Strategic Design Intern – Summer 2026

Applications must be submitted by Sunday, March 1, 2026, to be considered in the first round of review.

WHAT MAKES US A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times. Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally.

WHO YOU'LL WORK WITH

You’ll join our Design experts within the AI, Insights & Solutions team. This team is part of Bain’s digital capabilities practice, which includes experts in analytics, engineering, product management, and design. In this multidisciplinary environment, you'll leverage deep technical expertise with business acumen to help clients tackle their most transformative challenges. You’ll work on integrated teams alongside our general consultants and clients to develop data-driven strategies and innovative solutions. Together, we create human-centric solutions that harness the power of data and artificial intelligence to drive competitive advantage for our clients. Our collaborative and supportive work environment fosters creativity and continuous learning, enabling us to consistently deliver exceptional results. 

WHERE YOU'LL FIT WITHIN THE TEAM

As a Design Intern, you’ll have the opportunity to work on high-impact challenges for leading brands and businesses across a wide range of industries. This role offers exposure to diverse project types and the chance to contribute meaningfully at every stage of the innovation process under the direction and mentorship of a senior designer.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Working within AIS as a design intern provides an unparalleled opportunity to work on big, impactful challenges for leading brands and businesses, and to experience and learn from multiple different types of projects across industries.

Essential Functions

Participate in the full strategic design process hands on to transform customer insights into impactful opportunities for growth

• Conduct qualitative research and synthesize learnings into actionable insights and tangible artifacts (e.g. personas, customer journey maps, opportunity maps)
• Support planning and execution of ideation workshops and creative sessions
• Envision and conceptualize new business ideas and services with game changing potential and bring them to life through creative storytelling
• Iteratively design and refine solutions through low to high-fidelity prototyping 

Team with and learn from a diverse group of designers and innovation specialists with deep expertise in human-centered design and product development

• Contribute to the collective growth and experience of the AIS team by sharing your experiences and unique perspective
• Gain experience working in a client services environment
• Benefit from 1:1 mentorship from AIS team members with a broad range of experiences and backgrounds

Support case team on cross-functional process management and project delivery and ensure that I&D delivers successfully

• Help ensure that AIS is successful at delivering high impact results
• Independently own pieces of design work, take direction and feedback to evolve the work, and manage time effectively
• Effectively collaborate, co-create, and build relationships with multiple stakeholders (case team, client team, experts, outside partners)

Help to bring Bain to the next level as a business

• Build the AIS knowledge base by capturing learnings from client engagements
• Teach and transfer knowledge, expertise, and capabilities to Bain teams and client teams
• Contribute to AIS culture creation and take on team, office, or firm initiatives

ABOUT YOU

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s design program at an accredited university or institution and set to graduate in less than ~2 years
• Must submit a design portfolio (linked or attached) for your application to be reviewed
• Must be able to work physically from the Bain & Company New York office located at 1114 6th Ave, New York, NY 10036 starting on Monday, June 8th, 2026 until approximately Friday, August 14, 2026 (accommodations on start and end date may be made on a case by case basis). 
• This role requires a minimum of three days per week working together in person, either at a client location or at your Bain home office 
• Travel is required.  This position requires regional travel away from your home office/primary working location. Travel frequency and destinations will vary based on project needs. 

Successful candidates will have:

• Hands-on experience shaping digital products, services, and/or new ventures (or equivalent experience)
• A thorough understanding of Design Thinking
• Skillset and interests focused on areas within strategic design, research, UX/UI, service design, omnichannel experience design, and/or digital product design
• Comfort with and passion for the end-to-end design process, from early-stage insights gathering, to strategy definition, concepting, and prototyping
• Fluency in working with state-of-the-art collaboration and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Miro, Adobe CS, GenAI tools)
• Excellent communication, presentation and collaboration skills
• A highly ambitious and entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
• A basic understanding of product and business strategy
• Understanding of and/or experience using Agile work methods

Compensation & Benefits Information 

Compensation for this role includes a monthly base salary of $9,000 and Bain’s best-in-class benefits package.

Bain & Company's comprehensive U.S. benefits and wellness program is designed to help employees achieve personal independence, protection and stability in the areas most important to you and your family. Bain pays 100% individual employee premiums for medical, dental and vision programs, offering one of the most comprehensive medical plans for employees without impacting your paycheck.