MBA Intern Operations & Growth

Job Description

MBA Intern | The Decade Project

The Tone:
This is a part-time internship at The Decade Project, offering a remote work setup with a preference for candidates in the Bay Area, requiring some in-person attendance for events. The Decade Project is a nonprofit dedicated to expanding business ownership in America to reflect its diverse population, specifically focusing on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) and empowering women acquirers. This role is crucial for a “doer” who is eager to actively build and scale an early-stage organization, transforming it into a robust engine for creating new business owners. It is designed for someone who thrives in a startup environment, ready to roll up their sleeves and make a tangible impact from the ground up, rather than observing or advising.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Part-time, flexible (20–40 hours per week)
• Location: Hybrid, Remote with preference for Bay Area
• Pay: $40 hourly; performance bonus based on outcomes
• Team: Reports to the Head of Operations, working with the Operations team, Operating Partners, and with direct exposure to Maura O’Neill and Hannah Greenberg.
• Mission: Help build The Decade Project into a machine that creates real business owners, growing American business ownership to look like America.
• Tech Stack: Excel, CRM, LinkedIn, Instagram

What You’ll Actually Do
• Deal Execution: Accelerate acquisition opportunities by conducting business research to identify target companies, maintaining an up-to-date deal tracker, and preparing background research for due diligence conversations. This includes building and maintaining financial models with EBITDA scenarios, leverage structures, and IRR sensitivities to support Board evaluation.
• Brand Development: Amplify TDP’s mission by creating engaging content for LinkedIn posts, newsletter issues, and short-form media. Manage the organization’s social media presence through consistent posting and audience engagement, and coordinate logistics for the “Built Different” video interview series with key leaders.
• Community Growth: Expand TDP’s network by coordinating and executing webinar series, quarterly in-person events, and the Year 1 Summit, handling logistics, invitations, and follow-up. Research and draft outreach to academic partners, women’s business organizations, and professional networks, while also recruiting prospective entrepreneurs through various channels.
• Operational Infrastructure: Contribute to building TDP’s foundational processes by documenting sourcing, diligence, entrepreneur evaluation, and post-close support. Assist the Head of Operations in preparing Board meeting materials and manage shared tools like the deal tracker, people tracker, and document library, ensuring they are organized and current.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Master’s Degree. Must be a current MBA candidate or a recent graduate from an MBA program.
• Experience: Practical experience in finance, consulting, operations, marketing, or a startup environment, coupled with a bias toward action. Requires basic financial modeling skills and some marketing or content creation experience.
• Skills: Strong communication skills (written, verbal, and interpersonal), proven organizational capabilities, and a reliable approach to task completion. Ability to think and act with an ownership mindset.
• Bonus: A strong curiosity about Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) or small business ownership is highly valued, with prior knowledge being a plus.