Overview

The US-ASEAN Business Council is the premier advocacy organization for U.S. corporations operating within the dynamic Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), serving as the leading voice of the U.S. private sector in promoting mutually beneficial trade and investment relationships between the United States and Southeast Asia. The Council is the only U.S.-based organization recognized in the ASEAN charter as a supporting organization of ASEAN. The Council's members include more than 180 of the most successful and innovative corporations in the world, including Apple, Boeing, Citi, The Coca-Cola Company, Google, and Microsoft. Combined, these 180+ companies generate over $9 trillion in revenue and employ more than 13 million people worldwide.

Cradled between China, India and Australia, ASEAN is the third-largest economy in the Indo-Pacific and the fifth largest in the world with a GDP of $2.8 trillion and a population of 650 million. As a critical hub for global trade, more than $3.4 trillion in global trade transits through ASEAN each year. In 2019, ASEAN became the 4th largest goods export market for the U.S. after Canada, Mexico, and China, reaching over $105 billion in exports in goods and services. It has also attracted more U.S. investment than any other destination in the whole of Indo-Pacific, receiving almost $329 billion in investment, more than the United States has directed to China, India, Japan, and South Korea combined.

Internship Duties and Learning Outcomes

The Indonesia intern will assist the Country and Industry Team in providing forward-looking research and support to the Council's 180+ members. The paid internship is on a full-time basis and based in Jakarta. The interns should be available to work 40 hours per week. Please note that the position is in the Indonesia office and no relocation assistance will be provided. The intern will be expected to come into the office 3-4 days a week. All applicants must be eligible to work legally in Indonesia.

Policy and Research Internship Duties:

The successful candidate will support the delivery of projects and in the development of policy research and written updates out of the Indonesia office. The successful candidate will work directly with both Jakarta and D.C.-based staff and is expected to provide operational support to support the wider team’s stakeholder engagement efforts.

• Policy research: Assist in preparing written regulation and policy reporting, news clipping collection, and intelligence updates for a business audience to support the Council’s goals.
• Project management: Assist Council staff with programming run out of the Indonesia office including member meetings, business missions, and special projects – which includes offline and/or online roundtables, briefings, and workshops. Daily administrative tasks include note taking, logistical coordination, and meeting scheduling arrangement.

Internship Stipend

Interns will be paid at a competitive rate.

Qualifications

The Council is looking for highly motivated candidates who are undergraduates, recent graduates or graduate students with a strong demonstrable interest in Southeast Asia or trade policy. We are seeking individuals with strong written and organizational skills, as well as well-honed research abilities.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college in Law, International Relations, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• 1 year of work and/or internship experience, ideally in the field of legal, compliance, government affairs, business journalism, political risk, and/or think tank. Knowledge of and experience working with and/or for the Indonesian government, the ASEAN Secretariat, law firm, trade association, think tank, and/or English news outlet is a plus.
• Must be fluent in English and Indonesian, with excellent written and verbal communication skills on both languages.
• Strong interest in writing and research, with ability to write clearly and concisely in English - preferably proven by writing and/or research portfolio.
• Good understanding on Indonesia’s political economy affairs regulatory landscape, with strong desire to learn current industry trends.
• Comfortable of working on multiple tasks concurrently, including on various project management tasks, in a fast-paced and rapidly changing environment. Candidates must be organized, analytical, and detail oriented.
• Exposure to American companies, multinational corporate environment, and/ or education in the United States is desirable.
• Must be willing to occasionally work beyond normal business hours to speak with colleagues in the United States, participate in global staff calls, and consult with both the United States and Southeast Asia-based Council members.

Application Procedures, Deadlines and Internship Periods

To apply to the Council’s internship program, please submit a resume, a cover letter, and a brief writing sample on any topic pertaining to Indonesia’s current trade/economic policy (e.g., local content requirement, import regulation, omnibus health, PDP), regulatory affairs, and/or foreign investment issues (no more than one page).

The cover letter should include information about your availability and a brief description of your academic and professional goals.

The position timeframe is flexible, but the ideal candidate should be available during the winter/spring period. We highly encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible as the applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications will be closed directly once the role has been filled.