Undergraduate Student Intern

About the Role

The Office of Improvement is a small team within the Maintenance and Site Services division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This division ensures the safety, reliability, and readiness of the Laboratory's facilities and critical systems. The Office of Improvement focuses on identifying and resolving unclear or ineffective requirements, processes, and guidance, translating them into practical improvements. This internship is suited for a student who enjoys bringing order to complexity, demonstrating strong attention to detail, and making information accessible. A science or engineering major is not required; students in business, professional or technical writing and editing, communications, quality assurance, project management, public administration, or related professional fields are encouraged to apply. You will work with improvement, maintenance, work-control, and assessment professionals. The materials produced by this team, including reports, procedures, job aids, and training materials, are utilized across Maintenance and Site Services to support safe, reliable, and compliant work. Opportunities to learn practical uses of approved artificial intelligence tools for business tasks, such as drafting, analysis, and presentation preparation, will be provided, adhering to human-review, data-protection, and security expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Reviewing procedures, program documents, and job aids for unclear, conflicting, incomplete, or outdated content.
• Supporting assessment and improvement activities by organizing evidence, recording red flags, maintaining action trackers, and helping prepare clear, objective reports.
• Creating and updating PowerPoint presentations, training materials, job aids, and other communication products.
• Building and maintaining simple trackers, schedules, and dashboards to aid team commitment management and progress tracking.
• Participating in meetings with subject-matter experts to learn about quality assurance, continuous improvement, and policy governance in a government mission-driven environment.
• Observing craft workers at jobsites across LANL to understand basic machinery components or to evaluate compliance with work procedures.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Currently enrolled (12 semester credit hours or full-time equivalent) in an accredited undergraduate degree-granting program (or international equivalent).
• Must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent).
• Entering first-year students must provide documentation indicating matriculation into an accredited undergraduate degree program.
• Familiarity with common productivity tools, such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams, or comparable applications.

Qualifications

• Introductory coursework or experience in one or more relevant areas, such as business operations, writing and editing, communications, quality assurance, project management, public administration, or a related field.
• Basic understanding of how organized records, clear communication, and reliable processes support effective work.
• Writing and editing concise, audience-appropriate content with strong attention to grammar, formatting, and detail.
• Organizing information and using sound judgment to distinguish important details from background information.
• Communicating professionally with peers and subject-matter experts through written, verbal, and virtual channels.
• Using spreadsheets or similar tools to organize information, check completeness, and communicate status.
• Ability to learn unfamiliar topics and ask thoughtful questions in a collaborative, professional environment.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet agreed-upon deadlines, and communicate early when priorities or needs change.
• Ability to handle internal information responsibly and maintain discretion when working with program documents and records.
• Ability to work both independently and as a dependable member of a small, cross-functional team.

Desired Qualifications

• Coursework, projects, campus involvement, or work experience in business, professional writing or editing, communications, quality assurance, project coordination, process improvement, or public administration.
• Experience producing polished written products, such as articles, reports, procedures, newsletters, proposals, or training materials.
• Experience with Excel, SharePoint, Teams, PowerPoint, document templates, workflow mapping, or basic data visualization.
• Interest in using approved artificial intelligence tools responsibly to support business work, with sound judgment and human review.
• Interest in how organizations learn from performance information, improve systems, and turn requirements into usable practices.

Work Environment

• Work Location: Onsite in Los Alamos, NM.
• Onsite/Hybrid: Potential for a hybrid work arrangement (partially onsite/partially offsite) from a location within 2 hours ground commute of Los Alamos, NM. Reporting onsite will be regularly required. Hybrid arrangements are at the discretion of management and can change.
• Some interns may work a 9/80 schedule at the discretion of management.
• No travel is approved.

Application Details

• Anticipated internship duration: Summer 2027 appointment, approximately 10-12 weeks. Exact start and end dates will be established at offer.
• Application deadline for best consideration: February 19, 2027. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; early application is encouraged.
• Required Application Materials:
• Current resume
• Current official transcripts
• Personal statement of interest (not to exceed one page)

Additional Details

• Selected candidates will be subject to drug testing and other pre-employment background checks.
• Note: Citizens of the People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau), the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation who are not Lawful Permanent Residents are prohibited from accessing facilities supporting national security laboratories.
• This position does not require a security clearance.