Research Intern

Everyone says they want to change the world. We’re looking for people who actually will.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith. Please visit www.adflegal.org/about-us/careers to view our Statement of Faith and Doctrinal Distinctives.

Research Intern

Alliance Defending Freedom is looking for 3 full-time or part-time unpaid fall semester Research Interns on our Corporate Engagement Team, to join us in our Lansdowne, VA office or a remote home office. As a Research Intern, you are a vital part of the Corporate Engagement team. In this role, you will conduct primary research on key business and civil society organizations – in support the Business Index and other related initiatives – as well as assist in the production of resources that promote respect for the freedom of thought, religion, and speech across society.

ADF’s Corporate Engagement team partners with business leaders, policymakers, nonprofits, and other allies, to ensure that America’s leading business and social institutions respect free speech and religious liberty throughout the entire scope of their operations, practices, and activities. In support of this mission, the team produces research, benchmarking tools, and other resources to incentivize and guide companies to protect their stakeholders’ fundamental freedoms. As part of this work, the team is responsible for the annual release of the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, the first comprehensive benchmark measuring corporate respect for religious and ideological diversity in the market, workplace, and public square.

Your Essential Responsibilities:

In this position, you will:

• Perform in-depth research to support the Corporate Engagement team’s strategic projects. This might include, but is not necessarily limited to, examining how business organizations impact public discourse and faith in the market, workplace, and public square.
• Organize and collate large volumes of data in support of major research projects.
• Support the creation of resources to strengthen the social and economic dimensions of free speech and religious liberty.
• Assist in writing and editing research memos, briefs and blog posts.
• Perform administrative duties and assignments as necessary.

Other Responsibilities (Non-Essential):

You may be asked to perform related duties or special projects as assigned.

Skills you need to succeed:

Demonstrated proficiency in:

• Research using open and closed source methods.
• Analyzing large volumes of information to identify key datapoints.
• Reviewing and editing data/content for clarity and accuracy.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office, and mastery of Excel.
• Data analytics is a plus.
• Creating compelling presentations of data is a plus.
• Editing publications is a plus (especially publications related to subject matter of a highly technical nature).

Ability to:

• Be self-directed, and collaborate with others in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment with frequent change.
• Carefully scrutinize large volumes of data and demonstrate excellent attention to detail.
• Meticulously apply and adhere to research guidance/methodology in data analysis.
• Help identify opportunities to improve research methodology, and presentation of data.
• Adapt to changing project requirements and solve problems.
• Prioritize and achieve deadline goals.
• Professionally handle confidential information.

Education and/or experience:

• Rising junior or senior in college; recently graduated.
• Prior experience performing high-level research and analysis.
• Students need to receive school credit for this internship.