Business Operations Intern (Graduate Student)

AARP • Washington, DC

11h • Hybrid

About The Position

AARP Foundation is the nation's leading organization serving older adults living in poverty or one life event away from slipping into it, with a mission to strengthen financial resilience by empowering individuals and improving systems. This is achieved by creating pathways to quality employment, removing barriers to benefits, and promoting equitable access to essential goods and services. The Foundation Operations team is seeking a graduate student for a Business Operations Intern role. This position will support project-based work focused on insights generation, knowledge management, and process improvement. The intern will work closely with team leads to synthesize data and policy content, generate insights and recommendations, and create scalable resources that enhance how all staff access and apply operational information. This hands-on opportunity allows contribution to meaningful deliverables, exposure to tools such as Power BI, Salesforce, and Smartsheet, and the chance to present findings to internal stakeholders. This is a paid summer internship with a start date of Summer 2026, with the possibility of extending additional semesters.

Requirements

• Must be enrolled in a degree program at an accredited college or university as a graduate student and remain academically enrolled throughout the internship
• Pursuing a degree in business, analytics, information systems, public policy/administration, or a related field
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with the ability to identify patterns and generate insights from both quantitative and qualitative information
• Ability to synthesize complex information and communicate findings clearly through presentations and written deliverables
• Experience in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Teams); familiarity with data visualization concepts is required
• Interest in process improvement, operations, and applying technology (including emerging AI tools) to enhance organizational effectiveness
• Self-starter with strong organizational skills; able to manage multiple priorities, conduct independent research, and work through ambiguity
• Regular and reliable job attendance
• Exhibit respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationships

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with tools such as Power BI, Salesforce, Smartsheet, or SharePoint, and experience creating instructional or video content is a plus

Responsibilities

• Co-develop a mid-year insights report by analyzing a mix of structured data and qualitative policy content to identify key trends, user behaviors, and opportunities for improvement
• Extract and work with data from reporting tools to create clear, compelling data visualizations and summaries to communicate findings
• Translate insights into actionable recommendations and contribute to presentations delivered to internal stakeholders
• Design and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) by creating short-form instructional videos to improve accessibility and understanding of operational policies
• Support the development and organization of an internal SharePoint site to enhance knowledge management and resource navigation
• Evaluate internal tools and processes to identify gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement; research and apply best practices where appropriate
• Collaborate with cross-functional team members and participate in team meetings, project discussions, and feedback sessions

Benefits

• Paid summer internship
• Hourly range is $18 for undergraduates, $21 for graduate students, and $28 for Ph.D. candidates. Internships are non-exempt positions and are not eligible for employee benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees