Records Management Intern

Records Management Intern

Reports to:         Manager, Operations & Logistics                  

Team:                  People & Culture, Operations

FLSA Status:       Hourly, Non-Exempt                             

Employment Type:              Student/Intern

Session:              Summer                                                         

Location:             In-Person Hybrid              

Pay Rate:            Hourly based on DC minimum living wage $17.95 per hour until June 30, 2026. Increased to $18.40 per hour effective July 1, 2026. This internship is intended for educational benefit, and we support receiving school credit for participation.

How to Apply:   Click here to apply.

Application Deadline: The application portal will close at 3:00 pm ET March 31st

Who We Are

Americans for the Arts (AFTA) strengthens the arts from the ground up – supporting advocacy that empowers communities, develops arts leadership, and produces field-informed research. We shape national arts policy to reflect the realities and aspirations of artists, organizations, businesses, and communities nationwide. We champion the arts as a unifying and essential force in American life.

About the People & Culture, Operations Team

The People & Culture and Operations Team plays a key role in AFTA’s success as a mission driven organization who values its people and the physical and virtual environments they work within. This team considers every AFTA and Arts Action Fund staff member and each consultant its clients, placing their experience at the center of its decision-making process. Its mission is to create, implement, and support internal infrastructures, policies, and practices that are agile, inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the needs of its staff and supporting entities. 

The People & Culture and Operations team is a two-person team comprised of a vice president of people and culture and manager of operations and logistics. We are ready to support a summer intern who has a desire to learn more about organizational internal infrastructure development, record management, and how a non-profit organization generally operates. 

About the Position 

The Records Management Intern will conduct an appraisal of our written and digital records, identify records for destruction and retention, and assist in updating our organizational retention policy to align with the law and best practices. This position will engage in a variety of projects and have tangible opportunities to contribute to changing how staff navigate their digital and physical records. 

Participation in this program provides the opportunity to attend our annual conference (AFTACON, June 2nd – 5th), working across teams to experience the behind-the-scenes organizational lead up and execution of hosting a national conference. 

This internship encourages the exploration of the local cultural institutions in Washington, DC, offering a flexible schedule with hours that might fluctuate above and below our standard 37.50-hour work week. 

The desired outcome of this internship is to understand best practices for records management and gain insight into the challenges of implementing those best practices through change management.

Your key responsibilities

• Appraise the financial records and historical organizational physical files of Americans for the Arts and its predecessor organizations.
• Assess the records for preservation based on organizational retention and destruction policies, including their historical significance for organizational storytelling.
• Identify duplicate records for destruction and historical records for off-site archival storage.
• Research and identify records management best practices and provide recommendations for implementation of current policies. 
• Digitize documents to create a digital archive or record.
• Research document retention software for use as part of our digitization process.

Experience and Skills That Matter Most

Candidates are encouraged to apply, even if they do not possess all the experience and skills listed: 

• A commitment to advancing the AFTA mission, with a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and a passion for arts, public policy, and non-profit advocacy.
• Pursing (or recently completed) studies in History, Library Sciences, or Non-Profit Management
• A passion, curiosity, and excitement to learn about organizational internal infrastructure development, record management.
• An independent self-starter who also enjoys being a part of a team
• Ability to lift up to 30lbs
• Knowledge of Microsoft 360 Suite
• Strong interpersonal skills and a customer-service mindset that ensure all feel valued and respected.  

More About the Internship

Eligibility:

• High school graduates, current college students, mid-career professionals, and those looking to transition to a new career field in the arts and culture ecosystem.
• Must be eligible to work in and reside within the United States 
• Located in the Washington, DC area; available to work between 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET, working an average of 37.50 hours a week, for the duration of the 12-week program
• Be able to attend in-person the AFTACON annual conference in Albuquerque, NM, June 2 – 5th.  Travel and lodging paid for by AFTA.

Program Duration:          

• The program is scheduled to run for a 12-week period. We anticipate the program to begin the second half of May and conclude mid-August.  
• Depending on the needs of the team and intern, there is the potential for your program to start before June 1st and end before or after August 31st, based on start date. 

Work hours and office:

• We have a 7.50-hour day, for a total of 37.50-hour work week. However, there is flexibility based on personal needs. 
• Our core business hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday. 
• In-person dress code for this position is casual.