Industrial Sales Engineer Internships
Industrial sales engineer internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience in technical selling and customer solutions, mentorship from working engineers, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Openings are concentrated across Manufacturing, Construction & Real Estate, and Consulting & Professional Services, with Sargent & Lundy, Tesla, and Amazon among the employers posting roles now.
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Showing 5 of 55+ Industrial Sales Engineer Internships
Position Summary
The Shape Corp student engineering program provides students with hands-on experience in a dynamic automotive manufacturing and product-launch environment. The Industrial Program Engineering Intern will work alongside Industrial Program Engineers, plant leadership, and cross-functional program teams to support industrial development activities required for successful product launches. This opportunity is designed to help an entry-level engineering student gain practical exposure to production readiness, equipment and tooling, plant layouts, material flow, launch planning, engineering changes, and manufacturing performance.
Essential Job Functions
- Assist Industrial Program Engineers with assigned industrial-development work packages and plant launch activities throughout the program lifecycle.
- Support coordination between business-unit program teams, plant operations, engineering, quality, launch, logistics, tooling, equipment suppliers, and other project stakeholders.
- Help maintain project plans, timing, action lists, deliverables, task dependencies, risks, and launch-readiness status.
- Collect, organize, analyze, and report data related to production capacity, capital expenditures, direct labor, material yield, scrap, cycle time, layouts, material flow, lead time, logistics cost, quality, and delivery.
- Assist with development and review of the industrial footprint, plant layouts, equipment selection, tooling plans, manufacturing concepts, and internal or external material and information flows.
- Participate in tooling kickoffs, equipment-design reviews, SES equipment-design workshops, industrial trials, pilot builds, and production-readiness activities.
- Support implementation of Shape Excellence System principles, ergonomic requirements, safety expectations, and Shape technical standards in new or modified production systems.
- Assist with manufacturing readiness reviews by helping identify issues, document actions, assign follow-up items, and track closure with responsible team members.
- Support production trials and launch events, including Run at Rate, Mass Production Trials, Extended Mass Production Trials, and Start of Production readiness activities.
- Help maintain launch documentation, Launch Book materials, PDCA actions, lessons learned, KPI trackers, and cross-functional review materials.
- Participate in FMEA reviews and help track key control characteristics, process capability, equipment capability, and manufacturing-risk reduction activities.
- Assist with assessment and implementation of engineering changes to help confirm that proposed product or process modifications do not negatively affect manufacturing.
- Support investigation of launch and industrial risks involving capacity, quality, safety, timing, capital, equipment, tooling, material flow, or production performance.
- Prepare reports, presentations, visual summaries, meeting materials, and status updates communicating launch progress, issues, risks, actions, and recommendations.
- Follow applicable safety, quality, customer, confidentiality, project-management, and engineering standards while performing assigned work.
- Perform additional duties as assigned by the supervisor, not otherwise specified in this position description
Education & Experience
- Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree from an accredited program in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Supply Chain Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration with a technical focus, or a closely related field.
- 3.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- Coursework or project experience involving manufacturing systems, project management, operations, plant layout, material flow, product launch, engineering design, finance, or data analysis.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.
- Able to spend time in a manufacturing environment observing processes, supporting trials, and working with plant teams.
- Able to organize multiple assignments, maintain action items, understand task dependencies, and meet timelines with appropriate guidance.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to contribute effectively within a cross-functional team.
- Strong analytical, organizational, project-coordination, and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
Preferred Qualifications
- Exposure to automotive product-launch processes, manufacturing readiness, industrialization, equipment or tooling projects, or engineering-change management.
- Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing and Shape Excellence System concepts such as Kaizen, gemba, material and information flow analysis, PDCA, standard work, or visual management.
- Experience creating project plans, timelines, action trackers, process maps, layouts, dashboards, or cross-functional presentations.
- Basic understanding of manufacturing KPIs such as capacity, cycle time, labor, scrap, material yield, process capability, on-time delivery, or capital spending.
