All Things Urban

Demos Helsinki is the leading Nordic think tank focusing on the innovative use of natural and human resources.

We make systemic change happen with open innovation and foresight. We publish and advise globally. Our partners include European Commission, Unilever, Nordic Innovation, Finnish Prime Minister's Office and many others in path to a smarter future.

People come to us looking for new ideas, new concepts, and strategic change when old solutions are no longer working. What makes our work stand out is our broad-based expertise in futures studies and our use of first-class research

From a student to an expert, researcher, or future management consultant. Are you ready to take your skills and expertise to the next level? Internship programme for us who can’t separate doing from thinking.

Social scientists, economists, designers, philosophers, social psychologists, engineers…

Demos Helsinki is the leading independent Nordic think tank bringing all these specialists from different fields together. Our vision – building fair and sustainable societies – works as a frame for everything we do, be it private or public sector innovation, strategy consulting, research on the future of cities, or strengthening the role of science in society.

Demos Helsinki is now recruiting interns for a 3-month-long paid internship beginning between January and June 2020. The application is open until Sunday 13th of October, 23:59 Finnish time.

In our internship programme, you will learn about Demos Helsinki’s collaborative way of changing the world. Based on your background and goals, you will be able to take part in research and consulting projects, sales processes, organising impactful events, and building partnerships.

We are currently working in six teams:

1) Governance Innovation works with developing experimental and inclusive governmental organisations with partners all over the world.

2) Radical Strategy challenges some of the world’s biggest companies to redefine their strategies to fit the future better.

3) Science in Society works for strengthening the role of science and research in society.

4) Urban Transformations works towards carbon neutral and democratic cities.

5) One Planet Economy helps create business, technology and politics that are aligned with what’s best for our planet.

6) New Horizons has three main themes: Future of Work and Education, Health and Capabilities and Tech for Society. The team supports our society’s central institutions from public organisations to labour unions and companies to respond to the post-industrial transformation.

• Contributing to client projects as an equal and active part of the team, e.g. research, analysis, background study, workshops and participating in client meetings
• Assisting in sales processes, e.g. making client proposals
• Project management & internal development tasks
• Organising events & producing content

Working at Demos Helsinki is not only about brainstorming grand ideas but making them happen in the real world. In our internship programme, you will learn how to connect these two skills. We encourage and allow interns to take responsibility. However, we always support each other and take part in creating ’the culture of helping’ at the office.

• You are interested in becoming an expert, management consultant or researcher in your field, and you are ready to take your skills and expertise to the next level
• You are interested in the world around us and you have the drive to work together
• You have experience in project and research methods and/or good project management skills
• You know how to showcase and utilise the skills you have attained in your field of studies
• You are an undergraduate or graduate student at a university or a university of applied sciences, either in Finland or abroad, during the entire internship. PhD students are not qualified to apply.

Your study background can range from human sciences to business and political sciences to engineering. We prioritise interns’ proactivity, self-leadership, problem-solving skills, and capability to learn new and see the bigger picture. Experience from extracurricular activities is considered an advantage.

The duration of the internship is three months. If you study outside Finland, the length, timing and other details of the internship can be discussed in order to fit your studies. Depending on your availability, the internship may begin sometime between January and June 2020, and we hope that you will express all possible options for you to complete your internship in the application form. We will choose several interns in this application process. Internship compensation is 1,500 € per month. We have international interns regularly and based on these experiences we can share knowledge with the chosen interns to help with practicalities related to moving and working in Finland.

The call for interns is open until Sunday 13th of October 2019 at 23.59, Finnish time.

Demos Helsinki promotes equality in working life. We have an anonymous application process in the first phase of the intern selection. You apply for the internship by filling out the application form, but the details that are irrelevant for the preliminary selection (e.g. name, age and city) are hidden temporarily when we go through the applications. The anonymous application process ensures that the preliminary selection is influenced only by information that is relevant to the process.

Our office and all the workspaces are accessible.

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.