International Development Career Accelerator Intern

About Palladium: 

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.   

This Opportunity: 

Palladium is offering the International Development Career Accelerator (internship) for historically underrepresented and first-generation undergraduate students curious to learn about the international development field. This is an opportunity for rising juniors and seniors (current undergraduate sophomores/juniors) to explore whether a career tackling climate change, hunger, and access to healthcare, education, and safety and security may be right for you! 

Interns will: 

Gain on-the-job training, learning, and professional development 
Receive shadowing opportunities with seasoned professionals 
Receive guidance from a designated mentor 
Network with leaders in the international development field 
Gain the opportunity to hone your communications and presentation skills 
Benefit from consistent guidance and feedback to build skills and experience to chart a fulfilling professional future 
The internship will run tentatively from June 2, 2025, through July 25, 2025 
This is a paid internship with a rate of $20/hr. 

This internship can lead to a follow-up internship in 2026, and a potential full-time job offer upon graduation, based on performance. 

Location and Compensation: 

The position is based in Palladium’s Washington D.C. office.  

You and Your Career: 

If you are a motivated problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and if you are eager to learn more about the international development field and the different careers within it, we are interested in hearing from you! We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start.  We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career! 

Reporting Lines: 

Each intern will be placed in a different team across Palladium. You will support the team through activities such as supporting identifying new business activities, developing projects, monitoring, and evaluating the performance of projects, and more. You will report to your team supervisor on your day-to-day assignments and will additionally be supported by a mentor who will assist in your professional development 

Primary Roles and Responsibilities:  

As an intern, you will: 

Attend informational and networking sessions to learn about the international development industry 
Shadow Palladium professionals in meetings, presentations, and daily activities. 
Participate in on-the-job training to develop and demonstrate skills needed in today’s job markets 
Work with your team in project management, business development, communications, or others 

Essential Criteria: 

Rising junior or senior enrolled full-time in an undergraduate degree program in the US. (Students from historically underrepresented backgrounds and first-generation students are strongly encouraged to apply) 
No prior engagement with the international development field or other professional experience required 
To apply, please upload your updated resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please share what global challenge are you most interested in solving and why 

Desirable Criteria: 

Motivated, willing to learn, communication and organizational skills, and curiosity. 

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.   

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.  

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.