Research Filene Intern
Organization Description
Filene Research Institute exists to help credit unions empower people to achieve financial wellness. We are an independent, consumer finance think and do tank dedicated to changing people’s lives through ideas, truth and cooperation. We aim to create change through insightful research, playful ideas, and rigorous experimentation to make real and lasting impact in people’s lives.
We live by the famous words of our namesake, credit union and retail pioneer Edward A. Filene: "Progress is the constant replacing of the best there is with something still better." Together, Filene and our thousands of supporters seek progress for credit unions by turning questions into research, research into ideas, and ideas into action. Filene is a 501(c)(3) not-for- profit organization. Nearly 1,000 members make our research, innovation, and impact programs possible.
Position Overview
Role
Research Internship
· Spring 2019 Semester
· Possible continuation through summer 2019
The Research Intern will have the opportunity to work with the research team at the Institute. The Intern will be introduced to information regarding the credit union system and its position in the consumer finance ecosystem, especially in the United States and Canada. Filene plays an important role in this ecosystem, leveraging research, incubation, innovation, and business partnerships to reimagine consumer financial wellbeing, transform cooperative finance, and make a difference in people’s lives.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Research, the Research Intern will work closely with the Custom Research Director to deliver compelling customized, consumer insights and competitive intelligence research to credit union and credit union system partners. The Intern’s time will be divided among a range of market-facing projects based on organizational priorities and skillset. In addition, the Intern will support the research team in the production of research reports and other creative outputs of relevance to the credit union system and consumer and cooperative finance generally. Additional credit union system learning outside Filene will also be considered and assigned, time permitting.
Job Responsibilities
The Research Intern will:
- Function as an analyst with responsibility for supporting custom research projects in the areas of consumer insights (e.g., member experience, financial wellbeing) and competitive intelligence (e.g., brand reputation, new technologies).
- Work with the Senior Director of Research, the Custom Research Director, and the research team to conduct market research and write compelling customized research reports.
- Help to build out a project management process for Filene’s emerging custom research offerings, communicating cross-functionally with Membership and Marketing and Communications teams.
- Learn about consumer and cooperative finance, practice the basics of market research in financial services, and build portfolio-worthy projects.
- Assist with a variety of other projects and tasks that help Filene advance credit unions’ understanding of consumer behavior and market trends.
The statements above are not intended to be all-inclusive and other duties will be assigned as needed.
Job Requirements
The Research Intern must be a current and active university student: Junior, Senior, Graduate-level, or PhD. The Research Intern must also demonstrate:
- The ability to learn and embody Filene’s vision and mission and the values of cooperative finance.
- Self-motivation and autonomy as well as collaboration.
- The ability to prioritize work assignments and multi-task in a fast-paced, start-up environment.
- The ability to work effectively with the Filene team, credit unions, and consumer finance partners.
- Strong interpersonal and written and oral communication skills, including the ability to summarize ideas clearly and write strong copy.
- Attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
- Ability to manage workload to aggressive deadlines.
- Ability to be flexible in duties.
- Ability to work with Mac technology and Microsoft Office.
Basic knowledge of financial services and/or project management and prior experience with qualitative and/or quantitative market-facing research are helpful, but not required.