MBA Intern (Paid) - Strategy, Business Development, & Ops | Fall 2026

MBA Intern (Paid) - Strategy, Business Development, & Ops | Fall 2026

Final date to receive applications: 30 September 2026

Department:
Operations

Employment Type:

Internship

Location:

New York | Fidi

Compensation: $30.00 - $35.00 / hour

About the Position

Karp Strategies is seeking an MBA Intern to provide Chief of Staff-style support across a range of strategic and operational priorities. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role for someone who thrives in dynamic environments, is eager to roll up their sleeves, and wants to contribute meaningfully to a growing, mission-driven firm.

Now in our 11th year, no two weeks look the same - and this role reflects that. You'll take on substantive projects with real end-to-end ownership, embedding in active work streams alongside our team. Some of the questions you might be tackling include:
How do we optimize our BD pipeline and reporting to drive revenue growth? Where should a firm our size invest to generate the highest marketing ROI? How do we leverage AI - internally and within client engagements – while maintaining the confidentiality our partners depend on?

In practice, this could mean co-designing a go-to-market strategy for a new practice area, going deep on market intelligence and thought leadership, or building the data infrastructure and reporting systems that drive smarter decision-making across the firm. The intern will report directly to the Managing Principal, Strategy & Operations, with mentorship from our Marketing & BD Associate and members of our Leadership team.

• Serve as a key partner to support our Marketing & BD Associate and senior leadership on active business development pursuits - supporting outreach, proposal development, and relationship tracking across priority sectors
• Conduct deep market and landscape research to identify new client opportunities, emerging sectors, and competitive dynamics; translate findings into actionable BD strategy
• Support development of go-to-market plans for targeted practice areas, including state-level landscape research, stakeholder mapping, and opportunity prioritization
• Assist in preparing proposals, presentations, and materials for prospective client engagements
• Help maintain, organize, and improve business development data, including pipelines and tracking systems, with an eye toward data quality and actionable reporting

• Identify high-impact content and marketing pieces, including thought leadership, project spotlights, and market-facing narratives that reflect the firm's voice and values
• Support preparation of materials for conferences, events, and speaking engagements
• Collaborate with leadership and our Marketing & BD Associate on external-facing communications and brand-building initiatives

• Support the design and build-out of data infrastructure and reporting systems that bring our pipeline, marketing, and performance data to life - turning data points into dashboards, reports, and insights that drive decision-making, identifying trends, and preparing leadership-ready summaries
• Explore and implement AI tools to improve firm-wide efficiency and collaboration – both in internal workflows and, where appropriate, within client-facing work – while maintaining client confidentiality
• Support cross-functional special projects at the direction of senior leadership
• Assist with strategic planning processes, including tracking and analyzing key KPIs and preparing supporting materials for leadership meetings and retreats
• Attend and document key meetings; manage follow-up actions as needed

• Currently enrolled in an MBA program, with coursework or experience in strategy, business development, marketing, consulting, operations, or a related field
• Genuine interest in urban issues, community economic development, and/or social impact consulting
• Strong analytical and research skills, including experience with data analysis and reporting; able to synthesize information and communicate it clearly
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable drafting polished, professional materials
• Fluency or comfort leveraging AI platforms (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini) to enhance research, writing, and workflow efficiency
• Entrepreneurial mindset: proactive, adaptable, and comfortable with ambiguity
• Able to work independently while remaining collaborative - comfortable managing through others and coordinating across teams without direct line authority
• Able to maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive firm or client information
• Proficiency in Google Suite and Microsoft Office; familiarity with CRM tools or project management platforms is a plus
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple work streams simultaneously