Navigating Financial Risk: A Guide to Chatham Financial Internships

Chatham Financial stands as the largest independent financial risk management advisory and technology firm. Since its founding in 1991, Chatham has been dedicated to providing clients with in-depth knowledge, innovative tools, and a team of over 700 employees to navigate the complexities of interest rate, foreign currency, and commodity exposures. Serving over 3,500 companies across diverse industries, Chatham handles over $1 trillion in transaction volume annually, helping businesses maximize their value in the capital markets.

Chatham Financial distinguishes itself not only through its expertise but also through its commitment to its employees. The company fosters a work environment that values people, teamwork, integrity, and client service, investing in professional development opportunities to help employees grow throughout their careers. This commitment extends to its internship programs, designed to offer students hands-on experience and mentorship in the world of financial risk management.

Experiential Learning Through Internships

An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Chatham University requires all undergraduate students to earn at least 3 credits of internship and can earn as many as 17 over the course of their undergraduate education. After completing their first term at Chatham, students who have at least a 2.0 GPA and the approval of their academic advisors can complete internships in any term. Students do internships that are relevant to their majors and interests in businesses, government, and in for-profit and non-profit organizations in Pittsburgh and beyond. Students receive guidance in each step of the internship process from a Career Consultant. Steps include: assistance with finding an internship site, application and interview preparation, completion and registration of the internship learning agreement, and guided reflection and evaluation. Chatham will continue to subsidize summer internship costs for undergraduate students. Those who want to complete their internship requirement for credit during the summer terms can receive up to 3 credit hours for $200 per credit. It’s always a great idea to meet with someone in Career Development to talk about your internship strategy and resources that will help you find opportunities that meet your career goals. The Chatham University Internship program is designed for students with the opportunity to acquire hands-on work experience in a professional setting. The student gains insight, deep learning, and practical skills by reflecting on the internship experience under the supervision of a faculty instructor. Reference the Internship Handbook for further details.

Chatham Financial's Summer Internship Program: An Overview

Chatham Financial’s Summer Internship Program provides a unique opportunity to gain real-world experience alongside experts in capital markets. Interns become integral members of client services, engagement, or operations teams, developing critical skills in finance, analytics, and consulting through hands-on projects.

The program typically spans 8-10 weeks, offering a structured onboarding process and ongoing mentorship. Interns develop a foundational understanding of capital markets, financial risk management, and Chatham’s advisory services. They hone analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills in a real business setting, discover unique strengths through a mid-summer self-assessment, and build a network of peers and professionals.

Read also: Applying to Chatham University

Roles and Responsibilities

Interns at Chatham Financial contribute to various impactful initiatives, with responsibilities varying based on team placement. Examples of past intern contributions include:

Supporting work in interest rate and foreign currency risk management.
Contributing to debt and derivative valuation.
Assisting with financial reporting.
Participating in structured finance activities.
Providing client support.
Contributing to hedge accounting processes.
Supporting capital markets solutions.
Assisting in data analysis and market research.
Creating client deliverables.
Contributing to trade reporting.
Developing presentations.
Building business intelligence dashboards.
Enhancing operational workflows.
Participating in collateral management and trade lifecycle tasks.
Working on a capstone intern project with peer interns and guidance from subject matter experts.
Designing client education materials.
Conducting SWOT analyses of new services.
Researching risk management best practices.
Developing strategic business plans for prospective clients.
Participating in weekly company-wide and team meetings, as well as intern social and networking events.
Navigating and modeling complex financing structures in Chatham’s proprietary technology platform.
Understanding fundamentals in tracking covenant test results and portfolio performance.
Providing valuations for a wide range of debt instruments.

Software Engineering Internship at Chatham Financial

Chatham Financial's Summer Internship Program offers a dynamic and immersive experience for aspiring technology professionals. As a Software Engineering Intern at Chatham, you will be immersed in a collaborative team environment where you'll work alongside experienced engineers on cutting-edge products. Our technology team is made up of a team of Software Engineers, Quality Engineers, DevOps Engineers, Security Engineers, UX Designers, and Quantitative Analysts . We build software for our clients that range across multiple sectors and industries as well as tools for our internal users to help them better serve our clients. Our team is a global team located in four different countries and multiple time zones.

As a Software Engineering Intern, you will gain hands-on experience by contributing to the development of innovative financial applications within a collaborative team environment.

Responsibilities

Assist with developing cutting-edge financial applications
Develop innovative, high-quality, and robust cloud-native SaaS web applications and micro services as part of our growing application development team
Be a member of an agile scrum team that owns development of a specific product or platform
Collaborate with other software engineering teams, design team, quant team, product owners and managers, and business stakeholders, while working on intern project
Develop software in our technology stack, which is constantly evolving but currently includes .NET, React, TypeScript, SQL Server, RabbitMQ Redis, and a variety of Microsoft Azure services
Build automated unit, integration and front-end tests using xUnit, Moq, NSubstitute and Playwright among other technologies
Implement the build, test, deploy development cycle in CI/CD pipelines using Docker, YAML, Terraform, Github Actions, and Azure services
Use AI workflows and AI coding assistants as peers and collaborators to help you deliver the best technology solutions for Chatham

Required Qualifications

Working towards Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
Experience with object-oriented languages such as C#, C++ or Java
Experience with JavaScript and JavaScript frameworks (e.g. React)
Experience with relational databases such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle or MySQL
Understanding of Unit testing, Test-Driven Development and mocking frameworks
Understanding of continuous delivery principles and processes
Understanding of REST principles, Service-oriented architecture, and API development
Proclivity towards refactoring and continuously improving OO code through agile development methods

Preferred Qualifications

1-2 years of experience preferred
Open-source development projects
Contributions to the local developer community
Quantitative and modeling skills with an ability to learn techniques in numerical optimization, data mining, simulation, or model calibration

Ideal Candidate Profile

Chatham Financial seeks motivated and curious individuals with a collaborative mindset and a desire to make a difference. Ideal candidates typically:

Are enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program.
Are pursuing a degree in business, finance, economics, mathematics, computer science, or a related field.
Demonstrate strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
Exhibit leadership potential and a service-oriented attitude.
Are comfortable working with large datasets.
Possess experience with financial modeling and statistical analysis (a plus).
Are proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; familiarity with additional tools (e.g., Python, SQL) is a plus.

Important Dates

The internship program will begin on June 1, 2026, and run through August 7, 2026.

Read also: Innovators at Chatham

Benefits of a Chatham Financial Internship

Interning at Chatham Financial offers numerous benefits, including:

Real-World Experience: Gaining practical experience in financial risk management and advisory services.
Skill Development: Honing analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Mentorship: Receiving guidance and support from experienced professionals.
Networking: Building connections with peers and industry experts.
Career Advancement: Launching a career in finance with a reputable firm.
Impactful Work: Contributing to meaningful projects and initiatives.
Supportive Culture: Thriving in a collaborative and entrepreneurial environment.

How to Apply

Applicants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate academic program. Chatham Financial offers an entrepreneurial culture that rewards teamwork and innovation. We seek individuals who are natural leaders, quick learners, and fit our collaborative culture.

Read also: Discover Chatham University

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