- Exposure to FMEA, Run at Rate, production trials, equipment design, tooling procurement, ergonomics, plant layouts, or logistics flow planning.
- Experience using structured problem-solving tools such as 4C, 5 Whys, fishbone analysis, A3, PDCA, or DMAIC.
- Participation in engineering design teams, operations projects, student leadership, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, robotics, capstone design, or similar activities.
- Interest in automotive manufacturing, industrial program management, product launch, and cross-functional project leadership.
Position Summary
The Shape Corp student engineering program provides students with hands-on experience in a dynamic automotive manufacturing and product-launch environment. The Industrial Program Engineering Intern will work alongside Industrial Program Engineers, plant leadership, and cross-functional program teams to support industrial development activities required for successful product launches. This opportunity is designed to help an entry-level engineering student gain practical exposure to production readiness, equipment and tooling, plant layouts, material flow, launch planning, engineering changes, and manufacturing performance.
Essential Job Functions
- Assist Industrial Program Engineers with assigned industrial-development work packages and plant launch activities throughout the program lifecycle.
- Support coordination between business-unit program teams, plant operations, engineering, quality, launch, logistics, tooling, equipment suppliers, and other project stakeholders.
- Help maintain project plans, timing, action lists, deliverables, task dependencies, risks, and launch-readiness status.
- Collect, organize, analyze, and report data related to production capacity, capital expenditures, direct labor, material yield, scrap, cycle time, layouts, material flow, lead time, logistics cost, quality, and delivery.
- Assist with development and review of the industrial footprint, plant layouts, equipment selection, tooling plans, manufacturing concepts, and internal or external material and information flows.
- Participate in tooling kickoffs, equipment-design reviews, SES equipment-design workshops, industrial trials, pilot builds, and production-readiness activities.
- Support implementation of Shape Excellence System principles, ergonomic requirements, safety expectations, and Shape technical standards in new or modified production systems.
- Assist with manufacturing readiness reviews by helping identify issues, document actions, assign follow-up items, and track closure with responsible team members.
- Support production trials and launch events, including Run at Rate, Mass Production Trials, Extended Mass Production Trials, and Start of Production readiness activities.
- Help maintain launch documentation, Launch Book materials, PDCA actions, lessons learned, KPI trackers, and cross-functional review materials.
- Participate in FMEA reviews and help track key control characteristics, process capability, equipment capability, and manufacturing-risk reduction activities.
- Assist with assessment and implementation of engineering changes to help confirm that proposed product or process modifications do not negatively affect manufacturing.
- Support investigation of launch and industrial risks involving capacity, quality, safety, timing, capital, equipment, tooling, material flow, or production performance.
- Prepare reports, presentations, visual summaries, meeting materials, and status updates communicating launch progress, issues, risks, actions, and recommendations.
- Follow applicable safety, quality, customer, confidentiality, project-management, and engineering standards while performing assigned work.
- Perform additional duties as assigned by the supervisor, not otherwise specified in this position description
Education & Experience
- Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree from an accredited program in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Supply Chain Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration with a technical focus, or a closely related field.
- 3.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale.
- Coursework or project experience involving manufacturing systems, project management, operations, plant layout, material flow, product launch, engineering design, finance, or data analysis.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.
- Able to spend time in a manufacturing environment observing processes, supporting trials, and working with plant teams.
- Able to organize multiple assignments, maintain action items, understand task dependencies, and meet timelines with appropriate guidance.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to contribute effectively within a cross-functional team.
- Strong analytical, organizational, project-coordination, and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
Preferred Qualifications
- Exposure to automotive product-launch processes, manufacturing readiness, industrialization, equipment or tooling projects, or engineering-change management.
- Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing and Shape Excellence System concepts such as Kaizen, gemba, material and information flow analysis, PDCA, standard work, or visual management.
- Experience creating project plans, timelines, action trackers, process maps, layouts, dashboards, or cross-functional presentations.
