Application & Deadlines

Opens
01/05/2026 at 12:00am EST
Closes
02/02/2026 at 11:59pm EST
Closed

Overview

Please Note: This internship is co-sponsored. This means the funding for this internship is provided by two institutions at Harvard. The Primary Affiliation is with the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI), and the Secondary Affiliation is with the IOP. The primary institute (HGHI) will be the point of contact during the application and internship onboarding process. As such, applications for this placement will be processed by HGHI and count towards the HGHI's three-application limit.

This opportunity awards a $12,000 stipend.

NHS England is the national body responsible for overseeing the planning, funding, and delivery of health services in England. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. NHS England commissions services, sets national priorities, and works to ensure that the NHS delivers high-quality, equitable, and sustainable care across the country.

As part of this programme, the intern will join NHS England’s Strategy Team and contribute to the development and delivery of one of the team’s strategic projects. Working as a full member of a project team, the intern will be involved in strategy and policy development, qualitative and quantitative analysis, options appraisal, and stakeholder engagement across the strategic project cycle.

The internship is designed to strengthen the intern’s understanding of the NHS and the wider health system, while building core skills in problem-solving, strategic thinking, project delivery, communication, and leadership.

 

Location & Format

London, England
Industries
Environment / STEM / Public Health
Federal / State / Local Government
Format
Hybrid
Format Details

Interns are expected to work in the office a minimum of two days per week, with remaining days remote.

Program Details

Possible project areas include:

  • Health and Growth Programme
  • Prevention Accelerators
  • Mental Health Strategy
  • Housing and Health
  • Futures Thinking
  • Projects focus on national health system priorities and support the development of long-term, evidence-informed strategies for improving population health and health system performance.

Intern Responsibilities:


Phase 1 (approximately 2 weeks):

  • Develop understanding of NHS operational and strategic processes
  • Build knowledge of key policy areas relevant to the assigned strategic project
  • Join a team organisational development (OD) workstream and contribute to wider team development

Phase 2 (approximately 6 weeks):

  • Support a project workstream lead with project development and delivery
  • Participate in problem-solving sessions
  • Support development and commissioning of quantitative analysis
  • Contribute to options appraisals
  • Engage with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders

Phase 3 (approximately 2 weeks):

  • Continue supporting delivery of the strategic project
  • Present project outputs and findings to senior team members
  • Design and facilitate a team session to reflect on key learnings from the internship

Throughout the internship, the intern will receive ongoing support from their line manager and workstream lead, with weekly one-to-one check-ins focused on progress and skill development.

  • Ability to interpret health policy and analyse complex information
  • Interest in health systems, public policy, and strategic planning
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including briefing and presentation development
  • Comfort working with qualitative and quantitative data
  • Ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage deadlines

If you have any questions about this opportunity or the Director's Internship Program in General, please reach out to IOP_ICS@hks.harvard.edu