About RepresentWomen:

RepresentWomen is a nonpartisan nonprofit and research-based action tank that seeks to build support for systemic change so that more women run, win, serve, and lead at all levels of government in the United States. 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 was founded in 2012/2013 as a fiscally-sponsored project of FairVote, a nonprofit that advocates for the adoption of ranked choice voting in the United States. In 2018, RepresentWomen formed a board of its own and became an independent organization. In 2021, the organization underwent a strategic planning process and identified three signature solutions to research and share information about:

1. Gender-targets for PACs and donors, so more women run,

2. Ranked choice voting and the Fair Representation Act, so more women win, and

3. Gender-balanced appointments, so more women lead.

RepresentWomen’s US-based research is complemented by resource-sharing and coalition-building activities with subject matter experts worldwide who advocate for advancing women’s representation and leadership.

RepresentWomen Structure:

RepresentWomen is a national organization located in Takoma Park, MD with staff members who work virtually all over the country and 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 current team consists of seven full-time and three part-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 gender-targets and ranked choice voting. They have strong writing and analytical skills, are attentive to detail, and can craft language appropriate for a variety of audiences.

Since RepresentWomen is a small and evolving team, successful interns tend to be both self-starters and team players who are comfortable shifting between self-motivated and collaborative work. At present, most research interns work either independently or in a small group to conduct research on a dedicated topic over the course of 9-13 weeks, for a minimum of 15-20 hours per week. All interns are paired with at least one member of our staff to discuss research topics, timelines, and methods over weekly check-ins. Research candidates should familiarize themselves with our research before applying. to ensure that 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, including:

• Ranked Choice Voting - where it is used, how it impacts women, and related research for multi-winner ranked-choice voting and the Fair Representation Act
• Women in the Judiciary - what seats in the judiciary are currently filled by women and how the path to judicial office changes depending on whether the position is elected or appointed
• Women in Appointed Office - tracking state campaigns in advance of the next gubernatorial elections and related state-level appointments
• International Projects - the status of women's representation in 190+ countries - a country case guide to best practices from around the world

● 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 own research

● Collecting, organizing, and analyzing literature and data for use in ongoing and future research projects

● Creating data visualizations that help to illustrate key points from our research using programs such as Infogram, Flourish, and Timeline

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 have the ability to craft language that is 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, etc.
• Data visualization software - ex. Infogram, Flourish, Timeline, etc.

● Are available to work a minimum of 15 - 20 hours a week*

*Flexible accommodations are available for students, volunteer interns, and those with additional part-time responsibilities.

Advice for Research Applicants:

Research applicants are strongly encouraged to consider which focus areas (ranked choice voting, international projects, etc.) interest them most. Applicants should describe their interests and related experience in their cover letters and be prepared to elaborate, should they be interviewed.

Our internship program emphasizes matching students and recent graduates with opportunities that will connect their interests with our work and related professional development opportunities. Competitive applicants will help our team make these connections in advance.

Benefits and Opportunities:

RepresentWomen interns work directly with full-time staff to develop a work plan that coordinates our project goals with the individual goals of each member of our team. Over the course of the first week of the internship, our team meets one-on-one with each intern to assess what projects will best suit their experience and interests, while also providing them with the support and opportunities they need to make their time with us both productive and meaningful.

Additional benefits:

● Opportunities to connect with our partners and RepresentWomen alumni

● Professional development opportunities may include, but are not limited to:

• Research methods, data management, and data visualization training
• Staff-supported research and writing opportunities
• Staff-supported communications and outreach opportunities
• Staff-supported training on how to run a nonprofit, manage web content, and write blogs and op-eds

● Flexible work arrangements, with a minimum commitment of 15 to 20 hours a week*

*Start and end dates are flexible, but we expect most fall internships to begin in September.

Students are welcome to tailor their weekly hours to accommodate any academic commitments they may have. Recent graduates and summer interns are welcome to work full-time (40 hours) for up to one season. Qualifying interns may apply to extend their internships for up to one season.

**All internships at RepresentWomen are completed on a voluntary basis, but we are more than happy to work with candidates who are seeking third-party sponsorship (i.e. research grants) or academic credit. If you are interested in interning with our team but have concerns about how compatible our program is with your university’s requirements to receive credit, please contact the RepresentWomen team at internships@representwomen.org.

How to apply:

To apply, please submit PDFs of your resume, cover letter, and work sample to our team at internships@representwomen.org. The subject line of your email should clearly state the internship role(s) that you are interested in, ex “Fall 2022 Research Internship.” If you are applying for more than one role, you only need to send one application. However, you should address why you are interested in each role in your cover letter.

Applications for fall internships will be considered on a rolling basis, until all positions are filled.

Work Sample Guidelines: if you are interested in the communications internship, please submit a portfolio of your work with your application. Research and outreach 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.

Request from the Hiring Manager: if possible, please make sure that the font used throughout your application is easy to read and no smaller than size 10 (size 12 is preferable). Creative resume formats are welcome but not required.

Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination Notice: RepresentWomen is committed to equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national or regional origin, gender, age, religion, political affiliation, marital status, and veteran status. This commitment includes equal opportunity and nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the workplace.

Advice for First-Year Applicants: if you are worried that your academic and/or work experience doesn't line up with what we are looking for, consider telling us more about the skills you want to learn and what it is about our work that 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 of all backgrounds to learn from us and one another through our program.

Not your dream role? Try democracyjobs.org or theascendfund.org/jobs, where our partners are recruiting!