Careers and Fellowships

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Summer 2025 PRRI Internships

Continue reading for information about Research or Communications internship opportunities with PRRI.

Status and Location: Part-time, Washington, D.C. (hybrid)
Reports to: Director of Research
FLSA Salary Classification: Non-exempt
Salary: $20/hour

Position Summary:

Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) seeks an outstanding undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled in an accredited college/university program, for its summer 2025 Research internship. This is a hybrid position that requires working from PRRI’s office in Washington, D.C. two days per week. Interns aid in all aspects of the research process, including the development of survey questionnaires, data analysis, and the production of research reports. This is a paid internship for a maximum of 20 hours per week and may qualify for course credit, depending on the candidate’s institution; internship is only available for residents of Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia.

Responsibilities:

• Participate in all research team projects and activities, including team meetings – you will be a full member of the team!
• Conduct background research for research reports,
• Assist with survey design and writing survey reports,
• Learn how to conduct survey data analysis,
• Produce survey deliverables, including toplines, banners, reports, and media requests,
• Number-check all deliverables, and,
• Assist with brainstorming and writing blog posts for PRRI’s website on topics of interest within PRRI’s major research areas (i.e. religion, racial, and ethnic pluralism; racial justice and white supremacy; immigration and migration studies; LGBTQ rights; and reproductive health).

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree in political science, religious studies, data science/statistics, public policy, or related field; for undergraduate applicants, students in their junior or senior year preferred,
• Interest in religion, politics, and policy issues,
• Strong communication skills, effective time management skills, and detail-oriented,
• Ability to learn quickly, work both independently and with a team,
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and,
• Proficiency in Stata or related statistical package is preferred.

Benefits:

• Paid internship with a professional and friendly research team,
• Learn to read, interpret, and write about survey data and the survey research process,
• Acquire the skills to analyze and apply statistical concepts to survey data,
• Attain a better understanding of the research process – including designing and conducting real-world survey research, and,
• Gain access to network connections and career mentoring.

Internship Dates: 

This is an internship for the summer of 2025. Based on mutual agreement, the intern should be able to work up to 20 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks with a tentative start date of May 19, 2025. Please indicate how many hours you want to work per week in your cover letter. Specific work hours and start date, as well as arrangements for office and/or virtual work, will be determined between the intern and their supervisor at the time of onboarding.

Instructions for Applying:

Candidates should submit the following documents in Word or PDF via this link:

• Resume with name, contact information, and relevant coursework or experience (maximum 1 page),

• Cover letter that addresses why you are interested and discusses any relevant coursework or experience (maximum one page); candidate submissions without a cover letter will not be considered,
• Sample of a short (less than five pages) paper written by you that demonstrates an aptitude to synthesize a summary report on a particular topic (a paper you have written for a class is welcome), and,
• One letter of reference from a professor at your institution (maximum one page).

The deadline to submit applications is March 14, 2025. If you will need course credit or specific arrangements with your institution, please note that in your cover letter. Apply now.

Status and Location: Part-time, Washington, D.C. (hybrid)
Reports to: Senior Communications Associate
FLSA Salary Classification: Non-exempt
Salary: $20/hour

Position Summary:

Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) seeks an outstanding undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled in an accredited college/university program, for its summer 2025 Communications internship. This is a hybrid position that requires working from PRRI’s office in Washington, D.C. two days per week. Interns aid in all aspects of the communications process. The Communications intern helps promote PRRI research and increase brand recognition by assisting with digital content creation, including drafting daily and monthly email newsletters, media monitoring, and more. This is a paid internship for a maximum of 20 hours per week and may qualify for course credit, depending on the candidate’s institution; internship is only available for residents of Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia.

Responsibilities:

• Monitor press coverage and assist in recording all media mentions in an internal database,
• Curate, draft, edit, and format content for email newsletters, social media, and other digital communications products designed to inform and engage PRRI’s target audiences,
• Assist with various short research and writing projects, and with online and/or in-person events,
• Attend internal meetings of the Communications team and across teams, and
• Other duties in support of the Communications, Research, or Operations & People teams.

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in journalism, marketing, public relations, digital media, or political science, or related field; for undergraduate applicants, students in their junior or senior year preferred,
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, organized, and responsible,
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and research skills,
• Experience with proofreading and copyediting,
• Ability to learn quickly, work both independently and with a team, and manage time well,
• Experience using Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and,
• Experience or interest in email marketing, social media, website editing and/or CMS a plus.

