Talent Business Operations Intern

Job Description

Talent Business Operations Intern | Kirkland & Ellis

The Tone:
This is an internship at Kirkland & Ellis, located in Chicago, IL. Kirkland & Ellis sets the standard for legal excellence by tackling sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions for global business, investment, and innovation. This role supports the operational side of the firm’s Talent organization, ensuring that the necessary tools, systems, and processes run smoothly and efficiently. The intern’s contributions help improve how work gets done within the Talent team and supports critical initiatives.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Year-round, part-time during academic year (minimum 15 hours/week), with potential for additional hours during summer.
• Location: Chicago, IL (in-office)
• Pay: $25 hourly
• Team: Talent Business Operations
• Mission: To support and improve the operational efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of the Talent organization’s tools, systems, and processes.
• Tech Stack: Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Microsoft Teams, Copilot, Power Automate, Power BI, SharePoint

What You’ll Actually Do
• Operational & Administrative Support: Assist the Talent Business Operations team with daily tasks, including preparing documents, coordinating activities, and responding to requests.
• Internal Communications Coordination: Support the planning and production of the Talent team’s monthly departmental newsletter and other internal communications efforts.
• New Hire Onboarding Support: Coordinate onboarding for new Talent team members by maintaining documentation, managing system access, and supporting hiring managers.
• Operational Infrastructure Management: Maintain distribution lists, shared folders, and digital workspaces while supporting access requests and tracking operational issues to resolution.
• Process Improvement & Technology Exploration: Identify opportunities to streamline manual work, explore artificial intelligence tools, and support the rollout of new processes or technologies.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Currently enrolled in a college or university local to Chicago with a major in Business, Human Resources, Operations Management, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Experience: Some prior work experience is preferred, along with a GPA of 3.5+.
• Skills: Exceptional ability to manage details, organize information, and produce accurate, high-quality work; strong written and verbal communication skills with a service-oriented approach; a proactive, resourceful mindset with the ability to work independently and maintain discretion with confidential information; solid working knowledge of Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Bonus: Interest in learning and experimenting with new technology and operational tools; experience with platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Copilot, Power Automate, Power BI, SharePoint, or other workflow and automation tools.