Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy Fall 2026 Student Internship

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY FALL 2026 STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sets governmentwide policy aimed at reducing the availability of illicit and controlled substances, and reducing substance use through public health interventions focused on preventing substance use, treatment for those dealing with substance use disorder, and developing and strengthening programs for those in recovery.

INTERNSHIP DETAILS

The ONDCP Fall 2026 internship term begins on August 31, 2026, and ends on December 18, 2026. All internships are located in Washington, D.C. and are unpaid. All intern schedules are flexible, between Monday – Friday, but interns may only work between the hours of 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM ET. Selected interns must be available all day on Monday, August 31, 2026, for onboarding, and must be available for the entire session (8/31/2026 through 12/18/2026).

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Males must be registered with Selective Service
• Must be able to commit to at least 15 hours per week
• Must be currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate college, community college, or university at least half-time
• Must pass a background check and drug test

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested students should reach out to Ramon.d.hamilton@ondcp.eop.gov and Sebastian.a.parker-vaughan@ondcp.eop.gov and provide: 1) a current resume; and 2) a one-page cover letter detailing why they believe they would be able to make a meaningful contribution to ONDCP's mission. While applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, interested candidates should consider applying soon. Applications received closer to the start of the fall internship program may instead be considered for the spring session (dates TBD). Applicants must indicate in their email to which of the following ONDCP offices they are applying. Only one office may be selected. Applicants should disregard the default application window listed by Handshake, and instead must submit applications by email no later than 11:59 PM ET on July 17, 2026.

ONDCP OFFICES

Office of the Director

The Office of the Director (DO) oversees policy development, implementation, and coordination across the agency. Functionally, the office establishes robust processes to ensure cross-component coordination that drives Strategy development, budget formulation, interagency collaboration, and responses to emerging issues. 

Office of Addiction Prevention

The Office of Addiction Prevention (OAP) supports the development and implementation of Federal policy related to drug use prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery. Areas of focus to reduce drug use and its consequences, in support of the Strategy and the Administration’s Drug Policy Priorities, include expanding availability of overdose reversal medications; increasing uptake of medications for opioid use disorders (MOUD) and building a full continuum of substance use disorder (SUD) care; ensuring that SUD treatment is available to all Americans who need it, including in rural communities; coordinating federally supported research on prevention, treatment, and recovery; and convening the interagency to ensure execution of drug policy priorities. The Assistant Director serves as the statutorily mandated United States Demand Reduction Coordinator.

Office of Grants and Programs

The Office of Grants and Programs (OGP) manages all ONDCP programs to include the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, the Section 103 of Public Law 114-198 (CARA Local Drug Crisis) Program, Anti-Doping Activities, World Anti-Doping Agencies Due, Model Acts Program, Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance and Congressionally Directed Spending. 

Office of External and Legislative Affairs

The Office of External and Legislative Affairs (OELA) represents the agency and our work to the media, Congress, state, local, and Tribal governments, the stakeholder community, and the general public. This includes engaging with reporters, working with Members of Congress and their staff, coordinating intergovernmental work with partners at the federal, state, local, and Tribal levels, and preparing the Director for public-facing engagements, including interviews, speeches, community events, Congressional hearings, and more. Through these efforts, OELA builds support for the President’s drug control policies. The Assistant Director serves as the statutorily mandated State, Local, and Tribal Affairs Coordinator. 

Office of Management and Administration

The Office of Management and Administration (OMA) implements the human resources, facilities maintenance, procurement actions, security, and information technology work of the agency. OMA actively monitors Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with DoD and other agencies to recruit and onboard detailees to assist ONDCP’s mission. In addition, it also formulates and executes ONDCP’s internal budget.

Office of Performance and Budget

The Office of Performance and Budget (OPB) is the main coordinating body for ensuring that National Drug Control Program Agencies (NDCPAs) request the resources adequate to implement the National Drug Control Strategy. OPB also produces the National Drug Control Assessment, which evaluates the effectiveness of NDCPAs in supporting implementation of the Strategy. OPB also handles the drafting of statutorily required budget and performance documents. The Assistant Director serves as the statutorily mandated Performance Budget Coordinator.  

Office of Supply Elimination

The Office of Supply Elimination (OSE) develops and implements whole-of-government international supply reduction efforts to reduce drug use and its consequences, and coordinates international and private sector engagements in support of this mission. This component drafts the relevant sections of the Strategy, supports the ONDCP budget guidance development process with international relations and supply reduction subject matter expertise to ensure adherence to evidence- and intelligence-based approaches among the interagency, and convenes the interagency to implement the Administration’s drug policy priorities. Component staff work on a range of issues, including synthetic drug production and supply, chemicals of concern, illicit finance, and multimodal drug trafficking. OSE also undertakes the functions of the U.S. Interdiction Coordinator (USIC). Office staff draft the relevant portions of the Strategy, counternarcotics border strategies, and the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan. Staff also provide domestic supply reduction and law enforcement subject matter expertise to inform the ONDCP budget guidance development process. OSE serves as a primary conduit between law enforcement agencies, regional multiagency task forces, and private sector partners to identify and target vulnerabilities in the illicit drug supply chain. This component also leads interagency efforts to improve intelligence collection. 

Office of General Counsel

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides comprehensive legal services for the agency. These legal services include handling Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and representing the agency in Government Accountability Office (GAO) engagements, among others. 

Office of Data and Research

The Office of Data and Research (ODR) is the main coordinating body for ensuring that policy development is based on the latest research and data. The Office works closely with components across ONDCP and the Interagency to (1) improve data and data systems to understand the scope and mechanisms of the evolving drug environment and identify the most effective mechanisms for improving outcomes; (2) strengthen and expand methodologies to track and assess trends and patterns in drug use, mortality, treatment, and supply reduction efforts; and (3) analyze implemented drug policies and communicate implications for continued investment. This component leads interagency efforts to improve real-time data collection and other strategic research efforts. The Assistant Director serves as the United States statutorily mandated Emerging and Continuing Threats Coordinator.