Business Design Intern - Summer 2022 (SF)

IDEO.org is a nonprofit design studio on a mission to design a more just and equitable world. We partner with nonprofit organizations, foundations, governments, companies, and communities to design programs, products, and services focused on improving health, economic mobility, and wellbeing.

Position Summary

IDEO.org has an opportunity for a business-savvy design thinker to join the San Francisco studio this summer. As part of a multi-disciplinary design team, you’ll blur the lines between business strategy and creativity, helping to design new-to-world offers that are desirable for end-users as well as feasible and financially sustainable for implementing partners. You’ll be part strategist, part operational guru, and part creative problem solver. You’ll work alongside builders and thinkers from different backgrounds. Business acumen is a given. Demonstrated passion for solving challenges facing historically underserved communities is a must. If you love coming up with revolutionary business models, and believe in the transformative power of design - this position’s for you!

Applications are due February 18, 2022. Internships will begin 2nd week of June. Please note. Internship is paid. 

You will:

• Be part of a multi-disciplinary design team that is designing and launching a new product, service or customer experience
• Think holistically about the design of a new offering and the implications related to both the customer’s experience as well as a partner organization’s ability to implement and scale
• Work closely with the partner organization to develop strategies, timelines, and operational models that appropriately consider the organizational needs, aspirations, and business realities
• Distill business, user, and partner organization constraints into digestible components for the design team
• Create compelling new value propositions for customers
• Develop financial models demonstrating the feasibility of recommended designs 
• Develop a process to measure results and gather feedback to continuously improve solutions as they scale
• Build the capacity of partner organizations to adopt human-centered design approaches in their own work and ensure they have the competencies needed to replication design solutions on their own
• Contribute to IDEO.org culture either remotely or in person (depending on broader public health guidance). 

A Note on Location

• We have a preference for candidates to be located in either SF though not required. Due to the unforeseen nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not require interns to commute to our offices or travel for design work. We will continue to monitor the situation and we will open our studios and travel for work if we can safely do so. We ask that candidates remain open to the possibility of travel and in-person work. 

Requirements:

• MBA student or recent MBA grad. MBA students in their first year are highly encouraged to apply.
• Passion for our mission
• Experience launching new businesses, designing new offerings, or business models
• Comfortable collaborating with others, working in multidisciplinary teams, and translating business principles to non-business audiences
• The ability to be self-directed and work comfortably in an ambiguous and dynamic environment
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
• Financial modeling skills

New to design?

Here are a couple of articles on how we view business design at IDEO.org

• Venture Design at IDEO.org
• An insider’s guide to business design at IDEO
• So you want to be a business designer

IDEO.org’s Commitment to Diversity

At IDEO.org, we are committed to the work of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within our organization and in the world. Our mission to design a more just and inclusive world is directly connected to our ability to bring many different perspectives to the table. This applies to our candidates, the people we hire, and the partners and communities we work with.

As a human-centered organization, we are committed to working with and designing for people of every race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, physical ability or attribute, religion, national origin, or political belief. We recognize that this commitment requires ongoing work and sustained attention, as well as a culture where people representing many diverse backgrounds and identities can all feel a sense of belonging.