Trade Policy Student Intern (Volunteer)

Job Description

Job Description

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Job Title:

Trade Policy Student Intern (Volunteer)

Appointment Type:

Temporary Assignment 

October 5, 2026 to May 14, 2027 

Part- Time and Full-Time opportunities are available:

• Full-Time: 35-40 hours/per week
• Part-time: 15-34 hours/per week

Announcement OPENING Date:

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Announcement CLOSING Date:

Friday, September 18, 2026

Pay and Benefit Details:

No pay or benefits for interns. Interns are eligible to receive Transportation Subsidy benefits.

Location:

Washington, DC.

SUMMARY:

The intern program at the Office of the United State Trade Representative (USTR) offers unpaid volunteer opportunities for students, recent graduates, and veterans to gain knowledge and hands-on experience in U.S. trade policy. Intern responsibilities may include conducting research and analysis, compiling statistics, preparing reports and briefing materials, assisting with meeting and conference planning, drafting correspondence, and attending meetings, hearings, or legislative markup sessions.

WHO WE ARE:

Begin a challenging and exciting career with the Executive Office of the President (EOP). The EOP is comprised of offices, agencies and councils that directly support the President. The Office of the United States Trade Representative is an agency within the EOP established to develop and coordinate U.S. international trade policy. The head of USTR is the U.S. Trade Representative, a Cabinet member, who serves as the President's principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade issues.

USTR is an agency of more than 200 committed professionals with decades of specialized experience in trade issues and regions of the world. We negotiate directly with foreign governments to create trade agreements, to resolve disputes, and to participate in global trade policy organizations. We also meet with governments, with business groups, with legislators and with public interest groups to gather input on trade issues and to discuss the President's trade policy positions.

INTRODUCTION OF TRADE POLICY COORDINATION OFFICE:

This position is located in the Office of Trade Policy Coordination (TPC) in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and reporting to Mark DiPlacido, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy Coordination. 

USTR, as established by the Trade Act of 1974, is responsible for transmitting to the President and to the Congress the annual President’s Trade Policy Agenda, the Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program, and the National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (jointly “Reports”). These Reports provide the President’s trade objectives for the new year; the actions USTR and the U.S. Government took the prior calendar year to implement the President’s objectives, and an inventory of foreign practices that are significant barriers to U.S. exports and includes actions taken to eliminate those significant barriers to trade.  The purpose of the internship is to assist TPC in editing these three Reports.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The trade policy intern will assist in editing the Reports. The following tasks are illustrative of the work that the intern will perform:

• Review the 65-80 individual sections of each report to ensure they comply with USTR’s editing conventions.
• Review the 65-80 individual sections of each report to ensure the reporting is consistent among them.
• Advise the Senior Trade Policy Advisor when each section of the Reports are ready for further review.
• Coordinate with drafters on resolving edits and questions posed by the Senior Trade Policy Advisor regarding any sections of the Reports.
• Prepare tranches of sections of the Reports for transmittal to the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC).
• Incorporate edits as provided by the 21 agencies comprising the TPSC and consult with the Senior Trade Policy Advisor on whether to further consult with the drafting offices and the Office of the General Counsel.
• As appropriate, ensure that the drafters of each report section have considered and incorporated edits provided by the TPSC.
• Review compilations of the Reports for formatting and typographical errors.
• Review print shop proofs of the Reports for formatting and typographical errors.

BENEFITS OF INTERN:

TPC plays a central role at USTR and leads in executing USTR’s interagency authority in developing and coordinating the implementation of U.S. trade policy.  Through the internship with TPC, the trade policy intern will benefit from gaining a full understanding of:

• the President’s Trade Policy Agenda through the editing of the Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program and the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers;
• the important role that TPC plays in developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and negotiations with other countries;
• the interagency structure ( i.e. , TPSC) through which USTR coordinates trade policy, resolves disagreements, and frames issues for presidential decision;
• the important policy roles played by each office at USTR.

The intern will also gain broader familiarity with a wide range of trade policy issues, including trade agreements and sectoral and regional trade barriers in over 60 foreign markets.  Finally, the intern will have an opportunity to engage with USTR’s expert staff, and will gain exposure to various policy positions of the 21 agencies comprising the TPSC through the trade policy development and coordination process.

Please carefully read the announcement qualifications to determine if you meet the criteria to apply.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT/QUALIFICATIONS:

Program participants must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years or older before the first day of the program, and meet at least one of the three following criteria: 

1. Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution).
2. Graduated from an accredited undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution) no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program.
3. A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program.

Note: If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, and are at least 18 years of age, civil service employment law (5 U.S.C. 3328) requires that you must be registered with the Selective Service System, unless you meet certain exemptions. 

Internships will be hosted in person on the White House campus, located in Washington, D.C. Selected Interns will be expected to complete the entire term and must participate fully in all mandatory on-boarding/off-boarding activities.  Please note that living accommodations and relocation support will not be provided.  

All participants in the USTR Internship Program must undergo a rigorous security review and drug testing prior to the start of the program.

All participants must sign an USTR Internship Program Participant Agreement Form.
The USTR Internship Program supports academic credit requests.  While we do not arrange academic credit for you, if your academic institution hosts an academic credit program, we can work with you and your institution to accommodate these actions.  

Demonstrated interest and a commitment to public service through schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and previous work or internship experience are beneficial to applicants. 

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

You must submit a complete application package which includes:

1. Your  resume showing dates of employment and duties performed.

A COMPLETE RESUME IS REQUIRED. Your resume must show relevant experience where you worked, job title, duties and accomplishments, employer's name, starting and end dates (Mo/Yr), and hours per week. If you are a current Federal employee or previous Federal employee, please ensure you provide the pay plan, series and grade level i.e. GS-0201-09.  Note: If you upload more than one resume, the last resume received will be the one utilized for consideration.

2. Other supporting documents (must meet at least one of the three following criteria):

1. Currently enrolled in accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program at a college, community college, or university (two- to four-year institution):
   • A copy of a current official transcript must be submitted with your application to verify your qualifications.
2. Graduated from an accredited undergraduate or graduate program no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program. ***Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed six years from the date on which the degree or certification was completed.
   • A copy of a qualifying degree to include an Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, OR obtained a Vocational, Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous two years.  
3. A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, no more than two years prior to the first day of the EOP Internship Program:
   • A copy of your DD-214 and SF-15 forms are required .

Complete application packages must be submitted within this portal by the deadline to be considered for the position.

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