Policy Analyst Internships
Policy analyst internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience researching and drafting real policy briefs, mentorship from working policy analysts, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Openings are concentrated across {{top_industries_phrase}}, with STAND TOGETHER, MITRE, and Clark Hill among the employers posting roles now.
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Department Summary:
The Intelligence Mission Enablement Department (L643) supports numerous sponsor’s within the intelligence community. Our department enhances the Nation’s capabilities in Warfighter Support, Counterintelligence and Insider Threats, Scientific and Technical Intelligence, Counterterrorism, Intelligence Fusion, Adversary Intelligence, Mission Engineering, and Data-Driven Strategy and Policy.
MITRE is seeking technically accomplished and mission focused candidates to bring fresh insights to our work program. We are looking for recent graduates interested in pursuing careers that advance the U.S. Intelligence Community’s capabilities and contributions to our nation’s security. We combine our domain expertise with leading technical capabilities to solve the hardest emerging and enduring problems challenging the national security enterprise.
Roles & Responsibilities:
- Contribute to approaches and strategies to modernize intelligence tools, techniques, and analysis
- Contributing to the development and delivery of impactful MITRE work through technical research, presentations, and written deliverables
- Assist in the development of a variety of analytical models to address sponsor challenges
- Work with teams to produce concrete, short-term, tangible outputs that make progress towards larger, impactful outcomes
Basic Qualifications:
- Typically requires less than 1 year of related experience with a related Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
- Demonstrated interest in relevant topics: national security policy, the organizations of the intelligence community and their roles, the intelligence cycle, counterintelligence and security, Department of War operations, etc.
- Excellent critical thinking, analytical, written, and oral communication skills
- An inquisitive, self-motivated and flexible approach to problem-solving
- This position has an on-site requirement of 5 days a week on-site
Preferred Qualifications:
- Preferred qualifications vary based on the specific work program a successful candidate would support, but may include any of the following:
- Significant academic background or prior work experience in a relevant field
- Demonstrated technical skills as applied to intelligence requirements with a strong knowledge of the intelligence community and intelligence processes
- Deep socio-political or cultural knowledge of key countries or regions or working knowledge or proficiency in a foreign language
- Experience in web or app development, web services, web standards, and orchestration tools, and familiarity working in cloud-based environments
- Technical proficiency in key cybersecurity approaches and technologies, as well as an understanding of cybersecurity policy principles
- Demonstrated ability to manipulate large datasets and perform calculations with modern programming languages like Python, C++, R, or Java, as well as the use of multi-dimensional data visualization tools
This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
NoneThis requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCISalary compensation range and midpoint:
$76,800 - $96,000 - $115,200 AnnualWork Location Type:
OnsiteCommitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.
MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. If you are unable to search or apply for jobs and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of MITRE’s employment process, please email recruitinghelp@mitre.org for general support and collegerecruiting@mitre.org for intern positions. This service is for individuals requiring reasonable accommodation requests. Please note that vendor solicitations will not receive a reply.
Benefits information may be found here.
Copyright © 1997-2026, The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. MITRE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. Material on this site may be copied and distributed with permission only.
Department Summary:
The Intelligence Mission Enablement Department (L643) supports numerous sponsor’s within the intelligence community. Our department enhances the Nation’s capabilities in Warfighter Support, Counterintelligence and Insider Threats, Scientific and Technical Intelligence, Counterterrorism, Intelligence Fusion, Adversary Intelligence, Mission Engineering, and Data-Driven Strategy and Policy.
MITRE is seeking technically accomplished and mission focused candidates to bring fresh insights to our work program. We are looking for recent graduates interested in pursuing careers that advance the U.S. Intelligence Community’s capabilities and contributions to our nation’s security. We combine our domain expertise with leading technical capabilities to solve the hardest emerging and enduring problems challenging the national security enterprise.
Roles & Responsibilities:
- Contribute to approaches and strategies to modernize intelligence tools, techniques, and analysis
- Contributing to the development and delivery of impactful MITRE work through technical research, presentations, and written deliverables
- Assist in the development of a variety of analytical models to address sponsor challenges
- Work with teams to produce concrete, short-term, tangible outputs that make progress towards larger, impactful outcomes
Basic Qualifications:
- Typically requires less than 1 year of related experience with a related Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
- Demonstrated interest in relevant topics: national security policy, the organizations of the intelligence community and their roles, the intelligence cycle, counterintelligence and security, Department of War operations, etc.
