Agency-wide Requirements
All applicants must be:
- U.S. citizens (dual U.S. citizens also eligible)
- At least 18 years of age
- Willing to move to the Washington, DC area
- Able to complete security and medical evaluations
- Registered for the Selective Service
About the Job
As a Graphic Designer Undergraduate Intern for CIA, you will work as part of an interdisciplinary team , providing both traditional and digital printing, online publishing, multimedia support, photographic support, digital archiving, design support, and copier management services to CIA, the Intelligence Community (IC), and other federal government agencies in support of mission. You will work to produce a variety of products for clients across CIA and the IC. Leveraging strong conceptualization, critical thinking, product development, and communication skills, you will engage in organizational identity development, exhibit and display design, information graphics, promotional and presentation design, and publication design. In a highly collaborative environment, with professionals in a variety of other media disciplines, designers are challenged to produce the most effective product to communicate the client’s message.
Interns will interact with clients, collaborate with peers, become familiar with a business-like environment where you will negotiate budgets and deadlines, and work in an intelligence organization supporting an amazing mission. You will engage in a variety of developmental experiences and assess the Agency as an employer of choice while also being assessed for potential employment following graduation.
Two 90-day tours are preferred; however, one 90-day tour is the minimum requirement
Who You’ll Work With
At the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), we recognize our Nation’s strength comes from the diversity of its people. People from a broad range of backgrounds and viewpoints work at CIA, and our diverse teams are the reason we can keep our country safe.
Read more about diversity and inclusion
What You’ll Get
The CIA offers various benefits to students, including:
- Paid time off
- Federal health and life insurance
- Retirement
- Education and training
- Health services
- Child care center
- Credit union
As a CIA employee, you’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing your work is part of something bigger than yourself. Our work is driven by one mission: to keep our Nation safe. Every day is an opportunity to enhance U.S. national security.
Learn more about working at CIA
Minimum Qualifications
- Participation in a certified graphic design degree program at a 4-year college or university
- At least one semester of academic studies in fine arts/graphic design/digital imaging courses
- At least a 3.0 GPA on a 4-point scale
- Demonstrate knowledge of graphic design principles
- Strong conceptualization skills to develop unique and effective solutions
- In depth knowledge of Adobe creative software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.)
- Strong communications skills, both in writing and interpersonally
- Two 90-day tours are preferred; however, one 90-day tour is the minimum requirement
- Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation
Desired Qualifications
- Understanding and/or experience in multiple forms of product output, including print
- Previous experience as a service provider or in a customer service environment
Additional Requirements
The following must be attached when you submit your interest form:
- A creative portfolio of two to three samples demonstrating a wide variety of design conceptualizations, to include campaign, identity, poster, publication, and packaging, as well as samples of videos, mobile & web UI/UX. All URLs should be written out (no links) to non-account based or password protected websites.