Acquisition Strategy & Analytics Intern – Spring 2027

UIUC Research Park, Champaign, IL | Synchrony Emerging Technology Center

Turn Data into Decisions

Join Synchrony’s Emerging Technology Center (ETC) and gain real-word experience at the #1 Best Company to Work for in the U.S. At the ETC, you’ll work alongside experienced professionals to explore how data, analytics, and technology are used to evaluate business strategies, identify opportunities, and support better decision-making.

Located at the University of Illinois Research Park, ETC brings students and Synchrony teams together to work across data science, analytics, technology, risk, and other emerging fields. Interns have partnered with teams across Synchrony on projects that support business growth and customer experience, making the center both an innovation hub and an early-career talent pipeline.

From your first day, you’ll be part of the team. Your experience will depend on your interests, skills, and project assignment, giving you the opportunity to apply what you’re learning in the classroom while seeing how ideas move from exploration to practical solutions.

What You’ll Experience

As an Acquisition Strategy & Analytics intern, you may:

• Analyze data to support strategy validation and business decision-making
• Pull, organize, and evaluate datasets to identify trends, patterns, and potential opportunities
• Use analytical tools and programming languages to support data exploration and modeling
• Assist with testing and evaluating new or existing strategies
• Translate analytical findings into clear insights, conclusions, and recommendations
• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, technology teams, and business stakeholders
• Present your work and findings to leaders and project stakeholders
• Build your analytical, problem-solving, communication, and technical skills through hands-on-work

What You Could Work On

Depending on your interests, background, and team assignment, opportunities may include:

• Strategy Analytics: Validate acquisition or business strategies using data and quantitative analysis
• Data Analysis & Exploration: Examine datasets, identify trends, and support data-driven recommendations
• Risk Analytics: Support analytical work related to risk strategies, performance, and decisioning
• Model & Strategy Support: Assist with testing, evaluating, and refining analytical approaches
• Data Programming: Use tools such as Python, SAS, R, SQL, or C++, depending on the assignment

More Than Just a Project

The ETC experience is designed to connect what you learn in school with how technology operates inside a large organization. You’ll have opportunities to learn from professionals and senior leaders, work with other interns, and understand how technical decisions connect to customers and business outcomes.

More than 400 University of Illinois students have gained experience through Synchrony’s ETC internship program, and former interns have gone on to full-time opportunities across technology, analytics, credit, and other areas of Synchrony.

To support a meaningful internship experience, new interns are expected to commit to intern with us for at least two consecutive terms. Opportunities to continue beyond the initial commitment may be available based on performance, interest, availability, and business needs.

Qualifications

We’re looking for students who can:

• Communicate ideas and analytical findings clearly in writing and conversation
• Apply critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and analytical skills to solve problems
• Organize work, manage priorities, and meet deadlines with attention to detail
• Demonstrate curiosity and a willingness to learn new tools, technologies, and business concepts
• Work independently while collaborating effectively with teammates
• Use or learn analytical tools such as Python, SAS, R, SQL, or C++, depending on the assignment
• Work comfortably with quantitative data and draw conclusions from analysis
• Translate technical or analytical findings into clear business insights
• Academic projects, research, coursework, hackathons, or previous experience in data science, computer science, mathematics, analytics, statistics, risk, or related quantitative areas are a plus.

Eligibility Requirements

• Be enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2027 and beyond
• A minimum overall GPA of 3.0; submit a transcript with your application.
• Commit to at least two consecutive terms
• Commit to working a maximum of 20 per week with a minimum of 10 hours being worked during regular business hours from the office at Research Park, Champaign, IL, during the spring semester
• Commit to 40 hours of work per week during the summer at Synchrony’s Research Park office in Champaign, Illinois.
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be authorized to work in the U.S. on a permanent basis without requiring sponsorship now or in the future
• Any offer of employment is conditioned upon successful completion of a required background investigation and drug screening
• Be able to satisfy the requirements of Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act

How to apply

Send your resume, cover letter, and transcripts to etc@syf.com.

In your cover letter, tell us what interests you about technology and share an example of something you’ve built, explored, analyzed, or improved. We’re interested not only in what you’ve done, but in how you think, learn, and approach problems.

Please name your application documents using the following format:

First Last Document

Example: First Last Resume

Reasonable Accommodation Notice:

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require reasonable accommodation to apply for a job or to perform your job. Examples of reasonable accommodation include making a change to the application process or work procedures, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. If you need special accommodation, please call our Career Support Line so that we can discuss your specific situation. We can be reached at 1-866-301-5627. Representatives are available from 8am – 5pm Monday to Friday, Central Standard Time.