DCDC Internship programme

Overview

DCDC runs a paid internship programme open to individuals who are currently undertaking, or have recently completed, post-graduate studies. This is designed to bring recent academic research and practice to support DCDC outputs and to give interns the experience of working in government on major Defence and security related strategic issues.

The programme helps DCDC to strengthen diversity of thinking, which is essential to our work, supporting research and analysis on a wide range of Defence and security policy areas.

Details

Applications for 2023 are now closed.

The internship programme openedopens for applications onin 14February, February 2023, with interns joining DCDC towards in the endsummer, of July, usually for around six to eight weeks. Interns will support DCDC in a wide range of areas, including:

• supporting DCDC’s work on the Strategic Trends Programme, including research, data-gathering, data analysis and writing support on strategy papers for the Seventh Edition of Global Strategic Trends;
• supporting other DCDC projects, providing research papers and analysis to assist in the development of our thinking and providing critical challenge to widen perspectives of future challenges; and
• supporting DCDC’s Analysis,Strategic ResearchAnalysis and Challenge Team in their work providing the empirical evidence to support DCDC products. This may include involvement in a wide range of analysis and experimentation activities, such as: red teaming, wargaming, data analysis, information visualisations, synthesising operational lessons, identifying trends, developing thought-provoking insight and challenging thinking.

Detailed briefings on these tasks, including length, scope and depth will be provided at the beginning of the internship.

Interns will be employed as Civil Servants and will work 37 hours per week. Pay will be £10.42 an hour (National Living Wage).

In line with DCDC’s ways of working, the internship will have a hybrid working pattern with some time spent in the office and some time spent working remotely (from home).

There will be in-office working at the start of the internship and at other times by mutual agreement between each individual intern and their assigned desk officer and/or mentor. Accommodation will be provided on-site at Shrivenham at no cost to the interns during periods that interns are expected in the office.

Application process

Applicants must either hold a Masters-level qualification or be working on one. There are no restrictions regarding study area, though an interest in Defence and/or international affairs is essential, and this should be reflected in your application.

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter by 12pm on 14 March 2023.

Please note: After a paper sift, shortlisted candidates will be informed on 22 March 2023 and interviewed between 23–3023 – 30 March 2023. Interview slots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure these deadlines are met, it may be worth adding DCDC-AandR@mod.gov.uk as an email contact.

Successful candidates will be informed by the14 end of April 2023.

All successful candidates will be security checked before joining. Interns are employed as Civil Servants on a fixed-term, non-standard appointment. There are nationality and residency restrictions: you must have the right to work in the UK, be a current UK resident, and have a UK bank account and National Insurance number.