MBA Summer Intern – Channel Development
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Job Description
About Starbucks
From its inception, Starbucks aimed to be more than just a coffee company; it sought to foster connection and celebrate coffee’s rich tradition. The company is known for its support of students passionate about service and community. Starbucks is described as performance-driven, but with a strong emphasis on humanity, aiming to create opportunities with broad impact.
About the Starbucks Summer Internship Program (MBA)
The Starbucks Summer Internship Program is a paid, 10-week (June – August 2025) assignment at the Starbucks Support Center in Seattle. Interns receive benefits including Starbucks Rewards Gold Status, Spotify Premium, a 30% discount at company-owned Starbucks stores, Headspace Plus Membership, and Lyra Mental Health benefits. The program includes immersion in Starbucks’ mission, values, and culture; roundtables with senior leadership; engagement with Partner Networks (business resource groups); opportunities to explore Seattle; and networking with peers and alumni.
MBA interns will be challenged to build upon existing knowledge, enhance learning agility, and make a meaningful impact on their team. They will interact with senior leaders through daily work and programming, including executive lunch & learns and networking events. The program encourages leveraging entrepreneurial spirit to contribute to Starbucks’ success while building professional relationships. Interns will:
• Influence business performance: through value-add project work.
• Develop professionally: through workshops and business overviews.
• Foster connection: by meeting and learning from Starbucks leaders.
About the Channel Development Internship
This specific internship is within the Global Channel Development (GCD) organization, a global team aiming to extend the Starbucks experience to various channels, from at-home coffee to ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages. GCD operates on a partnership model, notably the North American Coffee Partnership (NACP) with PepsiCo.
Job Description (Channel Development MBA Intern):
The ideal candidate will possess:
• Experience: Minimum 2-3 years of relevant work experience. Overall business acumen and a holistic general management approach.
• Skills & Attributes: Strong interest in brand management; strategic thinking; intellectual curiosity; problem-solving and analytical skills (ideally with a strategy or data analytics background); customer focus; strong relationship management and interpersonal skills; teamwork (prioritizing the collective over the individual and appreciating diversity); fast-paced and agile working style (adaptable, thrives under pressure, removes barriers); empowered approach (offers solutions, challenges the status quo, takes unpopular stances); innovation (intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, outside-the-box approaches).
Internship Program Qualifications:
• Active enrollment in an accredited graduate program (MBA or other business-related graduate program).
• Expected graduation date between December 2025 and June 2026.
• Ability to work full-time from June-August 2025.
• Availability to relocate to Seattle, Washington for the internship duration.
• Eligibility to work in the United States.
