Intern, Communications (Spring 2027) New Washington, D.C.

Center for Strategic and International Studies, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) invites motivated undergraduates and graduates to join our External Relations team for a full-time, paid, in-person internship in Washington, D.C. from January 2027 through May 2027.

Interns assist with outreach, communications, and social media, supporting ER events and performing admin tasks across CSIS programs. Hourly compensation ranges from $18.40 to $20.40 based on education level, with the contract requiring close collaboration

Qualifications

• Completed or ongoing Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to provide strong customer service.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to prioritize, track, and accomplish multiple tasks in a dynamic environment.
• General knowledge of international affairs and an interest in the news cycle.
• Previous event photography experience and working knowledge of cameras.
• Previous communications experience and familiarity with social media analytics.

Responsibilities

• Prepare media advisories and event announcements.
• Support event preparation, staffing, and photography.
• Draft and format ER mailings and maintain mailing lists for accuracy.
• Support social media efforts, including drafting content from CSIS materials.
• Assist with metrics and analytics compilation.
• Support long-term projects for the ER team and Chief Communications Officer.
• Monitor CSIS social media channels, tracking followers and referrals.
• Provide general administrative support to the ER team.

Skills

Communication

Customer service

Interpersonal skills

Multitasking

International affairs

Photography

Social analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Cameras

Job description

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization established in 1962 to provide strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers concerned with global security and prosperity. Over the years, it has grown to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with a staff of some 275 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization established in 1962 to provide strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers concerned with global security and prosperity. Over the years, it has grown to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with a staff of some 200 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe.

CSIS’s Office of External Relations (ER) seeks highly motivated candidates for a full-time, paid, in-person , internship to join our dynamic and fast-paced team beginning January 2027 and through May 2027. Candidates should be motivated self-starters who are passionate about communication. Interns support Center-wide outreach efforts and play an active support role in a range of outreach, communication, and social media efforts, working closely with the ER team and other CSIS staff. Additionally, interns support ER-led events and provide general administrative support.

The hired candidate will be paid hourly, commensurate with experience ($18.40/hour for current undergraduate hires, $19.40/hour for hires with a bachelor’s degree, and $20.40/hour for hires with a master’s degree).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Essential functions may include, but are not limited to the following

• Prepare media advisories and event announcements;
• Suppor t with event preparation, staffing, and photography;
• Draft and format ER mailings, and support accuracy of mailing lists;
• Support social media efforts, including drafting content (including short videos) from CSIS materials (publications, events, etc.) for various social media channels;
• Support with metrics and analytics compilation;
• Support various long term projects (outreach research, proposal writing, data gathering) for the ER team and Chief Communications Officer;
• Monitor CSIS social media channels, tracking followers, engagement, and site referrals;
• Provide general administrative support to the full ER team.

KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE

• Completed or ongoing Bachelors’ degree in a relevant field;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to provide strong customer service;
• Strong interpersonal skills and attention to detail and the ability to prioritize, track, and accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously in a dynamic and fast-paced environment;
• General knowledge of international affairs and an interest in the news cycle.
• Previous event photography experience and working knowledge of cameras.
• Previous communications experience and familiarity with social media analytics.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK CONDITIONS

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee working in an office environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

Salary Range

$18.40 - $20.40 USD

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Center for Strategic and International Studies, Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.