Public Finance - Intern

Northland Securities•Omaha, NE

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Intern role is accountable to develop core skills and working knowledge of FNBO business practices and operations through educational sessions, straightforward projects, and other duties requested by the manager. This role involves researching municipalities, school districts, counties, and other public entities; collecting and organizing financial, operating, demographic, and economic information. The intern will assist with preparing and updating debt schedules, valuation tables, financial comparisons, and key ratios in Excel. They will support official statement preparation, transaction materials, and client presentations. Additionally, the intern will gather market data, research existing bond issues, and learn about underwriting, sales and trading, credit ratings, and transaction coordination. The role also includes completing projects, communicating progress, and preparing an end-of-summer presentation.

Requirements

Current university student pursuing a degree in Finance or Finance related; sophomore or junior standing preferred.
Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
Demonstrated leadership skills through coursework, student organizations, employment, or other activities.
Availability to participate throughout the summer internship and complete assigned work and program activities.
Candidates must possess unrestricted work authorization and not require future sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrates interest in public finance, investment banking, financial markets, and the role financing plays in supporting communities.
Brings curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to learn new concepts, systems, and processes; seeks guidance and responds constructively to feedback.
Has strong analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a habit of reviewing work for accuracy before submitting it.
Communicates clearly in writing and conversation and can summarize research or financial information for others.
Works effectively with a team while taking responsibility for assigned tasks, managing deadlines, and communicating competing priorities.
Demonstrates professionalism, sound judgment, and discretion when handling confidential information.

Responsibilities

Research municipalities, school districts, counties, and other public entities; collect and organize financial, operating, demographic, and economic information from budgets, audits, public records, and other sources.
Assist with preparing and updating debt schedules, valuation tables, financial comparisons, and key ratios in Excel; learn how analysts use these measures to evaluate an issuer’s financial position and financing needs.
Support preliminary and final official statement preparation by gathering information, updating assigned sections and tables, and checking numbers, dates, sources, and formatting for accuracy and consistency.
Assist with transaction materials, including financing plans, calendars of events, cost summaries, rating application materials, and closing schedules, as assigned; maintain organized issuer files and project tracking materials.
Prepare and update Excel spreadsheets, charts, client presentations, proposals, and responses to requests for proposals or qualifications under the direction of bankers and analysts.
Assist with researching existing bond issues and continuing disclosure filings; gather information for refunding analyses and flag missing information or inconsistencies for the team’s review.
Gather market data, comparable bond sale results, and interest rate information to support market summaries and financing discussions; learn how market conditions affect municipal borrowing.
Learn about underwriting, sales and trading, credit ratings, and transaction coordination through team meetings and observation as opportunities arise; support internal presentations as assigned.
Complete individual and collaborative projects and other assigned duties; communicate progress, ask questions, incorporate feedback, and promptly raise issues that may affect deadlines or accuracy.
Work with the manager to establish a development plan and identify learning opportunities aligned with the intern’s interests and the team’s needs.
Participate in available Northland and FNBO internship educational sessions, events, networking opportunities, and assigned program projects.
Prepare and deliver an end-of-summer presentation to the public finance group summarizing projects, skills developed, and key takeaways.