Benefits:

• Paid internship with a professional and friendly communications team,
• Improve – or acquire – the skills needed to draft, edit, and publish effective digital content,
• Attain a better understanding of strategic communications and engagement – including the relationship between press, partnerships, and digital communications, including social media, and,
• Gain access to network connections and career mentoring.

Internship Dates: 

This is an internship for the summer of 2025. Based on mutual agreement, the intern should be able to work up to 20 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks with a tentative start date of May 19, 2025. Please indicate how many hours you want to work per week in your cover letter. Specific work hours and start date, as well as arrangements for office and/or virtual work, will be determined between the intern and their supervisor at the time of onboarding.

Instructions for Applying:

Candidates should submit the following documents in Word or PDF via this link:

• Resume with name, contact information, and relevant coursework or experience (maximum one page),
• Cover letter that addresses why you are interested and discusses any relevant coursework or experience (maximum one page); candidate submissions without a cover letter will not be considered.
• A short writing sample (less than three pages) written by you that demonstrates an aptitude to communicate clearly on a particular topic (a paper you have written for a class is welcome),
• An example of a short-form, digital communication product that you have written or created (such as a tweet or other social media post, mass email, text-based graphic, or a video you’ve edited), and,
• One letter of reference from a professor at your institution (maximum one page).

The deadline to submit applications is March 14, 2025. If you will need course credit or specific arrangements with your institution, please note that in your cover letter. Apply now.

Communications Assistant

Status and Location: Full-time, Washington, D.C.
Reports to: Sr. Communications Associate
FLSA Salary Classification: Full-time Exempt
Hiring Salary Range: $56,000 to $64,000/year

Position Summary:
PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) is seeking a Communications Assistant to support the Communications team in advancing the organization’s communications and outreach strategy. The Communications Assistant is a highly organized, detail-oriented, and responsible individual who must be able to work both independently and collaboratively. This position reports to the Sr. Communications Associate.  This is a full-time position with a hybrid-working format (staff works in the office two days per week); to comply with this policy, employees must reside in the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia. This position includes comprehensive benefits, including employer-subsidized health insurance, retirement plan contributions, paid time off, and access to professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Assist with producing external-facing communications products (e.g., PRRI’s “Morning Buzz” and other newsletters, social media content, Spotlight Analysis blog posts, and op-eds)—often on tight deadlines.
• Publish corporate content on prri.org using the WordPress content management system.
• Aid in promoting PRRI research and increasing brand recognition through implementation of best practices on the website.
• Work with the Communications team to create and execute digital strategies for website performance improvement.
• Create initial drafts and publish press releases, media advisories, and other organizational content.
• Coordinate logistics and prepare documents for media appearances for PRRI staff.
• Support planning and execution of strategic engagement programming and events.
• Track metrics to measure organization’s reach across all digital platforms and engagement efforts.
• Monitor press coverage and record all media mentions in an internal database.
• Organize, draft, edit, and format content for email newsletters, and social media.
• Schedule, attend, and take notes during interdepartmental and intradepartmental meetings, and meetings of external stakeholders and convening programs.
• Manage and distribute PRRI media clips and social media highlights and support the archiving and analysis of coverage.
• Track website analytics.
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Candidates should be motivated, entrepreneurial, organized, and adept at handling multiple tasks.
• Familiarity with Google tools (e.g., Gmail, Calendar), Zoom, Dropbox, Asana, Constant Contact or other email programs, Canva, Greenhouse or other application tracking systems, Meta Business Suite, Google Analytics, social media analytics, and/or WordPress a plus.
• Self-motivated, detail-oriented, organized, and responsible.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and research skills.
• Proficient writing, proofreading, and copyediting skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Experience with Microsoft Office.
• Detail-oriented with an ability to juggle multiple deadlines each week.
• Willing to work on a team and collaborate effectively.
• Flexible, available to occasionally work outside of normal hours, including weekends for events or conferences.
• Familiarity with public polling data and the U.S. political system.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public affairs, religious studies, or a related field required.
• Experience in external relations, legislative affairs, academic affairs, community organizing, or coalition building a plus.
• Experience planning events and/or meetings a plus.

Instructions for Applying:
Applications will be accepted until Friday, February 14, 2025, or until the position is filled. Please submit a cover letter detailing how your experience fits this opportunity, along with your resume and three professional references, via this link. Applications without a cover letter, detailed resume, and references will not be reviewed.  PRRI offers a competitive salary and benefits commensurate with experience. No calls or agency inquiries, please.