Intern, Digital Services, Design

Job Description

About the Company: Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators, and students. CFR aims to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. The internship described focuses on digital services, design, and data visualization, indicating CFR’s commitment to communicating complex foreign policy data through modern, accessible, and visually engaging formats across various platforms, including its website, reports, events, and social media.

Job Description: Intern, Digital Services, Design (Paid Internship)

This is a Paid Internship position, available in NYC or remote. The application period for this specific posting has closed as it was posted 9 months ago.

The Intern, Digital Services, Design role is a dynamic opportunity for an undergraduate student to contribute significantly to the visual communication of foreign policy data. The intern will work closely with the digital services team to enhance CFR’s data visualization capabilities and ensure its research and insights are presented clearly, engagingly, and consistently across various mediums.

Major Responsibilities of this position included (but were not limited to):

• Data Visualization Development: Assisting in the creation and refinement of interactive data visualizations with a strong emphasis on clarity, usability, and an excellent user experience.
• Visual Representation: Creating compelling visual representations of complex foreign policy data sets. This involves utilizing scripting libraries, various third-party tools, and industry-standard software to transform raw data into insightful visuals.
• Content Creation: Contributing to the development of data-driven reports, presentations, and infographics. A key aspect is translating complex information into easily digestible and visually appealing formats for a diverse audience.
• Style and Consistency: Supporting ongoing initiatives related to data visualization style. This ensures consistency in visual identity and alignment with CFR’s established brand guidelines and data representation standards.
• Interactive Storytelling: Participating in the development of animated data visualizations and/or interactive data-driven storytelling content, pushing the boundaries of how foreign policy narratives are communicated.
• Event Support: Aiding in the design of data-centric materials and concept development for at least one CFR event and/or conference. This includes creating impactful visual aids to effectively support presentations and enhance the audience’s understanding.
• Social Media Content: Developing engaging, data-driven visual content specifically tailored for CFR’s social media channels. The goal is to craft shareable graphics that effectively communicate key insights from foreign policy research to a broader online audience.

Qualifications:

• Educational Background: Applicants must be an undergraduate student majoring in visual communication design, data visualization, data journalism, or a closely related field.
• Academic Standing: Candidates should have completed the equivalent of four semesters of college coursework (excluding AP classes in high school) by the time their internship commences.
• Relevant Experience: Demonstrated relevant research experience in areas such as web design, UI/UX, graphic design, and/or data visualization.
• Portfolio Requirement: A strong portfolio showcasing relevant design and visualization work is mandatory for all applicants.
• Key Skills: Strong attention to detail, resourcefulness, proficiency in business-level English, and high-level writing abilities are essential.
• Software Proficiency: Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite.
• Preferred Technical Skills: Experience with specific tools and languages is preferred, including Datawrapper, Adobe Illustrator, Python/R, and Javascript (specifically D3.js and ObservableHQ).