Internship Program Specialist

PAWS Chicago is a national model in No Kill animal sheltering and Chicagoland's largest No Kill shelter. Our internship program is a large, in-person, unpaid program offering high school students, college students, early-career professionals, and community members valuable hands-on experience in animal welfare and nonprofit work through training by industry professionals.

Job Summary

The Internship Program Specialist serves as the subject matter expert and central coordinator for PAWS Chicago's internship program, a large, unpaid, in-person program serving high school students, college students, and early-career professionals across all departments. This role brings expertise in experiential learning, program design, and early-career development to ensure PAWS Chicago's internship program reflects best practices and operates effectively at scale.

The Specialist manages intern recruitment, onboarding, and program logistics across all departments. Core responsibilities include troubleshooting intern issues, coordinating schedules, processing paperwork, and representing PAWS Chicago at career fairs and recruitment events. This role matches interns to departments and delivers initial orientation before transitioning interns to department supervisors for role-specific training. This role will also support administrative functions to maintain & upkeep the volunteer database. 

The Specialist also serves as a resource to department supervisors, supporting them in building effective intern programs, identifying appropriate tasks, and creating meaningful learning experiences. Department supervisors provide day-to-day work direction and mentorship; this role handles program requirements, hour tracking, and administrative support.

Beyond operations, this role drives continuous improvement by analyzing program data, refining onboarding and training materials, piloting new approaches to intern engagement, and recommending enhancements to leadership. The Specialist cultivates relationships with academic partners and tracks high-potential interns for future hiring consideration, contributing to a sustainable talent pipeline for the organization.

This position requires strong coordination skills and the ability to manage high-volume operations, particularly during peak onboarding periods.

Job Responsibilities

Program Development & Strategy

•       Serve as the subject matter expert on intern development and career readiness, creating structured pathways that support professional identity formation and successful transition into animal welfare careers

•       Design and refine program structures, learning objectives, and evaluation methods to enhance intern experience and organizational impact

•       Develop and maintain training curricula, orientation materials, and program resources across all departments

•       Analyze program data and outcomes to provide strategic recommendations to leadership on program growth, improvement, and resource allocation

•       Benchmark PAWS Chicago's internship program against peer organizations and industry standards

•       Lead special projects and pilot initiatives to test new approaches to intern engagement and development

•       Contribute to departmental strategic planning related to workforce development and talent pipeline

Program Operations & Management

•       Manage the full internship lifecycle across all departments: recruitment, onboarding, active placement, and offboarding

•       Maintain program timelines aligned with academic calendars (semester, quarter, summer), application cycles, and departmental capacity

•       Ensure internship policies, expectations, and processes are communicated consistently across all program areas

•       Coordinate intern schedules to meet 12-20 hour/week commitment requirements across locations (Medical Center, Lincoln Park Adoption Center, Blazer Building)

Recruitment & Application Management

•       Design and execute seasonal internship recruitment strategies for fall, spring, and summer cohorts

•       Manage application workflows including tracking, resume/cover letter review, interview scheduling, and selection timelines

•       Communicate clearly with applicants regarding timelines, decisions, and onboarding steps

•       Evaluate recruitment effectiveness and adjust strategies to attract qualified, diverse candidates

Onboarding & Orientation

•       Design and deliver comprehensive onboarding and orientation experiences for incoming interns

•       Support departments in preparing interns for successful entry into their roles

•       Maintain consistent onboarding experience while accommodating department-specific requirements (e.g., animal handling safety protocols)

•       Continuously refine onboarding processes based on intern and supervisor feedback

Intern Support

•       Serve as primary point of contact for all interns on program logistics, scheduling, and requirements

•       Support interns in navigating availability, schedule changes, and hour requirements for academic credit

•       Reinforce expectations related to professionalism, attendance, and program conduct

•       Talent Pipeline & Bench Building

•       Identify high-potential interns across all program areas and maintain records for future hiring consideration

•       Generate excitement about career pathways at PAWS Chicago through intern engagement and professional development opportunities

•       Partner with HR to communicate open roles to current and former interns

•       Track intern-to-staff conversion metrics and maintain alumni connections for future recruitment

Academic Partnership Development

•       Establish and maintain relationships with field education offices, career services, and faculty at partner institutions

•       Represent PAWS Chicago at career fairs, classroom presentations, and academic networking events

•       Develop and maintain affiliation agreements with academic programs in social work, animal science, communications, nonprofit management, and related fields