- Basic understanding of manufacturing KPIs such as capacity, cycle time, labor, scrap, material yield, process capability, on-time delivery, or capital spending.
- Exposure to FMEA, Run at Rate, production trials, equipment design, tooling procurement, ergonomics, plant layouts, or logistics flow planning.
- Experience using structured problem-solving tools such as 4C, 5 Whys, fishbone analysis, A3, PDCA, or DMAIC.
- Participation in engineering design teams, operations projects, student leadership, Formula SAE, Baja SAE, robotics, capstone design, or similar activities.
- Interest in automotive manufacturing, industrial program management, product launch, and cross-functional project leadership.
Industrial Sales Engineer Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
- Construction & Real Estate
- Consulting & Professional Services
Tips for Your Industrial Sales Engineer Internship Search
Apply in fall for the following summer
Large employers open their summer industrial sales engineer internship cohorts in September and October, and many close them well before the new year. If you wait until spring, the structured programs are already filled. Smaller companies and co-ops post closer to start dates, so searching year-round keeps you in the running for every cycle.
Build a project portfolio before you apply
Hiring teams for industrial sales engineer interns look for evidence of technical and commercial thinking, not a long work history. Document two or three projects, noting the problem, the tools or product knowledge you applied, and the outcome. A written case study or a technical presentation you can share directly gives recruiters something concrete to evaluate.
Work your campus network alongside direct applications
Campus career fairs surface structured internship programs tied specifically to your university, and professors or career center staff often know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. At the same time, apply directly to companies running smaller cohorts, since many industrial sales engineer internship openings never appear at campus events.
Practice the technical sales interview out loud
Industrial sales engineer intern screens typically include a product or customer scenario where you match a technical solution to a stated need, plus questions on engineering fundamentals. Practice your answers out loud and explain your reasoning as you go, since interviewers weigh how you think through the problem as much as the conclusion you reach.
Target structured rotational and university programs early
Larger manufacturers and industrial distributors run cohort-based internship programs designed to train people new to technical sales, often rotating interns across product lines, field sales, and applications engineering. These programs recruit earlier than general internship postings and fill fast, so identify the ones that match your background and apply in the first wave.
Set your work-type filter before you start
On-site roles are 44% of the industrial sales engineer internships listed here. Decide what you can commit to, whether that is relocating for an on-site role or staying local for a hybrid one, before you start applying. Filtering by location and work type upfront means you spend your time on roles you can actually accept.
Industrial Sales Engineer Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an industrial sales engineer internship?
Lead with coursework and projects rather than work history, since hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. For industrial sales engineer candidates, the concrete artifact that gives recruiters something to assess is a documented case study or technical presentation showing how you matched a product to a customer problem. Pair direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can an industrial sales engineer internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. For industrial sales engineer interns, what actually drives it is consistent performance on real customer or product work, available headcount on the team at offer time, and return-offer timing, which is often set before the internship ends. Position for one by treating every project seriously, without counting on the outcome.
When should I apply for industrial sales engineer internships?
Earlier than most expect. Large employers recruit summer interns the preceding fall, often closing cohorts by November or December. Smaller companies and co-op programs post closer to their start dates, so openings appear year-round. Checking listings regularly rather than waiting for a single seasonal push gives you the widest window to apply.
Are industrial sales engineer internships paid?
Most professional industrial sales engineer internships in the U.S. are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry, and location, so the range is wide. Listings show compensation where the employer discloses it, giving you a direct comparison as you research roles and decide where to apply.
What should an industrial sales engineer internship resume include?
Lead with projects, not work history. Include two or three complete, documented projects that show technical knowledge and customer or product thinking, naming the tools used and linking to any case studies or technical presentations you can share publicly. Add relevant coursework in engineering, sales, or business, and keep the whole document to one page.
Are there remote industrial sales engineer internships?
Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 56% of the industrial sales engineer internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote cohorts fill fast, so apply early and filter by work type to see them before they close.
Can international students get industrial sales engineer internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
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