Partner Operations & AI Automation Intern

Overview

About the Role & Team

IDC is building out its partnerships with leading AI and technology companies, and demand on the partnerships team is growing quickly. Join IDC's Partnerships team as our first Partner Operations & AI Automation Co-op/Intern. You'll work directly with the SVP of Product & Strategy and split your time with the office of the CEO to design and build the agentic workflows that give a lean partnerships team outsized leverage, turning manual partner qualification, development, pipeline tracking, and intelligence-gathering into automated, always-on workflows built on Claude and other third-party AI tools.

This is a hands-on build role with direct executive visibility. What you ship becomes a live proof point for how AI-driven automation pays off inside IDC's own operations, not just for IDC's clients. It's also a rare chance to work directly with senior leadership on a strategic priority and see how a global research and advisory firm builds partnerships.

What You’ll Do

• Design and build agentic workflows (using Claude and other third-party AI tools) that automate partner ops and pipeline management, including CRM hygiene, status tracking, and reporting
• Build automated partner intelligence workflows that monitor and aggregate partner signals, competitive moves, and market data relevant to IDC's P1 partners
• Support automation of partnership qualification, including a rules-based triage/scoring layer for inbound partner opportunities
• Support automation of partnership development workflows where judgment-light and repeatable (e.g., document assembly, follow-up sequencing, status reporting)
• Build and test AI-enabled tools, and prototype lightweight automations and dashboards, that save the team time (research, reporting, drafting, data analysis)
• Support day-to-day partner operations: tracking partner programs, deliverables, timelines, and stakeholder follow-ups
• Help collect, organize, and prioritize partnership use cases as new opportunities emerge
• Prepare briefing materials, summaries, and analysis for leadership
• Document every workflow you build (logic, data sources, and a handoff runbook) so it survives beyond your co-op term and the team can reuse it
• Partner with the Directors of Strategic Partner Development and Partner GTM/Activation to identify and prioritize the highest-leverage manual tasks to automate next, and contribute to partnership initiatives for H1 2027

What You Bring

• Currently enrolled in a graduate degree program in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Business Analytics, or a related technical field
• No prior full-time work experience required; coursework or project experience with AI tools is welcome
• Demonstrated, hands-on AI proficiency: you’ve built agentic workflows or automations (e.g., LLMs with tool use, prompt design, API integrations, or no-code/low-code platforms) through a personal, academic, or professional project, and you’re eager to learn new AI and automation tooling
• Ability to demo and explain an AI automation you’ve built (the interview process includes a 10-minute live demo of something you’ve built)
• Comfort with Python, SQL, or similar scripting, or a strong aptitude to learn quickly
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including deck creation (PowerPoint) and the ability to synthesize information clearly for senior audiences
• Strong written communication and documentation habits
• A scrappy, flexible, startup-style approach: you’re self-directed, organized, and proactive, you get things done, and you adapt quickly as priorities change
• Comfortable working across several stakeholders in a small team with executive visibility
• Interest in technology markets, partnerships, or business strategy

Nice to Have

• Prior internship or project experience in partnerships, operations, or analytics

What you'll gain

• Direct exposure to senior leaders, including the CEO, and their decision-making
• Work on cutting-edge AI at a global, Blackstone-owned data and research firm
• Real ownership of projects with visible impact on the business, including a live proof point for AI-driven automation inside IDC
• Hands-on experience at the intersection of AI, partnerships, and a global tech research firm
• Mentorship from an experienced partnerships team

Duration: Full-Time for 6 months - targeting January-June 2027Location: New York, NY Work Setup: Hybrid from New York, NY (primarily remote with in-person meetings in NYC and potential visit to Boston headquarters)Hours: Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm Eastern with some flexibility requiredCompensation: $35/hour

Why This Role Stands Out At IDC, your work helps shape how the world understands technology and where it goes next. You collaborate with curious, high-caliber colleagues who value rigor, integrity, and shared success. As the premier global provider of trusted technology intelligence, IDC equips business and technology leaders with the evidence they need to make confident decisions. Our insights inform strategy, investment, and innovation across industries and regions.

Recognized by IIAR as Analyst Firm of the Year for five consecutive years, IDC sets the standard for credibility and impact. With more than 1,000 analysts worldwide and a truly global perspective, we combine deep expertise with practical relevance. Here, your ideas matter, your voice is heard, and your contributions provide the insights leaders rely on every day. It is meaningful work, backed by a culture that supports growth, collaboration, and long-term career development with a globally respected brand.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IDC is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all qualified persons. Employment eligibility verification required. We participate in E-Verify.

IDC is currently able to employ remote workers in the following states: Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Connecticut (CT), Washington D.C. (DC), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Kansas (KS), Massachusetts (MA), Maryland (MD), Maine (ME), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), Missouri (MO), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), Ohio (OH), Oregon (OR), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Utah (UT), Virginia (VA), Vermont (VT), Washington (WA), and Wisconsin (WI).