Software Engineering Intern, AI Strategy & Transformation

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelors, Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, or a closely related discipline
• Strong programming skills in JavaScript and Python; experience building web UIs (React or comparable frameworks) and backend services
• Familiarity with RESTful APIs (or GraphQL), JSON, and web application fundamentals (HTTP, authentication)
• Experience with relational or NoSQL databases (Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, or similar) and writing efficient queries
• Knowledge of Git/GitHub workflows (commits, branches, pull requests) and collaborative software development
• Strong problem-solving skills, good communication, and ability to work collaboratively on multidisciplinary teams
• 0–2 years of professional or research experience (research assistantships, internships, capstones, and thesis projects count)
• Hands-on experience building full-stack applications that integrate ML/AI models and data services
• Exposure to modern engineering best practices: CI/CD, containerization, cloud deployment, observability, and secure coding
• Practical understanding of how software engineering supports ML productization and ethical use of people data
• The successful candidate will need to complete background checks as part of our recruitment process, this may include criminal, education credentials, employment history, and other background information relevant to your employment qualifications

Benefits

• Assessment and Succession
• Talent Acquisition
• Leadership Development
• Rewards and Benefits
• 20.00 USD - 25.00
• Salary range represents the compensation Korn Ferry expects to pay to a candidate with the requirements for the job posted
• Korn Ferry offers competitive compensation and benefits commensurate with experience
• The Korn Ferry Cares Wellbeing Platform offers Employees health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, Short Term Disability, Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment), Critical Illness, Accident Injury, Hospital Indemnity, and Legal Insurance
• Employees are eligible to enroll in Korn Ferry's Tax Deferred Savings plan 401(k)
• Employee Stock Purchase Program is available to all permanent employees who work 20 hours or more after 6 months of service
• Employees are eligible to receive a total of 15 days vacation annually plus paid time off for 16 company holidays
• Full time eligible employees will accrue sick time commencing on the first date of employment at the rate of 3.33 hours per pay period for an annualized maximum of 80 hours

Responsibilities

• Support the development and improvement of an internal application used by consultants to support client engagements
• Build and maintain AI pipelines that translate strategic priorities into structured insights and recommended business solution
• Develop backend services and APIs to orchestrate data flows, AI models, and rule-based logic used in engagement workflow
• Enhance application usability and reliability to improve consultant efficiency and consistency of outputs across engagement
• Implement testing, logging, and performance optimizations to ensure the application scales across teams and use case
• Partner with data science and consulting teams to translate technical outputs into engagement-ready insights and materials
• Working closely with data scientists, product managers, psychometricians, and platform engineers, the intern will help design, prototype, and deliver full-stack applications and production-facing software that support ML/GenAI experiments and people-analytics products
• This is a hands-on, learning-focused role: you will build front-end UIs, backend services and integration layers, and receive mentorship on software engineering and cloud deployment best practices
• As an engineering intern, you’ll work with these datasets indirectly via secure APIs and data pipelines and learn how software and services enable robust, ethical, and scalable people-analytics solutions
• This internship offers practical experience building and shipping full-stack components that enable ML/AI workflows and data products
• The intern will focus on prototyping productionized features, integrating ML models and data services, and ensuring solutions meet quality, security, and privacy standards
• Work will emphasize collaboration with data science colleagues to turn experiments into maintainable, deployable software that delivers business value
• Design and implement front-end interfaces (React/TypeScript) and responsive UIs that help stakeholders explore ML/AI outputs and data visualizations
• Build and maintain backend services and APIs (Node.js/Express, Python/Flask or FastAPI) to serve models, orchestrate data flows, and provide secure data access
• Integrate ML/GenAI prototypes into application stacks (inference endpoints, model wrappers, model caching and batching) in collaboration with data scientists
• Implement authentication, authorization, data access controls, and follow data governance policies when handling sensitive information
• Package and containerize applications (Docker), and help deploy services to cloud environments (Azure App Services)
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, automated testing (unit/integration), and code quality tooling (linters, type checks)
• Implement logging, monitoring, and basic observability to help troubleshoot performance and reliability issues in prototypes
• Write clear documentation, README files, and handoff artifacts (architecture notes, deployment runbooks) for engineering and data-platform teams
• Participate in code reviews, sprint ceremonies, and regular one-on-one mentorship meetings to iterate quickly and learn best practices

Full Description

Software Engineering Intern, AI Strategy & Transformation

Requisition ID: 24765

Country: United States of America

Location type: Hybrid (3 days / week in office)

State / Province: Illinois

City: Chicago

Application Deadline: 15 March 2026

About Us

Korn Ferry is a global consulting firm that powers performance.

We unlock the potential in your people and unleash transformation across your business - synchronizing strategy, operations, and talent to accelerate performance, fuel growth, and inspire a legacy of change.

That’s why the world’s most forward-thinking companies across every major industry turn to us - for a shared commitment to lasting impact and the bold ambition to Be More Than.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, our over 9,000 colleagues globally serve clients in more than 50 countries.

We offer five core capabilities that span the full talent lifecycle:

• Organizational Strategy

• Assessment and Succession

• Talent Acquisition

• Leadership Development

• Rewards and Benefits

Job Description (note: may change based on business needs)

• Support the development and improvement of an internal application used by consultants to support client engagements

• Build and maintain AI pipelines that translate strategic priorities into structured insights and recommended business solution

• Develop backend services and APIs to orchestrate data flows, AI models, and rule-based logic used in engagement workflow

• Enhance application usability and reliability to improve consultant efficiency and consistency of outputs across engagement

• Implement testing, logging, and performance optimizations to ensure the application scales across teams and use case

• Partner with data science and consulting teams to translate technical outputs into engagement-ready insights and materials

Job Summary

We are seeking a motivated Software Engineer Intern to join Korn Ferry’s AI Strategy & Transformation team.

