Intern (Artificial Intelligence & Credit Risk Analysis)

Description

Blue Ridge Bank (the “Bank”) is partnering with the Virginia Bankers Association (“VBA”) to offer high-impact summer internships designed for students who want real experience, real responsibility, and a real path into the banking industry. Through hands-on projects, in-person training, and exclusive networking events, interns will gain exposure to the world of community banking.

This program is a strong fit for students who like working with numbers, solving problems, and using data to understand how businesses make decisions. Whether you're interested in credit analysis, financial reporting, data management, or commercial banking, strong quantitative skills will help you stand out and make an impact from day one.

· Eligibility: Must be 18 years of age.

· Work onsite for 40 hours a week, May 26– August 7.

· Location: Richmond, VA Bayberry Office

· Reporting to the Chief Credit Officer

 THERE ARE 3 INTERNSHIPS OPPORTUNITIES, PLEASE APPLY TO EACH IF INTERESTED IN MORE THAN ONE. 

Requirements

We are looking for a curious, driven, and technically minded intern to join our Credit Risk & Innovation team. In this role, you will explore and develop ways to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to enhance our credit risk analysis processes, improve decision-making accuracy, and drive efficiency across the credit lifecycle.

This is a hands-on, high-impact internship where your work will directly contribute to real business outcomes.  

In addition to the Intern Responsibilities outlined below, this internship will focus on following line of business responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities:

Research & Discovery

· Research state-of-the-art AI/ML techniques applicable to industry and company research on operating performance and outlook

· Identify pain points in current credit analysis workflows that AI could address and make simpler, faster, and smarter

· Experiment with techniques such as:  

o Natural Language Processing (NLP) for analyzing borrower documents, financial statements, or news signals

o Generative AI for report automation and data augmentation

Data Analysis

· Analyze financial, behavioral, and alternative data sources to identify predictive signals

· Perform feature engineering to extract meaningful variables from raw data

· Ensure data quality, integrity, and bias awareness throughout analysis

Innovation & Strategy

· Propose AI use cases that can improve:

o Credit decisioning speed and accuracy

o Early warning systems for portfolio deterioration

o Explainability of risk decisions (XAI)

o Regulatory and Credit Policy compliance automation (e.g., model documentation)

· Prepare presentations and reports summarizing findings for senior stakeholders

Collaboration

· Work closely with credit analysts compliance teams

· Participate in team meetings, sprint reviews, and knowledge-sharing sessions

Qualifications:

Skills

· Proficiency in Python (pandas, scikit-learn, TensorFlow/PyTorch)

· Understanding of supervised/unsupervised learning fundamentals

· Strong quantitative and problem-solving abilities

· Ability to clearly explain technical findings to non-technical audiences 

· Familiarity with credit risk concepts (PD, LGD, EAD, Basel frameworks)

· Experience with SQL and data manipulation at scale

· Knowledge of explainable AI tools (SHAP, LIME)

· Exposure to LLMs or Generative AI (e.g., GPT APIs, LangChain)

· Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

· Prior coursework or projects in FinTech, banking, or financial modeling

Years of Experience

· Currently pursuing a degree in computer engineering, data science, or data analytics 

· Internship or any training related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will be valued

· Demonstrated academic excellence in business-related courses

Internship Responsibilities:

· Commitment to understanding the overall concept of the company, including the brand, customer, product goals, and all other aspects of service.

· Accept designated, business-focus projects to research, propose ideas and solutions, and present final projects during the internship.

· Complete a capstone project and present it to bank leaders and external participants.

· Engages with customers or clients and provides service and/or sales under direct supervision.

· Provide suggestions to management for improving customer service and internal processes.

· Learn and become proficient in internal software systems.

· Attends all required in-person VBA hosted training and events including but not limited to, Intern Orientation: May 28 and the Mid-Summer meet up on July 7, 2026.

· Other tasks as assigned.

· Create value for the bank and its employees