Program Intern, Business Planning and Development

Pilot Company•Knoxville, TN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Pilot Company is seeking a Business Planning & Development Intern in Knoxville, TN, for the summer of 2027. This internship offers a unique opportunity to work across Business Planning & Development, the Strategy Realization Office (SRO), and Corporate Development, gaining exposure to the processes and frameworks that drive enterprise strategy and planning. As a Business Planning & Development Intern, you will gain hands-on experience supporting key business work streams, including performance management, annual planning, strategic investment analysis, and competitive and industry benchmarking. You'll work with business leaders to evaluate key performance indicators (KPIs), analyze data to support Pilot’s long-term plan, and help connect strategic initiatives to enterprise objectives and investment priorities. Through this work, you'll develop a deeper understanding of how business performance, resource allocation, and long-term strategy and planning come together to support organizational growth.

Requirements

A student pursuing a degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, data analysis, and data visualization.
Strong PowerPoint skills with the ability to create clear, professional presentations and communicate complex information effectively to senior leaders and executives.
Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building abilities with a demonstrated ability to collaborate across cross-functional teams.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and analytical thinking skills, with the confidence to initiate conversations, influence outcomes, and navigate ambiguity in a dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

MBA candidates and rising seniors are encouraged to apply.
Prior exposure to strategic planning, management consulting, corporate strategy, or business operations is a plus.

Responsibilities

Enable Cross-Functional Strategic Execution: Collaborate with stakeholders across multiple business areas to identify strategic focus areas and priorities, support consistent enterprise-wide decision-making, and drive the enterprise initiative intake and prioritization process.
Support Strategic Capability Development: Partner with Business Planning & Development, the Strategy Realization Office, and Corporate Development teams to support the creation of frameworks and processes that strengthen Pilot’s evolving strategic capabilities.
Analyze & Optimize Business Workflows: Evaluate current-state processes, identify opportunities for alignment and efficiency, and recommend improvements that enhance collaboration, execution, and organizational effectiveness.
Deliver Actionable Process Recommendations: Gather and analyze process insights, identify gaps or risks, and contribute recommendations that improve governance, execution quality, and long-term scalability.