2026 Summer Strategic Planning Intern

2026 Summer Strategic Planning Intern

The Strategic Analysis team within the Financial Planning & Analysis department supports many of the most important decisions made at Norfolk Southern. The intern will be engaged with a high-priority initiative adding meaningful value to Norfolk Southern. This role will focus on execution of financial / operational analyses to solve complex open-ended problems, as well as development of presentation / workshop materials to support senior leaders to make key data-driven decisions. You will work alongside cross-functional teams including Marketing, Operations, Finance, IT, Sourcing, and Law, and will learn the intricacies of the freight rail industry along the way.

Principal Duties :

• Collaborate with team members to structure an efficient and effective problem-solving process from initial thought to hypothesis generation / testing, and convergence on a solution
• Build out financial / operational models to assess the costs, benefits, and sensitivities of business decisions
• Work with stakeholders in other departments to extract data and insights to support problem-solving and analysis
• Develop presentation materials to illustrate analysis output and support decision making
• Example projects :
• Assess operational viability and financial impact of consolidating two Intermodal terminals in the same metro area
• Develop "should-cost" model to estimate the cost structure for Intermodal terminal operations vendors, supporting vendor negotiation process
• Analyze relative profitability of Industrial Products customers and opportunities across a local service area, and develop optimized local service plans

Work Experience :

Education :

Required Skills and Abilities :

Preferred Skills & Interests :

Company Overview :

Since 1827, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE : NSC) and its predecessor companies have safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today, it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability, Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid 15 million tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of auto products and metals in North America. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving a majority of the country's population and manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes.

At Norfolk Southern, we believe in celebrating our individuality. By leveraging the unique backgrounds and viewpoints of our employees, we can create a culture of innovation, respect, and inclusion. We know that employees thrive in a workplace where differing viewpoints, ideas, and experiences are freely shared and valued. As such, we encourage all employees to contribute their distinctive skills and capabilities to our organization.

Equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Together, we power progress.

Nearest Major Market : Atlanta