Research Intern

About RepresentWomen:

RepresentWomen is the leading women’s political representation organization in the United States. We work on systemic change so that more women can run, win, serve, and lead. We champion and advance the adoption of evidence-based solutions that break down structural barriers to women’s political leadership and mobilize changemakers to support these reforms. 

RepresentWomen’s U.S.-based research is complemented by resource-sharing and coalition-building activities with subject matter experts worldwide who advance women’s representation and leadership. Our primary areas of focus include:

• Gender-balanced recruitment targets for PACs and donors so more women RUN,
• Ranked choice voting and multi-winner districts so more women WIN,
• Fair and adequate pay and legislative rules so more women SERVE and 
• Gender-balanced appointments so more women LEAD.

RepresentWomen Structure:

RepresentWomen is a national organization in Silver Spring, MD, with staff members who work virtually all over the country and the world. As an organization, we:

• Identify the most transformative, viable, and scalable structural reforms
• Conduct research to determine the best practices to implement those reform
• Identify and help ​​stakeholders apply this knowledge to make real-world change

RepresentWomen is on a fast growth trajectory and expects to onboard new staff in the coming year. Our team comprises thirteen full-time staff. Interns will need to maintain positive, collaborative relationships with staff, board members, consultants, and allies.

 Summary/Description: 

Research interns are undergraduate and graduate students dedicated to advancing women’s political representation and leadership through structural solutions like recruitment targets, ranked-choice voting, or modernizing state legislatures (via proxy voting, caregiving support, and similar initiatives). They have strong writing and analytical skills, are attentive to detail, and can craft language appropriate for a variety of audiences. 

RepresentWomen is a small and evolving team; successful interns tend to be self-starters and team players comfortable shifting between self-motivated and collaborative work. 

Currently, most research interns work either independently or in a small group to conduct research on a dedicated topic over the course of 3-4 months, for a minimum of 15-20 hours per week. All interns are paired with at least one staff member to discuss research topics, timelines, and methods over weekly check-ins. Research candidates should familiarize themselves with our research before applying to ensure they are matched with a project that fits their academic, personal, and professional experience and interests. 

Responsibilities Include

• Supporting the research team at every stage of research on active projects, such as:
  • The 2025 Gender Parity Index - collecting data on women in elected office and conducting preliminary analyses on trends in women’s representation in the U.S. and
  • 2025 Election Monitoring - tracking candidates running in the 2025 RCV primaries in New York City and other jurisdictions.
• Other supporting activities may include conducting literature reviews, fact-checking data, drafting replies to info requests, and creating/updating data visualizations. 
• Monitoring news outlets for stories covering elections, women's political representation, electoral reform, and related current events in the U.S. and abroad. 
• Writing blogs and op-eds on these topics and others while drawing the appropriate connections to our research.
• Participating in staff calls, research interviews, and events, either virtually or in person. Related tasks may include providing day-of event support (such as note-taking or Q&A monitoring, or helping to prepare event materials (drafting questions, fact-checking, etc.)

Ideal Candidates

• Have a strong interest in learning more about the systems and practices used to advance women’s representation and leadership in the United States and abroad.
• Are committed to finding and communicating the best practices for increasing women's representation across the U.S.'s ideological, racial, and geographic spectrum.
• Have strong writing and analytical skills, are attentive to detail, and can craft language appropriate for a variety of audiences.
• Are self-starters and team players who are comfortable adapting between self-motivated and collaborative work.
• Have experience using:
  • Google Workspace - Mail, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc. 
  • Data visualization software - Infogram, Timeline, or similar software.
• Are available to work 15 - 20 hours a week.*

*Flexibility is offered.

Research Intern Applicants: 

• Our internship program emphasizes matching students and recent graduates with opportunities to connect their interests with our work and related professional development opportunities. Competitive applicants will help our team make these connections in advance.
• If you feel that your academic and/or work experience does not align with what we are looking for, consider telling us more about the skills you want to learn and what work interests you most in your cover letter. While many interns will benefit from having previous work experience, our team strives to create learning and professional development opportunities for students.

Compensation

• $16/hour for undergraduate students
• $18/hour for graduate students

Application Instructions:

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and writing sample in one merged PDF document and follow the instructions outlined in the portal to submit your application here:  https://jobs.gusto.com/postings/representwomen-inc-research-intern-35fac616-4b8e-4785-87da-737233c638da

Writing Sample Guidelines: Research intern candidates are required to prepare a written sample. We accept writing samples of any length and strongly encourage applicants to submit materials that they feel best represent their work. 

Please ensure that the font used throughout your application is easily read; font size 12 is preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employment

RepresentWomen believes in the principle and practice of equal employment opportunity.  Employment decisions will be based on merit, qualifications, abilities, and other job-related factors.  Our employment decisions will be made without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, genetic information, military status, or such other characteristics as are protected under applicable federal, state and local law.