Innovation Projects Intern

Building a Brand starts with a Story

FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency providing Content, Creative, Digital Technology, Management & Delivery, and Data & Insights services. For 30 years, we have utilized three flexible delivery models: Embedded teams, Corporate Campus operations, and a Full-Service Agency.
Managing over 37,000 events & projects annually across 110 countries, FIRST serves 130+ brands, specializing in Fortune 500 companies within the Financial Services, Technology, Healthcare, Media, and Professional Services sectors. FIRST is part of the broader Encore family of companies. Encore is a global leader in event production and technology.
Consistently recognized for excellence, recent honors include 2026 Chief Marketer Agency of the Year, the Ad Net Zero Award for sustainability, and more.

Learn more at www.firstagency.com

Location: New York, NY (Hybrid) – Must be able to work from the FIRST New York office and reside within the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, or CT).

What You Would Get To Do

The Innovation Projects Intern will support the coordination and delivery of FIRST’s AI transformation program. Working within the Project Management Office (PMO), the role provides project, research, and operational support to ensure AI initiatives are effectively monitored, communicated, and progressed across the business. This role offers an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in AI transformation, project management, strategic research, stakeholder engagement, and organizational change within a leading agency environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Support the coordination and tracking of AI initiatives across FIRST, helping the AI Taskforce keep sight of progress against activities, milestones, and priorities
• Keep project documentation, action logs, and program tracking tools updated throughout the project lifecycle
• Attend key PMO meetings, capturing clear actions, risks, decisions, and required follow-up activities
• Pull information from a variety of sources to help build and format professional reports, governance updates, and leadership materials
• Conduct foundational research into AI deployment, innovation, and adoption across competitor agencies and adjacent industries to support benchmarking insights and help inform the FIRST AI roadmap
• Support practical mini-projects and short AI sprints focused on developing, testing, experimenting with, and refining approved AI tools and prompts
• Document outputs and compare effectiveness across different AI approaches, offering basic recommendations on how prompts, workflows, or tools could be improved
• Liaise with the FIONA team (FIRST Innovation & AI) and internal stakeholders as required to support smooth program delivery
• Identify and share simple opportunities to improve ways of working and help accelerate AI adoption across the business
• Act as an ambassador for the FIRST brand, leading by example and displaying the company’s core values (Ambition, Creativity, Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork)

What We Are Looking For

Please be aware that we know experience does not always look like we describe it. If you believe you would be an excellent fit for this role, please apply - we would love to see how you could fit at FIRST.

• Robust organizational and project coordination skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent research and analytical capabilities with an ability to gather data from multiple sources
• Genuine interest in AI, technology, innovation, and business transformation
• Proactive, curious, and comfortable working in a fast-changing, creative environment
• Ability to work independently on tasks while collaborating well with a team

Benefits: Interns are not eligible for company benefits during the internship.

United States Residents: Bachelor's degree candidates (current students or graduates) are eligible for $20/hour, and Master's degree candidates (current students or graduates) are eligible for $25/hour.