Strategy & Research Fellow Internship

Job description

(ONLY HIRING COLLEGE STUDENTS or Recent Grads)

Strategy & Research Fellow, Young Professionals Nexus (YPN)

Seattle · Hybrid · 12 weeks · 10–15 hrs/week ·

About YPN

Young Professionals Nexus is Seattle's community for ambitious young professionals, people building careers, companies, and reputations on purpose. We run curated rooms, not mixers. Our members come for the people and stay for the trajectory.

We're building the defining professional institution of our generation, starting in Seattle.

The role

You'll work directly with YPN's founders as our first research and strategy hire. Your job is to find what the best communities in the world did to grow and turn it into moves YPN can execute. This isn't busywork. Your research will shape how we grow membership, choose partners, and design experiences.

What you'll own

• Community intelligence. Break down how institutions like Soho House, YPO, Hampton, and Founders Club acquired, converted, and retained members: their pricing, onboarding, referral mechanics, and positioning.
• Funnel research. Study why event attendees become paying members, or don't. Run short interviews with attendees and members, then synthesize the patterns into clear recommendations.
• Partnership pipeline. Build a researched target list of 50+ Seattle companies, venues, universities, and brands that fit YPN, with a rationale and an entry point for each.
• Market mapping. Map Seattle's professional networking landscape: who's in it, what they charge, who they serve, and where the gaps are.
• Weekly intel brief. Each week, send one page with what you learned, what it means, and what YPN should do about it.

What you'll deliver by week 12

• A conversion teardown with 3–5 tested recommendations
• A partnership target list with prioritized outreach angles
• A final strategy memo, presented live to the founders

Who you are

• You're a student or recent grad in business, economics, or a related field, or simply sharp and self-directed without the degree.
• You write clearly. You can turn 20 tabs of research into one page someone can act on.
• You're curious about how communities, brands, and businesses actually grow.
• You're comfortable talking to strangers: interviews, outreach, follow-ups.
• You work without being chased, and you finish what you start.
• Bonus: you're already plugged into Seattle's professional, startup, or campus scene.

What you get

• Direct access to the founders and real decision-making influence
• A portfolio of strategy work you can show anyone
• Full access to YPN events and the network inside them
• A strong reference, and a path to a larger role as YPN scales