User Experience Design Intern

Summer 2027 - User Experience Design Intern

Location:  Cary, NC HQ

Nice to meet you!     

We’re a leader in data and AI. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence – and questions into answers.   

If you’re looking for a dynamic, fulfilling career with flexibility and a world-class employee experience, you’ll find it here. We’re recognized around the world for our inclusive, meaningful culture and innovative technologies by organizations like Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek and more.  

What you’ll do    

Looking for *that* internship? The game-changing one that’ll help you learn, grow, and chart your path forward? You’ll find it at SAS. Our interns aren’t coffee runners – they do real, meaningful work. Our award-winning internship program is focused on development, culture, and community. We’ll help you grow professionally, find (or further) your passion, and make memorable connections that last beyond the summer.     

Core UI Design is the design function within the R&D Division. We define the foundational product design building blocks—components, patterns, and standards—that enable SAS product teams to deliver consistent, accessible, and enterprise user experiences at scale. We partner closely with Core UI Development Teams to ensure designs are translated into high‑quality, production‑ready UI elements that teams can confidently adopt.

As an intern, you might:

• Work with product management to solve business problems with design.
• Create user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes to communicate complex concepts clearly and effectively. 
• Explore and create data-informed visualizations and artifacts.
• Investigate and solve AI enabled design challenges.
• Participate in collaborative design sessions with your design peers.
• Contribute to and/or use our Filament Design System to ensure consistent design across products.
• Collaborate with product and development teams in the design process to ensure solution feasibility and implementation.
• Gather user data via methods, such as task analysis, usability tests, participatory design, surveys, and focus groups.
• Iteratively test designs using low- and/or high-fidelity prototypes.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data, and present findings and recommendations to the product team.
• Collaborate with accessibility experts to ensure inclusive and usable experiences 
• Generate user interface or component specification documents.

Required qualifications 

• You’re an undergraduate college student enrolled in an accredited program, not graduating before December 2027.   

• Currently studying Graphic Design, User Experience and Interaction Design, Industrial Design, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Information Science, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, or related field.
• Experience with or interest in AI ethics, designing for AI, and/or AI design tools (ex. Figma Make, Claude Design, GitHub, Copilot, etc.)

• Strong communication skills – both written and verbal.   

• Leadership abilities. Your past experiences demonstrate you’ll take initiative and go above and beyond the call of duty.  

• You’re interested in the future of analytics and embrace technology. 

• You’re curious, passionate, authentic, and accountable. These are our Our SAS Values and influence everything we do. 

Preferred qualifications  

• Familiarity with design tools such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Mural, Miro, etc.
• Familiarity with one or more areas within UX design such as Design Systems, Designing for Accessibility, Ethical Design Responsive Design, Data Visualization, etc.
• Exposure to front end technologies such as CSS, HTML, React, etc.

Location 

• Cary, HQ Hybrid (minimum of 3 days in the office per week) 

Timeline  

• Interviews begin:  On a rolling basis 

• Internship: May 18, 2027 – August 6, 2027 (These dates are not flexible. To be considered for the SAS Summer Internship program, all interns must be available to start in person at Cary HQ on May 18, 2027. Summer internships last 12 weeks.  

Perks of the job    

• Work with (and learn from) the best. As a SAS intern, you’ll get face time with company leaders and executives.   

• Hybrid work flexibility: Our hybrid approach offers the best of both worlds, combining in-office collaboration with the flexibility to work remotely, aligned with your team’s needs (minimum of 3 days in the office per week).   

• Free SAS programming training and certification.      

• Your well-being matters. We support all dimensions of your well-being with programs designed to reduce stress and distractions so you can stay healthy and productive. This includes an on-site Work/Life Center, Recreation and Fitness Center, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), subsidized cafés and more.    

• We work hard, but we like to have fun, too. Enjoy hackathons, social events and other opportunities to connect and engage.    

You are welcome here.    

At SAS, it’s not about fitting into our culture – it’s about adding to it. We believe our people make the difference. Our inclusive workforce brings together unique talents and inspires teams to create amazing software that reflects the diversity of our users and customers.    

Additional Information    

To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status. SAS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Read more: Know Your Rights.   

Resumes may be considered in the order they are received. SAS employees performing certain job functions may require access to technology or software subject to export or import regulations. To comply with these regulations, SAS may obtain nationality or citizenship information from applicants for employment. SAS collects this information solely for trade law compliance purposes and does not use it to discriminate unfairly in the hiring process.    

 SAS only sends emails from verified “sas.com” email addresses and never asks for sensitive, personal information or money. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of any type of communication from, or on behalf of SAS, please contact [email protected].   

 Pay transparency: Hourly rates for SAS internships are based on an applicant’s year in school and the role they are hired into. Rates range from $15 to $30 per hour for associate and bachelor’s-level positions and from $29 to $49 per hour for master’s and Ph.D positions. Internship roles are not eligible for bonuses.   

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