Position Title: Intern, Government Relations – Course Credit only (For Credit Spring Internship)
Location: Remote
Department: Government Relations
Reports to (Supervisor’s Name & Title): Taylor Napoliello, Manager, Government Relations
Date and Length of Internships: January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022; 10-15 hours per week

Position Summary:
Special Olympics is seeking an intern to work in the Government Relations department of its headquarters office in Washington DC during the Spring of 2022. The Government Relations department educates and mobilizes governments to adopt inclusive policies, plans, and practices, and commit resources for Special Olympics Programs and activities. The department’s goal is to
ensure athletes and others with intellectual disabilities (ID) can exercise their rights, take advantage of opportunities, and be full participants in their communities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide logistical support to the Government Relations department in the Office of the Chairman. This will include:
• Provide support and assistance for Capitol Hill Day 2022 and assist in developing resources for Capitol Hill Day including but not limited to programs, agendas, webinars, schedules and briefing documents;
  • Help manage scheduling and briefings for Capitol Hill meetings;
  • Organize and compile notes from Capitol Hill Day and other meetings, create meeting logs, and upload/update contact information from Capitol Hill meetings;
  • Provide technical/technological support for the virtual Hill Day platform (e.g., helping us to add Zoom links, uploading docs, etc.);
• Research and track federal and state issues and legislation of interest to Special Olympics;
• Manage and update the departments tracking and monitoring systems;
• Review the most recent Government Engagement and Policy Survey results and formulate lists compiling the following information:
  • Programs that receive cash and by level (e.g., 1-100K, 100-250K, etc.) with a note about where they get the funds from
  • Programs that receive VIK, who it is from and what the estimated value is
  • Programs that have MOUs and who those MOUs are with
• Assist in collecting legacy data of Special Olympics international programs and their government
  engagement;
• Research funding opportunities at embassies, aid agencies, development banks, and foundations.

Required Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree at a college or university.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with individuals from a range of cultures and professional backgrounds.
• Ability to work well independently and under pressure.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks.
• Willingness to solve critical issues creatively.
• Strong research skills.
• Interest in disability, health and/or education policy preferred.

Special Olympics provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.