Graduate Intern
Social Strategy Associates
Graduate Intern
About the Firm
Social Strategy Associates LLC is an inspired consultancy, passionate about the power of philanthropy and business to positively impact our world's most pressing social and environmental issues. We work with leading foundations, corporations, nonprofits, and governments to design, implement, and manage strategic philanthropy and social impact programs. As a distributed team with roots in New York City, we serve clients across the United States and Europe.
We are advisors, facilitators, and strategists with the goal of expanding our clients’ capacity to deliver great philanthropy. Our approach is highly collaborative, innovative, and results-driven. Across all our work, we prioritize diversity of backgrounds, thoughts, and experiences. We strive to support organizations that work not just for but with impacted communities, and center their voices and leadership.
Current client projects focus on an array of issue areas, including social and environmental entrepreneurship, multilingual learners and artificial intelligence, youth mental health, food security, labor and worker rights, and more. You’re invited to learn more about us by visiting our website: www.SocialStrategyAssociates.com.
About this Role
An internship with Social Strategy Associates is an ideal opportunity for an MPA or other master’s level student seeking to experience the real world of social impact consulting, providing insight into what a future career in philanthropy and social impact would be like. Previous interns have moved on to full-time positions at a variety of organizations including Accenture, Boston Consulting Group, Planned Parenthood, and Taproot Foundation.
As a boutique firm with a tight network of collaborators, this internship offers the benefit of direct client contact and substantive involvement in client work. We take pride in having a collaborative and all-hands-on-deck work culture – from developing high-level strategy to printing name tags on the morning of an event, all team members roll up their sleeves and work together to get the job done.
A typical day might include:
- Actively supporting project leads in the day-to-day of managing client accounts, which includes keeping track of and executing next steps, quickly and accurately responding to client requests, and taking detailed notes during client meetings.
- Preparing client deliverables (e.g., PowerPoint decks, Excel workbooks, research briefs), including the research, analysis, and administrative tasks that contribute to these deliverables.
- Actively engaging in internal and external meetings to strategize, brainstorm, and provide input on client needs.
- Administrative tasks as assigned, including scheduling meetings with internal and external parties, organizing contacts, reconciling budgets, and other similar tasks.
- Building the capacity of a boutique firm, from drafting and editing proposals to representing the firm at external functions.
Experience & Qualifications
We seek a highly motivated and action-oriented Graduate Intern with the following qualifications:
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Team player, highly collaborative, with strong interpersonal skills.
- Meticulousness.
- Strong “hard” skills in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word; Google Workspace; and virtual meeting tools.
- Comfort working on a remote team and the flexibility to work across time zones.
- Excellent time management and organizational skills.
- Exceptional work ethic.
- Past exposure to philanthropy, policy analysis, and/or experience working with a government entity is a plus.
- Experience in organizing or planning events and meetings is a plus.
Internship Overview
Location: Remote; we are excited to hear from qualified applicants based anywhere in the United States. That said, we do have a slight preference for candidates located in New York City because of the in-person learning made possible when working together with local teammates in our office space in the Flatiron neighborhood.
Internship Duration: This internship runs for a minimum of four months, preferably beginning in January 2027 – but some flexibility exists. We prioritize candidates who may be interested in continuing their relationship with Social Strategy Associates beyond this timeframe, however no guarantee of future employment is explicitly or implicitly implied as a result of the internship.
Time Commitment: This internship requires a part-time commitment of 2.5 days per week at a minimum.
Stipend: This internship pays a stipend of $1,500 per month and, ideally, will help to fulfill credit hours for an approved graduate school program.
Hiring Policy
Social Strategy Associates is an equal opportunity employer. Our firm recruits, hires, and trains its staff without regard to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, ethnic identity, national origin, age, creed, religion, disability, socio-economic status, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. We are interested in hearing from qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States; we are unable to sponsor visas at this time.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, please email a resume and cover letter to eliot@socialstrategyassociates.com and reference “Graduate Intern 2027” in the subject line of your email. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and accepted until the position is filled, with priority review given to applications submitted by October 16th, 2026. No phone calls, please.