Intern in DC or Flexible , District of Columbia at The Aspen Institute

ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.

ASPEN GLOBAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK

The Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) is a growing, worldwide community of high-integrity leaders who share a commitment to use their creativity, energy, and resources to tackle the foremost societal challenges of our times. Through a rare community of support, transformative convenings, and catalytic capital, we ignite 4,000+ Fellows across 62 countries to turn moral courage into lasting change.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

AGLN is hosting an 11-week full-time internship spanning three interconnected workstreams. The intern will support the AGLN team with Team Optimization & KPI Implementation; Landscape Review — Transformational Leadership Field; and In-Person Event Support & Program Excellence.

The AGLN Intern will work directly with the VP as a thought partner, collaborator, and lead each workstream. The hourly rate for this role is $22/hr. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the ?intern should be willing to be in-person with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance. In-person consists of meaningful connections with colleagues in an office, traveling to a different office or location to meet fellow staff members, at an Aspen event, at a meeting outside the office or other opportunities to meet in person with teammates and colleagues.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Team Optimization & KPI Implementation

• Serve as thought partner to the VP in reviewing and interpreting the strategy team's diagnostic report, identifying priorities, and flagging implementation risks or gaps
• Design and build 2–3 operational systems or frameworks to implement key recommendations (e.g., project prioritization matrix, meeting cadence templates, accountability structures)
• Develop a KPI framework for the AGLN team — metrics, owners, review cadence, and a lightweight tracking tool
• Facilitate or support team sessions to introduce and norm around new systems
• Produce a concise implementation roadmap that can serve as an ongoing reference after the internship ends

Deliverables

• Implementation memo (VP analysis of strategy report with prioritized action plan) — July 18
• KPI framework with owners, metrics, and tracking tool — August 8
• 2–3 operational workflow tools or templates — August 15
• Final implementation roadmap and handoff document to the new AGLN CoS (for ownership) and AGLN SMT (for adherence/undertsanding)— September 5

Landscape Review — Transformational Leadership Field

• Define the scope of the review in partnership with the VP, including which organizations to include and what questions it should answer
• Research approximately 20–30 organizations in the transformational leadership, humanistic leadership development, contemplative leadership, and social-change leadership space — including peer networks, practitioner training programs, residential centers, fellowship programs, and convening bodies
• Assess each organization across five dimensions: assets and strengths; how they measure impact; complementarity with AGLN; redundancy or competitive overlap; risks (reputational, strategic, programmatic); and partnership potential and models
• Produce a landscape map and summary matrix, followed by a deeper narrative report
• Develop prioritized partnership recommendations for the top 3–5 organizations, including rationale, potential structure, and suggested next steps

Deliverables:

• Landscape scope document — July 11
• Summary matrix / landscape map — August 1
• Full narrative report with findings and field analysis — August 22
• Partnership brief with prioritized recommendations — September 5

In-Person Event Support & Program Excellence

RAAF (July 20–26, Aspen):

• Serve as staff resource and operational support across the week
• Attend and observe a range of session types (seminars, plenaries, action roundtables, informal programming) with a reflective eye toward what excellent and integrated program staffing, program design and impact looks like
• Begin gathering observations toward the Seminar Excellence rubric

In the Arena (August 28–31, Los Angeles):

• Serve as full operational and programmatic staff throughout the event
• Given the restoration-centered, somatic, and relational nature of In the Arena, Vanessa's background as a yoga teacher, trauma-informed facilitator, and practitioner of conscious communication is a direct asset — she may be invited to contribute to off-table or somatic dimensions of the program
• Continue refining observations toward the Seminar Excellence deliverable

Seminar Staffing Excellence Rubric

• Across both events, the AGLN intern will develop a rubric defining what great operational leadership looks like in the AGLN seminar context — covering the role of staff at the table, relational dynamics between staff and moderator, how staff hold the container for fellows, and the specific practices that distinguish excellent staffing from adequate staffing. This should be usable as a training and evaluation tool for future seminar staff.

Off-Table Experience Integration Framework

• A companion analysis and set of recommendations for how off-table experiences — meals, movement, informal gathering, rest, ritual, place-based experiences — can be more intentionally designed and integrated into the arc of an AGLN program.
• Should include: a typology of off-table experience categories, principles for intentional design, examples of best practice from AGLN and peer organizations, and specific recommendations for future events.

Deliverables:

• RAAF in-person staffing and support — July 26
• In the Arena in-person staffing and support — August 31
• Seminar staffing excellence rubric (draft) — September 5
• Off-table integration framework and recommendations — September 10

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

By the end of the internship, the intern will develop skills in project management, fundraising, strategic communications, and events coordination while gaining knowledge in Team Optimization & KPI Implementation; Landscape Review — Transformational Leadership Field; and In-Person Event Support & Program Excellence.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Must be enrolled in or a recent graduate of an accredited college.
• High attention to detail (proofreading and identifying key information).
• Outstanding written and verbal communication, organizational, and time management skills.
• Ability to maintain discretion and confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or hav questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability