Product Manager Internship

Position Summary

Duke Community Affairs (DCA) is seeking a Product Manager Intern to join its Operations, Research, & Advancement team. This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of technology, community engagement, and higher education by supporting the development of a university-wide digital platform that tracks and enhances community partnerships.

Ideal for recent graduates willing to work On-Site in Durham NC.                                               This internship offers hands-on experience in product management, user experience (UX) research, and cross-sector collaboration. A key value-add for this role is the ability to act as a bridge between end users and the development team. There's a need to translate user needs into actionable priorities, conduct basic QA, and help the team focus on what's essential. Someone who is highly empathetic and can balance user insight with an understanding of how to maximize the return on limited development time will thrive in this position.

The intern will work closely with developers, stakeholders, and partners on high-impact projects across Duke and the broader community. This colleague will support initiatives grounded in social innovation, civic engagement, and community-based collaboration.

What You'll Do

Product and Operations Support (60%)

• Help coordinate daily operations and technical workflows for a digital platform supporting university-community partnerships.
• Contribute to the execution of the product roadmap, including the development of new features, updates, and enhancements.
• Join meetings with academic units, Duke OIT, and community partners to ensure platform alignment with institutional and partner goals.
• Assist in managing a service desk and organizing feedback or technical issues.
• Help document workflows, user guides, SOPs, and training resources.
• Collaborate with the communications team to create reports, promotional materials, and internal updates.

User Engagement & Collaboration (35%)

• Support usability testing, user research, and workshops to gather insights and improve the user experience.
• Act as a conduit between users and developers, particularly clarifying priorities, identifying must-haves vs. nice-to-haves, and conducting basic QA on new features.
• Analyze platform data and user engagement to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in advisory group meetings and cross-functional working groups.
• Assist in developing presentations and content to communicate platform updates.

Professional Development & Additional Projects (5%)

• Participate in mentorship and learning opportunities related to community-based innovation, civic engagement, and social entrepreneurship.
• Support other projects and assignments as needed by the supervisor or team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Recent bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Science, Design, Education, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Interest in product management, digital platforms, public engagement, or social impact innovation in higher education.
• Basic understanding of how web applications work, including experience with wireframes, user flows, or dashboards.
• Demonstrated empathy and ability to understand user needs, especially in translating those into practical actions for developers.
• Strong communication, organization, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to distinguish between essential and non-essential features and advocate for decisions that maximize ROI on development time.
• Familiarity with project management or collaboration tools such as Asana, Microsoft Teams, or SharePoint is a plus.
• A proactive attitude and eagerness to learn in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.