Policy Associate NetBeacon - Intern

Public Interest Registry (PIR, the Reston, VA-based non-profit operator of the .ORG top-level domain with more than 11 million active registrations worldwide) has an outstanding opportunity for a NetBeacon Institute Intern for the summer of 2025. 

As part of PIR’s continuing mission to be an exemplary domain name registry and industry thought leader that also serves as a valued resource to those working to improve our world, we are seeking an enthusiastic, organized individual who is passionate and hard working. The role of the intern will be to support the work of the NetBeacon Institute, an international initiative focused on making the Internet safer. 

The NetBeacon Institute (Institute) was founded by PIR in 2021, its mission is to create a safer Internet for everyone. They work towards this by providing a world class, comprehensive, free suite of tools to create a safer Internet. This includes running two flagship products, providing education, defining best practices, researching DNS Abuse, and fostering collaboration. DNS Abuse is defined as: malware, botnets, phishing, pharming, and related spam. The Institute has already received accolades for its work, in particular: NetBeacon Reporter and the NetBeacon Measurement and Analytics Platform (MAP) initiatives.

NetBeacon Reporter is the first centralized, free solution for reporting DNS Abuse — solving  the problems of complexity and quality related to reporting and receiving reports. NetBeacon Measurement and Analytics Platform (MAP) was launched to increase the quality of information about the prevalence and persistence of DNS Abuse within the domain registration industry. It regularly publishes data which helps the industry and policy makers understand the state of DNS Abuse, and informs activities to prevent, reduce and mitigate.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• The primary focus of this internship will be to research and create evidentiary standards for NetBeacon Reporter. 
• Online harms such as fake web shops, scams, and fraud don’t have standards for reporting to Internet Infrastructure providers. This internship will be focused on understanding what types of abuse providers accept reports for, and what evidence they require for those abuses to take appropriate action. 
• The intention of this project is to understand which operators accept which kinds of reports, why/why not, and evidence expectations. The format of the research is anticipated to be as follows: 
  • Summarize the issue: Prepare a Summary Document of the issue, process, and anticipated outcomes. 
  • Information Gathering: This will be a combination of online research and interviews.  Interviews will be with industry and other relevant contacts provided by the Institute. Summarize the findings into an output document: After analyzing the input of the interview process, the findings should be summarized into a concise but comprehensive document along with the next steps.
  • Run a series of group engagement sessions: Using the preparation from the previous stage, run a series of consultation sessions with group engagement to review the findings from the previous stage. 
  • Produce a final recommendation document: Condense all of this information into a final document presenting a recommended path forward, identifying any unresolved issues, points of disagreement or areas that require further attention. 
• Additional work may include helping with the delivery of all aspects of the Institute’s activities. For example, this may include conducting web-based research, writing and editing documents/reports/web copy, event organization, data analysis, or conducting outreach to relevant stakeholders.

The NetBeacon Institute Research Intern will report to the Executive Director, based in Toronto, Canada. With mentorship from the Director, Policy & Programs, who is based in London, UK. 

This will require a candidate who can work well independently and has good time management skills. The work of the Institute is fast paced, varied and evolving. We encourage applicants with an interest in creating a safer Internet and enthusiasm for working on creative solutions to complex global problems.

Learning Objectives 

The Intern will join a dynamic and vibrant part of PIR. You will: 

• Get real life experience of running a policy consultation, ideal for anyone interested in government/international/private think tank policy work.  
• Run a proof of concept for making progress on complex policy issues with multiple global stakeholders. 
• Work in an international environment with colleagues based in London, Toronto and Reston. 
• Have the opportunity to interface with external stakeholders and partners based all over the world, operating in a variety of different cultures and contexts running parts of the international Internet infrastructure, working in governmental organizations, or other policy related roles. 
• Have the opportunity to work on real world problems that impact everyday people and contribute to making the Internet a safer place. 
• Be able to work on live products and services offered publicly and contribute to the direction of the Institute and the development of our outputs. This can result in published work which you can refer to as part of your future career portfolio.

Supervision Received and Exercised

Position works under direct supervision of the Director, Policy & Programs.

Preferred Skills, Qualifications and Other Requirements

• Ability to work 40 hours per week throughout the term of the internship on a hybrid location basis with two days per week (typically Tuesdays and Thursdays) in our Reston, VA office and the remaining hours per week remotely.
• Enrolled full-time and pursuing an undergraduate degree from an accredited college/university majoring in political science, economics, computer science or related field. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication, organization, and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze a problem, ask thoughtful questions and provide creative suggestions. 
• An aptitude for learning new concepts and applying analytical thinking in a collaborative work environment. 
• Dedication to meet deadlines, prioritize tasks and organize work in a structured and timely manner. 
• Exhibits willingness to be flexible and adaptive and demonstrates a desire to operate in a dynamic and high-growth environment.
• A desire to improve the Internet, contribute to solving complex global problems, or interest in international technical policy issues would be beneficial to success in this role. 
• Some experience in data analysis and presentation, or qualitative and quantitative research methodologies is preferable. However, an interest in understanding data and how it contributes to solving societal problems would also be sufficient. 
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship or CPT Authorization.
• 
  

Physical Requirements 

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• Ability to access information using a computer for up to 4 hours at a time.
• Requires sitting or standing at a desk for extended periods of time.
• Requires mobility within the office.

Work Environment. This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers and phones.

Reasonable Accommodation. PIR will provide reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified individual with a disability, unless doing so poses an undue hardship on the operation of the business.

Equal Employment Opportunity, OSHA, and Harassment

Public Interest Registry (PIR) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, gender identification or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, PIR complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall and transfers, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

PIR expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of PIR’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

PIR provides a workplace free from recognized hazards and complies with standards, rules and regulations issued under the OSH Act.