- Excellent critical thinking, analytical, written, and oral communication skills
- An inquisitive, self-motivated and flexible approach to problem-solving
- This position has an on-site requirement of 5 days a week on-site
Preferred Qualifications:
- Preferred qualifications vary based on the specific work program a successful candidate would support, but may include any of the following:
- Significant academic background or prior work experience in a relevant field
- Demonstrated technical skills as applied to intelligence requirements with a strong knowledge of the intelligence community and intelligence processes
- Deep socio-political or cultural knowledge of key countries or regions or working knowledge or proficiency in a foreign language
- Experience in web or app development, web services, web standards, and orchestration tools, and familiarity working in cloud-based environments
- Technical proficiency in key cybersecurity approaches and technologies, as well as an understanding of cybersecurity policy principles
- Demonstrated ability to manipulate large datasets and perform calculations with modern programming languages like Python, C++, R, or Java, as well as the use of multi-dimensional data visualization tools
This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
NoneThis requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCISalary compensation range and midpoint:
$76,800 - $96,000 - $115,200 AnnualWork Location Type:
OnsiteCommitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.
MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. If you are unable to search or apply for jobs and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of MITRE’s employment process, please email recruitinghelp@mitre.org for general support and collegerecruiting@mitre.org for intern positions. This service is for individuals requiring reasonable accommodation requests. Please note that vendor solicitations will not receive a reply.
Benefits information may be found here.
Copyright © 1997-2026, The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. MITRE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. Material on this site may be copied and distributed with permission only.Policy Analyst Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Tips for Your Policy Analyst Internship Search
Apply earlier than you think necessary
Large employers, including federal agencies, think tanks, and major consulting firms, recruit summer interns the preceding fall. Smaller organizations and co-op programs post closer to start dates. Map out deadlines in September and treat the first open window as the one that counts.
Build a portfolio before you send a single application
Policy analyst intern hiring teams expect limited work history, so your research brief, policy memo, data analysis write-up, or quantitative project is what actually differentiates you. Document two or three complete projects with the tools used and link to the output wherever it's publicly accessible.
Combine campus outreach with direct applications
Career fairs surface structured programs tied to your university, and professors or career center staff often know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. Applying directly to companies running smaller cohorts alongside campus activity widens your reach well beyond what any single channel covers.
Practice the policy analyst intern screen out loud
Most policy analyst intern interviews include a case-style question, a written exercise, or a structured analytical prompt. Practice talking through your reasoning on a mock brief or data scenario before the real screen, since interviewers weigh how you think through a problem as much as the final answer you land on.
Target structured cohort and rotational programs first
Several large government agencies and consulting firms run formal policy analyst cohort programs designed to train people new to the field. These programs recruit early, fill fast, and often have dedicated application portals separate from general job boards. Identify the ones that fit your interests and apply in the first recruitment wave.
Set your work-type filter before you start
On-site roles are 25% of the policy analyst internships listed here. Decide what you can realistically commit to before you start searching, then filter by location and work type so you're only reviewing roles you can actually accept.
Policy Analyst Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a policy analyst internship?
Lead with coursework and projects rather than work history, hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. A concrete portfolio artifact, like a published policy memo, research brief, or data analysis write-up, gives recruiters something tangible to assess your analytical thinking. Pair direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can a policy analyst internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What actually drives it for policy analyst interns is performance on real deliverables, team headcount at the end of the summer, and how early the employer confirms return-offer decisions. Position yourself by owning your projects fully and communicating results clearly, without counting on an offer before it's made.
When should I apply for policy analyst internships?
Earlier than most students expect. Large employers, particularly federal agencies and major think tanks, recruit summer interns the preceding fall, with application windows that close before winter break. Smaller organizations and co-op programs post closer to start dates, so openings appear year-round. Checking listings regularly means you don't miss an early deadline that looked far off in September.
Are policy analyst internships paid?
Most professional policy analyst internships in the United States are paid. Compensation varies by company size, sector, and location, large consulting firms and federal contractors typically pay more than small nonprofits or government agencies working within fixed budgets. Where an employer discloses pay, it appears directly in the listing.
What should a policy analyst internship resume include?
Lead with two or three complete, documented projects rather than work history, name the tools you used and link to the output where possible, such as a published research brief, a data analysis write-up, or a policy memo. Add relevant coursework in public policy, economics, or quantitative methods. Keep the whole document to one page.
Are there remote policy analyst internships?
Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 75% of the policy analyst internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote cohorts fill fast, so apply early once you decide you're open to them. Use the work-type filter to see only remote or hybrid roles and avoid sorting through positions you can't take.
Can international students get policy analyst internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
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