Research and Organizational Change Management (OCM) Co Op Fall 2026

Commonwealth of Massachusetts • Boston, MA

4d

About The Position

The Research and Organizational Change Management (OCM) Co Op will report to the Senior Director of Organizational Alignment and directly support the director and the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for MassDOT. The Administrative Office supports Fiscal, HR, IT, Property Services, and the Office of Real Estate and Economic Development at MassDOT and so, this position would indirectly support the department heads and senior staff of those departments.

The Co Op will have the opportunity to help shape long-term strategy for the organization and how the administrative groups support MassDOT’s operating divisions (Highway, RMV, Aeronautics, and Rail & Transit). The Co Op will be exposed to a variety of work focused on how to shift organizational culture in service of long-term goals. This role will be a mix of research, analysis, and practical change management activities.

The Co Op will take part in two major, ongoing change initiatives at MassDOT (among others): the implementation of departmental strategic plans (in alignment with MassDOT’s upcoming Strategic Business Plan) and the Commonwealth-wide BEST Initiative which replaces legacy HR systems across the state and transforms many business processes along the way. The Co Op will have the opportunity to help craft and facilitate workshops, work closely with executive-level staff, and support both internal and external relationship management key to the agency’s change management strategies.

Requirements

• Strong reading, writing, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong presentation skills and comfortable leading or facilitating meetings.
• Ability to summarize and share information in an effective way.
• Experience with different types of research methods.
• Strong critical thinking skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively.
• Strong analytical and reasoning skills.

Nice To Haves

• Enrollment, recent graduation, or experience in one or more of the following bachelor's or master's fields/programs: Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Education, Sociology, Socioeconomics, Human Resources, Learning & Development, Change Management, Business Administration, Public Administration.

Responsibilities

• Interpret and summarize available literature and research.
• Assist development and facilitation of workshops, strategy, events, and programs that intentionally work towards organizational change over time.
• Identify opportunities and create proposals for organizational change metrics.
• Create research plans and coordinate data collection to meaningfully measure behavioral shifts over time.
• Conduct surveys, “field” observations, focus groups, and stakeholder interviews.
• Assist development of change management plans, strategic plans, and action plans for various initiatives and departments.
• Interpret and summarize behavioral, organizational, or sociological, etc. research for a variety of internal audiences, including executives.
• Provide literature reviews and reputable sources to support research summaries.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern