Corporate Development, Strategy & Deal Integration Intern

AeroVironment•Simi Valley, CA

11h•Onsite

About The Position

The Corporate Development and Strategy Intern will support a variety of projects spanning market and competitive intelligence, corporate development activities, strategic analysis, and post-merger integration efforts. The position will report to the VP, Strategy & Corporate Development within AV's Growth organization. The ideal candidate will bring a strong interest in the aerospace and defense (A&D) sector and academic or professional experience in corporate finance, business strategy, or deal execution. The intern should be comfortable employing data analytics and visualization tools to evaluate complex datasets, draw conclusions, and distill insights into executive-ready communications.

Requirements

Currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, economics, international affairs, or a STEM-related field, with an anticipated graduation date of December 2025 or later
Foundational understanding of corporate finance principles including valuation methodologies, financial statement analysis, and M&A processes
Experience using tools such as Python, Tableau, or PowerBI to analyze and visualize large datasets
Proficiency in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel – financial modeling, lookups, if statements, conditional formatting, pivot tables)
U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required
This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction.
A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15.
Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Nice To Haves

Strong organizational skills and proficiency in both written and verbal communications, particularly the ability to distill complex financial or strategic topics into concise professional memos or briefings
Intellectual curiosity and the ability to think beyond the immediate situation, explore multiple strategic paths, and synthesize ambiguous information into actionable recommendations
Exposure to M&A deal processes, integration planning frameworks, or transaction advisory work through coursework, internships, or extracurricular activities
Exposure to US military organizations, programs, and technologies, and a broad understanding of the geostrategic landscape within which AV's US and international customers operate
Exposure to a Salesforce-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform

Responsibilities

Support corporate development initiatives including target identification, market mapping, and preliminary due diligence for potential acquisitions, partnerships, and divestitures
Conduct market and competitive intelligence analyses to assess market sizes and growth rates, the competitive landscape, and AV's market positioning
Assist in post-merger integration (PMI) planning and execution by tracking workstream progress, identifying integration risks, and preparing status briefings for leadership
Leverage analytics tools to evaluate large defense budget, contracts, and financial datasets in support of strategic and investment decisions
Develop financial models and valuation analyses (DCF, comparable company, precedent transaction) to support corporate development assessments
Work with AV's Growth Operations, Business Development, and Finance teams to build and maintain executive-ready dashboards in PowerBI, SplashBI, or Salesforce supporting long-range strategic planning and pipeline analytics
Prepare high-quality written materials including investment memos, strategic briefings, and integration status reports for senior leadership