Student Intern, Finance and Operations

Student Intern, Finance & Operations

Job Description

Who We Are

The Todd and Lisa Halbrook Center for Investment and Wealth Management (CIWM) is one of the seven Centers of Excellence within the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business. The CIWM mission is to provide financial literacy education to individuals of all socioeconomic and educational backgrounds and to empower them to make smart financial decisions. We train students for careers in the financial services profession, connect the business community with the next generation of leaders, and engage the local community with our campus. Learn more about the center at: https://merage.uci.edu/research-faculty/centers/investment-wealth-management/index.html 

What you will do as a CIWM intern: 

As a CIWM Intern, you have the responsibility to provide essential administrative and front desk support to ensure smooth daily operations. Responsibilities include organizing documents, managing filing systems, taking meeting notes, and running errands as needed. You will also handle front desk duties such as receiving mail and packages, maintaining office organization, responding to general inquiries, and relaying information efficiently and professionally. As a Finance and Operations  intern, your primary responsibilities will be to support data-driven decision-making across the organisation. Your responsibilities will include analysing financial and operational data to identify trends and insights, assisting in the preparation of budgets and regular financial reports, and contributing to the improvement of internal processes and systems. This role offers hands-on experience with data analysis tools and reporting software, and provides valuable exposure to how strategic planning and operational efficiency are supported through accurate financial insights.

What You’ll Do

Student interns support CIWM staff by leading student initiatives including but not limited to marketing, event planning, and program execution. They are proactive, creative, and self-directed individuals with a passion for spreading awareness about financial literacy education. Some of the job duties and responsibilities include: 

• Purchase Reconciliation: Reconciling transactions on behalf of full-time staff including submitting necessary financial documents, communicating with the Merage finance team members, and compiling backup documentation ensuring timely submission.
• Program Optimization and Evaluation: Identify areas for improvement, propose solutions, and collaborate with the evaluation team to gather feedback, track outcomes, and make data-driven recommendations.
• Data and Resource Management: Manage and maintain data systems, reconcile transactions, update and compare datasets, and assist with impact reporting. Contribute to the development of resource and training materials. A stronger emphasis is placed on data-driven work, including creating dashboards, and conducting consistent data analysis to identify trends and insights.
• Program and Event Support: Assist with planning, executing, and evaluating programs, events, and workshops. Provide on-site support during events and help develop event strategies.

Additional Information

• Hours: 15-19.5 hours per week
• Non-business majors welcome!
• Work-study awards are welcome, but not required (If you have one, please attach a copy of your award letter to your application.)
• This role is designed as a work opportunity for undergraduate students
• While we aim to hire student staff for the academic year, please note that this internship is subject to a quarterly performance review.

Work Sample Submission: Please select ONE of the options below to submit

Option 1: Complete This Task 

Personal Budget Tracker
Create a basic monthly budget showing your income and expenses. Include totals, averages, and one chart (e.g., expenses by category).

Instructions:

• Submit your completed file (Excel or Google Sheet with shareable link).
• Create a clean, well-labeled table in Excel or Google Sheets.
• Make sure all numbers and categories are formatted clearly.
• Use basic formulas (e.g., AVERAGE, MAX, MIN, %).
• Create at least one chart or graph that visualizes something interesting—like demographics, graduation trends, or comparisons.

Option 2: Submit Past Work

If you’ve done a similar analysis for a class, internship, or personal project, you may submit that instead.

Make sure it includes:

Some kind of data table

At least one chart or graph

A few sentences explaining what you found

For questions, please contact us at ciwm@uci.edu. 

Compensation—Starting $16.50-18/hr

Reports to—CIWM program staff

Summary/objective—support CIWM operations and programs

Supervisory responsibilities—intern supervision

Work environment—group work, collaborative, individual projects

Physical demands—walking, standing, moving equipment around campus, occasional lifting 

Position type and expected hours of work—part time, typical work hours vary but fall within CIWM office hours, M-F 9am-5pm. Some evenings and weekends due to events. 

Required education and experience—Must be a current undergraduate student at UCI, work study eligible but not required

Preferred education and experience—Open to all majors and backgrounds. Preferred experience would be google sheets, excel, etc.

Review Period 1: August 29 – September 2, 2025

Review Period 2: September 16 – September 20, 2025

Review Period 3: October 7 – October 11, 2025