Internship Human Centered Design Jobs in Reston, VA

About Us

Frontier Design is a design and impact advisory firm, dedicated to serving mission-driven organizations and leaders transforming the world. Our core capabilities include measuring and improving impact, co-creating and implementing innovative strategies, leading human-centered change and transformation, and developing and supporting leaders and teams. How we deliver these services is unique, rooted in the mindset, tools and approaches of human-centered design and organizational psychology.

We sit at the intersection of management consulting and human-centered design—what we call Design Advising. Our interdisciplinary team is both creative and analytical, combining our expertise as engineers, designers, evaluators, strategists, innovators and storytellers. We believe in delivering radical value, delighting our clients with exceptional quality and wowing them with our cost-effectiveness.

We work globally and locally in the U.S., with a wide variety of world class organizations across industries including federal and state governments, non-profit organizations, academia, foundations and the private sector. While headquartered in Alexandria, VA, our organizational construct is largely “virtual”, which offers us the opportunity to employ remarkable talent regardless of physical location. For team members in the Washington, DC area, we utilize shared office spaces for in-person meetings as needed.

To learn more about Frontier Design please visit www.imaginefrontier.com.

About the Position:

We’re seeking a talented, growth-oriented advisor (consultant) to begin in an embedded executive and operational support role with a U.S. government client.

This position is designed as both an opportunity to provide high-impact support to executive leadership and a potential pathway for professional growth within the client engagement and Frontier. The ideal candidate will bring strong operational support capabilities while also demonstrating the curiosity, judgment, and consulting mindset to identify broader opportunities, strengthen the account, and take on increasingly strategic responsibilities over time. As the engagement evolves, a successful individual may have opportunities to expand their contribution beyond the initial scope of the role, based on performance, client needs, and business growth.

The ideal candidate brings 2–5 years of relevant experience supporting executive leadership, coordinating complex operations, or working within a federal or public-sector environment. Prior consulting experience is helpful but not required. More important is the ability to quickly understand an organizational context, build trusted relationships, anticipate needs, and apply critical thinking and sound judgment to analyze challenges, identify practical solutions, and deliver polished work with discretion.

Frontier is an innovative, fast-paced boutique consulting firm with a collaborative, supportive, and human-centered culture. We value proactive problem solvers who can think strategically while managing important details, work effectively both independently and with a team, and respond constructively to feedback and changing needs. The strongest candidates will be clear communicators, meticulous executors, and adaptable professionals who are motivated to make an immediate contribution and grow their impact over time.

Responsibilities

Consulting & Deliverables

• Contributes to high-quality client deliverables in a timely manner with direction and oversight
• Communicates findings compellingly and visually for different audiences through slide decks, reports, stories, scorecards, etc.
• Conducts qualitative and quantitative research and can quickly analyze and synthesize patterns into findings
• Asks clarifying questions to understand client needs and partner/team expectations
• Welcomes and incorporates feedback from colleagues and partners; provides constructive peer feedback while cultivating psychological safety
• Embodies and models Frontier’s values with other employees and clients
• Capable of thinking big-picture but willing to “sweat the details” and ensure that products are consistent, well formatted, well written, and integrate feedback from past products as relevant
• Leads with curiosity, identifies lessons learned through experience, and shares approaches and lessons learned with colleagues,
• Participates in training opportunities and seeks to understand and incorporate principles of human-centered design and visual communications in work products
• Participates in and takes notes during meetings and interviews as needed
• Works efficiently and effectively to meet client and partner needs and maximize client experience
• Confidently leverages technical expertise and past experiences while remaining humble and open to growth
• Looks beyond immediate administrative needs to identify opportunities to improve the client experience, strengthen the engagement, and contribute to broader consulting priorities.

Engagement Operations & Support

• Manage and maintain executive calendars, scheduling, and meeting logistics to ensure effective coordination and time management.
• Organize and prepare materials for meetings, agendas, briefings, presentations, correspondence, and other communication materials for leadership.
• Conduct light research, information gathering, and coordination activities to support leadership decision-making, planning, and meeting preparation.
• Support travel coordination, document management, and other administrative processes as needed.
• Track and monitor leadership priorities, action items, and deliverables to ensure alignment and timely follow-through.
• Maintain organized tracking systems, administrative files, and coordination tools to support efficient operations.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflow, scheduling efficiency, and operational processes.
• Proactively identify operational challenges, analyze root causes and constraints, and recommend practical solutions that improve workflow, coordination, and executive effectiveness.
• Provide flexible support to leadership in response to evolving organizational needs and priorities.

Strategic Communications & Engagement

• Draft, organize, and disseminate updates, briefings, meeting summaries, and other information to ensure timely and consistent communication.
• Facilitate collaboration and coordination across teams, offices, and initiatives to support organizational goals.

Requirements

• Must be based in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and ready to work full time, on site, five days a week at a client office in Washington, D.C..
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field.
• Two to five years of relevant experience supporting executive leadership, coordinating complex operations, or working within a federal, public-sector, or consulting environment.
• Ability to embrace positivity and joy in the work environment.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or equivalent background investigation clearance in accordance with federal client requirements.

Required Skills and Mindsets

Collaboration, Client Engagement, and Operational Support

• Strong organizational, prioritization, and time-management skills, with the ability to anticipate executive needs and manage competing priorities with minimal supervision.
• Proven ability to use empathy and others' perspectives to creatively frame engagements and surface possible solutions.
• Strong foundational skills in project and program management.
• Comfort with budget tracking, tracker maintenance, and baseline operational data management, including experience in the development, maintenance, and user-adoption of related systems, dashboards, and tools
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to develop effective and trusted working relationships with a geographically and range of stakeholders from various industries.
• Collaborative work style and openness/willingness to act on feedback and continuously iterate.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and attention to detail when handling sensitive information and high-visibility work.

Consulting, Problem Solving, and Growth Mindset

• Curiosity and a willingness to look beyond immediate tasks to identify opportunities to improve workflows, strengthen the client experience, and contribute to broader engagement priorities.
• Commitment to delivering high-quality, professional products within tight timeframes.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to quickly synthesize information, identify patterns, and translate findings into clear recommendations or next steps.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills, including experience developing executive briefings, slide decks, guidance documents, meeting summaries, and other leadership materials.
• Ability to balance strategic, big-picture thinking with meticulous execution.
• Interest/skills in visual design and communication to enhance data synthesis for executive review.
• Interest in growing from high-level executive and operational support into broader consulting, client engagement, or account responsibilities over time.
• Interest and willingness to support a range of project topics, client needs, and potential future assignments.

Type of Position: Full-time (40 hours per week), on site

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $90,000 - $110,000, depending on experience and education. In addition to a competitive base salary, Frontier offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes 20 days of paid time off, 11 paid federal holidays, immediate 401K contribution, health/dental & vision insurance and more. All employees are also eligible for an annual performance-based bonus.

To learn more about Frontier Design, please visit www.imaginefrontier.com.