Leadership Advisory Intern

The Opportunity

This six-month internship offers an unusual opportunity to learn leadership consulting through direct apprenticeship.

Working directly with a senior advisor to boards, CEOs, and executive teams, the intern will gain exposure to the full lifecycle of leadership advisory work: business development, client relationship management, executive assessment and development, succession planning, leadership transitions, team effectiveness, talent strategy, problem-solving, and delivery of recommendations to senior leaders. The intern will have a front-row seat to how trusted advisors help organizations navigate their most important leadership decisions.

Unlike many internships that focus on observation or administrative support, this role is designed to provide meaningful contribution to client engagements. Interns will contribute to real work across leadership advisory assignments, including succession planning, executive assessment and development, leadership transitions, team effectiveness, and broader talent and organizational challenges. They will develop practical consulting skills while building an understanding of how trusted advisors help senior leaders make consequential decisions.

Successful interns will develop a broad consulting toolkit that extends beyond assessment and analytics to include critical thinking, client problem-solving, structured analysis, executive communication, project management, relationship building, and professional judgment. They will gain firsthand experience in how exceptional advisors create value for clients and translate insight into action. The internship is designed to accelerate both professional capability and consulting judgment.

Outstanding performance during the internship may lead to consideration for a permanent role.

Key Responsibilities

The Leadership Advisory Intern will work closely with senior consultants to support client engagements and gain hands-on experience across the full leadership advisory lifecycle. Responsibilities will evolve over the course of the internship as the individual develops skills, judgment, and confidence. As an apprenticeship role, the emphasis is on learning through contribution rather than observation.

Client Advisory and Problem-Solving

• Support the development of insights and recommendations for clients facing critical leadership, talent, and organizational challenges
• Participate in project planning, problem framing, hypothesis development, and solution design
• Conduct research and analysis to help answer client questions and inform decision-making
• Contribute to discussions regarding leadership, succession, talent, and organizational effectiveness
• Learn how trusted advisors build credibility and influence with senior executives and boards

Assessment, Succession, and Leadership Development

• Analyze and synthesize information from interviews, assessments, references, surveys, and other data sources
• Support the development of executive assessment reports, succession insights, and leadership development recommendations
• Assist in identifying patterns, themes, and implications across individual, team, and organizational data
• Develop an understanding of evidence-based approaches to leadership assessment and development

Client Engagement and Project Delivery

• Participate in client meetings, workshops, interviews, and internal project discussions
• Prepare materials and analyses that support high-quality client deliverables
• Help manage project workflows, timelines, and coordination across multiple stakeholders
• Contribute to the delivery of an exceptional client experience through responsiveness, quality, and attention to detail

Practice Building and Thought Leadership

• Support business development efforts, including research, proposals, and client pursuit activities
• Contribute to thought leadership, intellectual property development, and practice-building initiatives
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, tools, and ways of working
• Participate actively in the learning and development activities of the broader consulting team

Candidate Profile

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred
• Ability to work from the San Francisco office a minimum of four days per week; no exceptions
• Demonstrated interest in leadership, organizations, business, consulting, psychology, talent, or related fields and a desire to pursue a career in leadership advisory or professional services

Skills and Attributes

• Intellectual horsepower paired with humility
• Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Exceptional curiosity and learning agility
• Strong judgment and discretion in handling highly confidential information
• High ownership, work ethic, and follow-through
• Comfort operating in a demanding, fast-paced client-services environment characterized by ambiguity and competing priorities

To apply, please submit a resume and cover of no more than 300 words here on Handshake.