Working closely with data scientists, product managers, psychometricians, and platform engineers, the intern will help design, prototype, and deliver full-stack applications and production-facing software that support ML/GenAI experiments and people-analytics products.

This is a hands-on, learning-focused role: you will build front-end UIs, backend services and integration layers, and receive mentorship on software engineering and cloud deployment best practices.

Why join us

We’re a small, tight-knit team inside Korn Ferry that encourages moving fast, thinking big, and creating real business value.

On the AI Strategy & Transformation team you’ll work at the intersection of people science and cutting-edge AI to glean the most actionable insights from complex data.

Our work has high-visibility: you’ll collaborate directly with senior product and business leaders, contribute to decisions that influence Korn Ferry’s offerings, and see your ideas go from notebook to production.

Our Data

Korn Ferry maintains a rich collection of people and assessment data (psychometric assessments, multi-rater tools, a pay database, talent movement and organizational datasets).

As an engineering intern, you’ll work with these datasets indirectly via secure APIs and data pipelines and learn how software and services enable robust, ethical, and scalable people-analytics solutions.

Context of the Role

This internship offers practical experience building and shipping full-stack components that enable ML/AI workflows and data products.

The intern will focus on prototyping productionized features, integrating ML models and data services, and ensuring solutions meet quality, security, and privacy standards.

Work will emphasize collaboration with data science colleagues to turn experiments into maintainable, deployable software that delivers business value.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement front-end interfaces (React/TypeScript) and responsive UIs that help stakeholders explore ML/AI outputs and data visualizations.

• Build and maintain backend services and APIs (Node.js/Express, Python/Flask or FastAPI) to serve models, orchestrate data flows, and provide secure data access.

• Integrate ML/GenAI prototypes into application stacks (inference endpoints, model wrappers, model caching and batching) in collaboration with data scientists.

• Implement authentication, authorization, data access controls, and follow data governance policies when handling sensitive information.

• Package and containerize applications (Docker), and help deploy services to cloud environments (Azure App Services).

• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, automated testing (unit/integration), and code quality tooling (linters, type checks).

• Implement logging, monitoring, and basic observability to help troubleshoot performance and reliability issues in prototypes.

• Write clear documentation, README files, and handoff artifacts (architecture notes, deployment runbooks) for engineering and data-platform teams.

• Participate in code reviews, sprint ceremonies, and regular one-on-one mentorship meetings to iterate quickly and learn best practices.

Qualifications

Required

• Currently pursuing a Bachelors, Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, or a closely related discipline.

• Strong programming skills in JavaScript and Python; experience building web UIs (React or comparable frameworks) and backend services.

• Familiarity with RESTful APIs (or GraphQL), JSON, and web application fundamentals (HTTP, authentication).

• Experience with relational or NoSQL databases (Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, or similar) and writing efficient queries.

• Knowledge of Git/GitHub workflows (commits, branches, pull requests) and collaborative software development.

• Strong problem-solving skills, good communication, and ability to work collaboratively on multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred

• Experience with TypeScript + React ecosystem (hooks, state management, component libraries) and CSS frameworks.

• Familiarity with Azure (App Services, Functions, AKS)

• Exposure to MLOps concepts, model serving (TorchServe, TensorFlow Serving, or custom inference), and Azure ML or SageMaker.

• Knowledge of security, data privacy best practices, and GDPR/ethical considerations for working with sensitive HR/assessment data.

• Experience with serverless architectures, microservices, or Kubernetes is a plus.

• Prior internships, research assistantships, or projects that demonstrate building and shipping production-quality software.

Experience Level

0–2 years of professional or research experience (research assistantships, internships, capstones, and thesis projects count).

Learning Outcomes / What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience building full-stack applications that integrate ML/AI models and data services.

• Exposure to modern engineering best practices: CI/CD, containerization, cloud deployment, observability, and secure coding.

• Practical understanding of how software engineering supports ML productization and ethical use of people data.

Estimated hourly rate

20.00 USD - 25.00

Salary range represents the compensation Korn Ferry expects to pay to a candidate with the requirements for the job posted.

Korn Ferry offers competitive compensation and benefits commensurate with experience.

Korn Ferry may use AI as part of its recruitment process, but all hiring decisions are made by humans.

Korn Ferry Benefits

The Korn Ferry Cares Wellbeing Platform offers Employees health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, Short Term Disability, Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment), Critical Illness, Accident Injury, Hospital Indemnity, and Legal Insurance.

Employees are eligible to enroll in Korn Ferry's Tax Deferred Savings plan 401(k).

Employee Stock Purchase Program is available to all permanent employees who work 20 hours or more after 6 months of service.

Employees are eligible to receive a total of 15 days vacation annually plus paid time off for 16 company holidays. Full time eligible employees will accrue sick time commencing on the first date of employment at the rate of 3.33 hours per pay period for an annualized maximum of 80 hours.

Internal Mobility at Korn Ferry

If you currently work for Korn Ferry or one of our affiliates, you must be eligible to apply for a different position within Korn Ferry to use the Careers Site.

If you accept such a position, your benefits programs and Human Resources policies may change.

Please consult with your HR contact for the new position concerning application eligibility, including any immigration/visa needs, benefit programs, and HR policies applicable to that position.

Korn Ferry is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Background Check Disclaimer

The successful candidate will need to complete background checks as part of our recruitment process, this may include criminal, education credentials, employment history, and other background information relevant to your employment qualifications