Public Affairs Internship - Winter/Spring '27

APCO; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

APCO is hiring seniors and recent graduates to join our full-time, paid internship program. Interns gain substantive experience in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and policy advocacy. They are treated as professional staff—participating in team meetings, contributing ideas, and supporting the overall management and growth of client work and the firm.

This internship will be based at APCO's Washington D.C. office.

Qualifications

• Excellent written and oral communication and research skills.
• Interest in communications, public relations, journalism or political science.
• Comfort in fast-paced environment with distributed team.
• Organized and detail-oriented; able to multi-task and work independently.
• Able to work 40 hours per week.
• US work authorization required (no CPT/OPT).

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on legislative, regulatory, and political developments to support client strategy.
• Assist in drafting policy briefs, memos, and advocacy materials.
• Support stakeholder and issues mapping and inform engagement plans.
• Contribute to advocacy campaigns and public-affairs programming across markets.
• Monitor media and industry news to synthesize insights for client priorities.

Skills

Written and oral communication

Research skills

Team collaboration

Microsoft Office proficiency

Multi-tasking

Attention to detail

Entrepreneurial thinking

Education

Recent college graduate or senior

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

APCO is hiring seniors and recent graduates to join our full-time, paid internship program. Interns gain substantive experience in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and policy advocacy. They are treated as professional staff - participating in team meetings, contributing ideas, and supporting the overall management and growth of client work and the firm.

This internship will be based at APCO's Washington D.C. office.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct research on legislative, regulatory, and political developments to support client strategy and monitor emerging risks and opportunities
• Assist in drafting policy briefs, memos, and advocacy materials that help clients engage policymakers and shape public-sector outcome
• Support stakeholder and issues mapping by identifying key influencers, tracking their positions, and informing strategic engagement plans
• Contribute to the development of advocacy campaigns, coalition materials, and public-affairs programming across U.S. and global markets
• Monitor media and industry news to synthesize insights and assess implications for client priorities and reputation
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Recent college graduate or senior in class standing
• A demonstrated interest in communications, public relations, journalism or political science
• Comfort in a fast-paced environment collaborating with a distributed team
• Excellent written and oral communication and research skills
• Entrepreneurial with strong critical thinking abilities
• Organized and attentive to detail
• Able to multi-task and approach assignments independently
• Strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite
• Available to work 40 hours per week
• Requires US Work Authorization, unable to consider candidates with CPT/OPT/Post-OPT status

What are the core working hours and will I need to be in an office?

Our interns work 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

We are committed to a hybrid and flexible working environment, and there may be days that you wish to work from home and days that we come together so that you get to explore more of our culture and meet other colleagues. You will be provided with a company laptop so that you are able to work from home and in the office easily.

Compensation:

This is a paid internship at a fixed hourly rate of $18.40

When is the closing date for applications?

Applications will close on Friday, October 2nd.

When does the internship commence?

Our program begins on Tuesday, January 12th and ends on Friday, May 21st 2027.

Careers at APCO

Through our recruitment, hiring and retention efforts, APCO is committed to building teams who bring the best possible expertise and robust perspectives to our clients. We embrace differences in experience, viewpoint and ideas, starting with our values and extending to our behaviors, policies and practices. We aim to create a positive work experience and welcoming environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, national origin, citizenship, native language, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, religion, age, veteran status, neurodivergence, mental or physical disability, medical history, pregnancy, political belief or affiliation or any other characteristic protected by law.