•       Position PAWS as a destination internship site to create a sustainable pipeline of qualified candidates

Program Administration & Reporting

•       Maintain accurate intern records, databases, and program documentation across all departments

•       Track and analyze intern participation, hours, retention, and program outcomes for internal reporting

•       Develop and present program reports to leadership with insights and recommendations

•       Support administrative coordination related to stipends, grants, or agreements when applicable

Cross-Department Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

•       Partner with Program Managers, Assistant Directors, and department supervisors across all program areas to assess internship needs and capacity

•       Design and implement evaluation tools to assess intern experiences and program effectiveness

•       Identify recurring challenges and develop process improvements

•       Share best practices and provide guidance to supervisors on effective intern mentorship

Qualifications & Skills

•       Strong program development and design skills with ability to build and refine systems

•       Excellent organizational and prioritization skills with ability to manage multiple program areas simultaneously

•       Demonstrated analytical skills with experience using data to inform program decisions

•       Strong time management and follow-through across concurrent projects and seasonal cycles

•       Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills

•       Ability to manage recurring cycles, deadlines, and transitions aligned with academic calendars

•       Comfort working in a dynamic environment with seasonal workload fluctuations

•       Ability to collaborate effectively across departments and with external academic partners

•       Sound professional judgment, discretion, and attention to detail

•       Proficiency with Microsoft Office and database/tracking systems

•       Bilingual in Spanish strongly preferred

Requirements

•       3-5 years of experience in program development, field education, career services, student affairs, academic advising, workforce development, or nonprofit administration

•       2-3 years of experience working with interns, volunteers, or early-career individuals in a structured program setting

•       Demonstrated experience designing or significantly improving programs, curricula, or training materials

•       Experience with program evaluation, outcomes measurement, or data analysis

•       Demonstrated experience managing schedules, documentation, and multi-step processes across teams

•       Availability to work on-site at PAWS Chicago locations (Medical Center, Lincoln Park Adoption Center, Blazer Building) -

•       Primary office location will be the Medical Center, located at 3516 W 26th St, Chicago, IL 60623

Minimum Qualifications

•       Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in human services, education, nonprofit management, or related field

•       3 years of experience in a program development, program specialist, or senior coordination role

•       Experience designing, implementing, or significantly improving structured programs

Physical Requirements 

• Climbing stairs, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, lifting and grasping
• Walking and moving about to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another
• Able to lift 25 lbs occasionally, 10 lbs frequently and a negligible amount constantly
• Repetitive motion
• Ability to travel to all PAWS locations as needed

Benefits  

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, including ancillary options and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Blue Cross Blue Shield;  
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match; 
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick days, and holidays  

PAWS Chicago Values-in-Action

Respect: for each and every life.

Community: of people and organizations committed to helping homeless pets.

Innovation: to constantly improve best practices and seek out new ideas and strategies to save more lives. To be a Learning Center that evolves and grows.

Pro-activity: to solve difficult problems and to be prepared to offer emergency and crisis support.

Transparency: that informs the public about the fate of homeless animals.

Education: that raises awareness about the realities that homeless animals face in the community and across the nations, providing a forum for people to get involved in effecting change. Promotes and support reasonable pet ownership.

Sustainability: through financial management practices that maximize the impact and reach of our resources and endure that PAWS Chicago will always be a resource for homeless animals.

Compassion: towards all people and animals.

Functional Values

Highest Integrity: strong adherence and consistent demonstration of PAWS Chicago's Values

Strategic and detail-oriented: able to keep the larger perspective of the organization's strategy and growth in view, while delivering exceptionally detailed program management and reporting

Genuine passion for animals: understanding and supporting the importance of No Kill, and the importance of program sustainability to supporting the organization's mission

Self-motivated and disciplined: ability to work independently as well as with and through others to accomplish goals and outcomes

Results-oriented and accountable: personally capable of delivering the desired program development and engagement outcomes and self-monitors goal attainment

Effective at building relationships: skilled at working across departments, with academic partners, and with diverse intern populations to create positive experiences and outcomes

Exceptional communicator and collaborator: able to serve as a program ambassador both internally and externally, and able to understand and collaborate with other functional departments, promoting a unified, team-based, collaborative culture across the organization

NOTE: PAWS Chicago reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description, as it desires. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied or otherwise. The employment relationship remains "at-will". The aforementioned job requirements may be changed to fulfill any obligation(s) to reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities.