Engineer Intern - Washington, United States - Protagonist

Description

Protagonist is a women-owned, women-led small business and pioneer in narrative research, analysis, and strategy. We help our clients harness the power of narratives by illuminating the stories that matter to their mission, analyzing the influences and influencers that are driving those narratives, and developing strategies for navigating and shaping those narrative landscapes. Over the past decade, we have developed a line of state-of-the-art narrative products that focus on the deep, enduring stories that define a population's identity, shape their perspectives, and describe their beliefs. Our Narrative Analytics technology platform is relied on by dozens of the world's leading corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits to identify, quantify, and track narratives in online conversations. We have team members in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Chicago, and many points in between.

About You

The Protagonist Intern has a passion for understanding the deeply held beliefs -- the narratives -- that drive critical issues. Our Engineer Intern supports the continued development of our internal tools that comprise our Narrative Analytics offering—a suite of ML and natural language processing (NLP) capabilities that work to distill the beliefs of populations around the world, as expressed in online conversations. You have a passion for applying innovative engineering solutions to solve hard problems, are deeply data-savvy, and have outstanding technical skills.

Primary Responsibilities

During the internship, the intern will take an active role in developing and enhancing our technology infrastructure. They will work closely with our Engineering Team and the VP of Technology to understand end-user requirements and contribute to the planning and development of new services. Additionally, the intern will develop, test, and deploy new software solutions tailored to our internal applications, address production issues to enhance system performance, and collaborate with cross-functional teams including Data Science to refine system functionalities and streamline processes. They will also support various scripting tasks and troubleshoot to optimize software development and deployment.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Develop and test Python scripts and web applications using Django.
• Manage and interact with AWS services to implement and troubleshoot solutions.
• Collaborate with team members on code development cycles using Git.
• Work closely with Data Science and other departments to understand and address technical issues.
• Contribute to the development and optimization of SQL databases and data-driven applications.
• Utilize Apache Spark for large-scale data processing tasks.

Requirements

• Pursuing a degree in Computer Science or related field
• Authorized to work in the US
• Must be able to work on US Government contracts that may prohibit or restrict the use of foreign nationals; existing security clearance (SECRET or higher) a plus
• Experience in Python
• Experience with Pandas
• Experience with Python programming, including Jupyter Notebooks
• Knowledge of Transformer architectures is a plus
• Experience with Git or other source code management

Position Pay Band

$19.00 per hour

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Protagonist is a values-driven company that is committed to doing meaningful work for organizations we respect. We are deeply committed to centering racial and gender justice in the work we produce, in our engagement with clients, and in our internal operations. We believe in the promise of democratic governance and the responsibility of civic participation, and are building a culture that supports these commitments.