We’re on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you’ll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most.
The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning Newsroom and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales.
The Data/AI team plays a critical role in shaping the next-generation personalized news experience. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, data processing, and intelligent systems, we aim to deliver more meaningful, relevant, and engaging experiences for our readers.
We’re seeking a Software Engineer to join our Data/AI team. This role will contribute directly to the evolution of The Washington Post’s digital products by designing and developing scalable systems that personalize content experiences across platforms.
The ideal candidate is driven by curiosity, thrives in collaborative environments, and enjoys building impactful, data-driven solutions. You’ll be instrumental in developing backend services, APIs, and infrastructure that power the Post’s intelligent news delivery systems.
You are an aspiring software engineer who enjoys taking on new challenges and building reliable, impactful solutions.
You thrive in a collaborative environment and value continuous feedback and improvement.
You are passionate about using data-driven approaches to enhance user experiences.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and build scalable APIs, data pipelines, and backend services.
Develop and maintain infrastructure to support data-driven applications and personalized features.
Ensure the reliability, scalability, and performance of deployed solutions through rigorous testing and monitoring.
Participate in code reviews and contribute to technical documentation for better team collaboration.
Senior year in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
Experience with backend software development using Python, Node.js, or Java.
Familiarity with building and deploying production-level applications.
Experience with version control (Git) and collaborative development practices.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with cloud services (preferably AWS) to deploy and manage applications.
Familiarity with SQL and NoSQL databases for building data-intensive applications.
Strong problem-solving skills and experience with API design and RESTful services.
Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
Interns are paid hourly and expected to work 35-40 hours per week.
Our internship program is based out of our D.C. office, so you are expected to be on-site for the summer and follow The Washington Post’s in-person work policy. We do not provide housing, but can suggest options upon request. You must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program at the time of submitting this application. We encourage you to apply if you are currently a student, regardless of your background or experience with engineering and/or journalism.
Foreign nationals can apply for internships. All work samples must be submitted in English. If selected, the required documentation to verify U.S. work authorization must be provided. The Post is unable to provide visa sponsorship for internships. If you have any questions, please reach out to life@washpost.com
We will review all applications and invite a subset of applicants to the next process, which includes live coding and interviews with team leads.
Our program provides a meaningful learning experience for engineers who support The Washington Post's mission. Our interns work directly with our full-time engineers on real production features.
Additionally, you'll be invited to exclusive events like our annual intern hackathon and lunch seminars from leaders across the company.
This internship is not a guarantee of a job at The Post. We have hired from our internship classes in the past, and we hope to continue this trend in the coming years. Note our internship program is not a binding contract — you can take a full-time job elsewhere or from your (or another!) team at The Post before the internship ends.
Learn more about The Post at careers.washingtonpost.com.