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Extern and Internships

At USADA, we are committed to preserving the integrity of competition, inspiring true sport, and protecting the rights of athletes. If you’re interested in working with and for clean athletes, an internship or externship with USADA might be the right fit for you, regardless of your field of study. We accept candidates with diverse skills and offer opportunities within our various teams, such as Education, Science, and Finance. During the program, participants will gain experience working in a fast-paced office environment, collaborating with teams, and contributing to department-specific projects.

What our interns have to say...

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

INTERNSHIPS

  • All internships are paid
  • Internships are 40 hours per week at our Colorado Springs office
  • Internships are open to juniors and seniors in college
  • Sessions are typically May to August
  • Candidates are evaluated based on the position
  • Applications accepted yearly, January 10-March 15 

EXTERNSHIPS

  • All externships are paid
  • Externships are 20-40 hours per week at our Colorado Springs office
  • Sessions run from August 1-May 31
  • Candidates are evaluated based on the position
  • Candidates must have completed their degree within the past year
  • Applications accepted yearly, Feb. 1-Feb. 28

To apply, please email your resume and a thoughtful cover letter by the deadlines noted above, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position, to Tammy Hanson (thanson@usada.org).  Please include the type of internship in the subject line.

Available Opportunities

REPORTS TO:

Elite Education Manager

EXTERNSHIP SUMMARY:

Under supervision of the Elite Education Manager, this externship will provide a hands-on opportunity to assist the Elite Education Department to include presentation coordination, development, communications and administration.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Assist the Education Manager in identifying potential distribution channels
  • Assist in the creation of presentations to RTP athletes, junior athletes, coaches, NGBs and those involved in the Olympic and Paralympic movement
  • Contribute to the development of Elite Education content
  • As directed, other office support functions including compiling and formatting USADA presentation materials, prepare shipments and mailings, and tracking inventory
  • Work on special projects as assigned

BENEFITS:

  • Valuable experience working in a dynamic, diverse and creative environment
  • Close interactions with the Education Manager and opportunity to build professional network
  • Opportunity to complete a resume building project based on Externs interest and goals
  • Have an ongoing mentor after the externship program

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Obtaining a Bachelor or Masters degree in a related field
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Strong organizational and time-management skills
  • Independent, highly organized and detail-oriented
  • Ability to work flexible hours as needed
  • Proficiency in MS Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
  • Desire to work in athletics and sport after graduation

COMPENSATION AND TERMS:

The Elite Education Extern position is a paid externship and allows for school credit. General hours are Monday – Friday, with flexibility around athlete presentations. The internship is 20-40 hours per week.

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INTERNSHIP VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

FEMALE INTERN #1: USADA is really more than just a workplace, it’s a community of people all of whom are very passionate about clean sport and putting in that effort every single day in the fight for clean sport.

MALE INTERN #1: You’re going to be working with people that are going to push you to do your best, and also give you the resources and support you need to make sure you reach your maximum potential.

TAMMY HANSON, Education Manager: So, USADA has had interns for a number of years. It is a paid internship, so we want to make sure that we’re getting top quality candidates, and that it’s the right fit for them and for us. Some of the qualities we’re looking for in an intern is their willingness to learn, because, obviously, this is a new field to a lot of them; eagerness, we want to see excitement and passion about the work that we do; and a great attention to detail. Many of our internships are not just giving them daily tasks, we’re never going to ask an intern to go on a coffee run for us. This is actual work that we need to accomplish for clean sport, and they absolutely have a meaningful impact on that work.

FEMALE INTERN #2: My most significant achievement here was, definitely, creating the DCO newsletter.

FEMALE INTERN #3: Analyzing the data that we have from our educational surveys and turning those into reports for different national governing bodies.

MALE INTERN #2: Coming up with a marketing pitch to give to NCAA universities’ athlete directors.

FEMALE INTERN #1: Writing a memo about all of the major changes to the International Standards for Laboratories that WADA released about a week before I started here.

MALE INTERN #1: Helped redesign the Olympic Education survey that we give to everyone we present to.

TAMMY HANSON, Education Manager: They don’t just get experience and learning job skills of USADA, but they also get that mentor, that person who’s going to be with them, that reference letter, whatever it happens to be to help them in their next step.

MALE INTERN #1: If you put in the effort, you’re going to get so much benefit out of it. If you’re asking questions, if you’re making connections, the benefit you’re going to get is huge, the experience that you’re going to gain is going to lead you to great things.

FEMALE INTERN #1: And so, if future interns are interested in a potential future career in sport, this is a great place to start for that in terms of making those connections.

MALE INTERN #2: And yeah, I think that’s a very unique experience and not one you’re going to find many other places.

TAMMY HANSON, Education Manager: The internships generally last one semester and we do them year-round. So, whether it be the summer or the fall or spring, we are always taking different internship positions and taking different internship positions in different departments.