanding institutional improvement efforts around the world.
About the Role
We are hiring interns to support our research, strategy, and field-building work in the summer (May to September) of 2026. The precise dates are negotiable. Exact duties will be assigned from week to week based on current needs and candidate interests and skills. You are likely to be involved in the following work:
- Monitoring and tracking important developments across key institutions and institutional research (including core issue areas such as AI governance and U.S. democracy)
- Contributing research and content to EIP publications
- Conducting outreach to and participating in conversations with high-level experts
- Supporting and improving EIP’s knowledge management and organizational learning systems
- Organizing events, discussion groups, and other activities to build our community
- Researching and tracking grantmaking and funding opportunities
Ideal Profile
Characteristics we are looking for in all candidates:
- A demonstrated ability and willingness to take initiative and work independently
- Strong writing skills (in English) and ability to communicate clearly in a professional setting
- Conscientiousness and attention to detail
- Strong evidence of research skills (can be academic or not) and critical thinking ability
- A positive attitude and enthusiasm for our mission
We also tend to give preference to candidates who have the following:
- Experience/interest in either operations or public communication of data analysis
- Some background knowledge about our key institutions, especially the US Government
Compensation and logistics
Compensation for interns is $20/hr. We expect to have one short unpaid test for candidates who pass an initial screening and one longer paid exercise for finalist candidates. We strongly prefer candidates who can work full-time, but will consider part-time candidates who can work at least 20 hours/week. Candidates may work remotely, and wherever possible we try not to let nationality/citizenship be a barrier to collaborating with us.
To be considered, please submit an application no later than January 25, 11:59 ET.