Program Engineer Internships
Program engineer internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience, mentorship from working engineers, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Openings are concentrated across Electronics & Hardware, with Eaton, O-I (Owens-Illinois), and Intercontinental Exchange among the employers posting roles now.
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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.
Program Engineer Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware
Tips for Your Program Engineer Internship Search
Apply for summer roles in the fall
Large employers open summer program engineer internship applications as early as August or September the year before. If you wait until spring, the structured cohort programs are already closed. Set a reminder at the start of each fall semester and treat October deadlines as your first hard target.
Build a project portfolio before you apply
Hiring teams for program engineer internships expect limited work history, so your projects are your proof. Document two or three complete builds with the tools used, the problem you solved, and a link to the output, a code repository, a design file, or a published analysis. Recruiters need something concrete to evaluate.
Work your campus network alongside direct applications
Campus career fairs surface structured programs tied to your university, and professors and career center staff often know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. At the same time, apply directly to smaller companies running their own cohorts, combining both channels reaches a wider pool than either approach alone.
Practice your technical screen out loud
Program engineer intern interviews typically include a coding screen focused on data structures and algorithms. Practice solving problems out loud before you apply, interviewers weigh how you reason through a problem as much as whether you reach the correct answer. Recording yourself once or twice makes the gap between what you think you're explaining and what you're actually saying very clear.
Target structured rotational and university programs early
Larger companies run dedicated rotational or cohort programs built to train program engineers new to the field. These programs recruit on a fixed calendar, fill fast, and are often more competitive than individual team postings. Identify the ones that fit your background and apply in the first wave rather than when seats are almost gone.
Set your work-type filter before you start
On-site roles are 20% of the program engineer internships listed here, so decide what you can actually commit to before you search. Filtering by location and work type upfront means you're reviewing roles you can take, not sorting through listings that don't fit your situation after you've already spent time on them.
Program Engineer Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a program engineer internship?
Lead with coursework, personal projects, and a portfolio rather than work history, hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. For program engineer candidates, a linked project repository or documented technical portfolio gives recruiters something concrete to assess. Combine direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can a program engineer internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What actually drives it is performance on real work, available headcount on the team, and how early you signal interest. Treat the internship as an audition, deliver on your project, ask about the return-offer process, and don't assume performance alone is enough.
When should I apply for program engineer internships?
Earlier than most students expect. Large employers recruit summer interns the preceding fall, meaning September through November deadlines are common for well-known programs. Smaller companies and co-op positions post closer to start dates, so openings appear year-round. Checking listings regularly rather than waiting for a single season keeps you from missing early cohorts.
Are program engineer internships paid?
Most professional program engineer internships in the United States are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry, and location, so there's no single answer. Where an employer discloses pay, it appears directly on the listing, reviewing posted roles is the fastest way to understand what different employers offer.
What should a program engineer internship resume include?
Lead with projects, not work history. Highlight two or three complete, documented projects that name the tools you used and link directly to the work, a code repository, published analysis, or engineering portfolio gives reviewers something to evaluate beyond bullet points. Add relevant coursework, keep the whole document to one page, and put projects above experience if your work history is limited.
Are there remote program engineer internships?
Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 80% of the program engineer internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote cohorts fill fast because they draw applicants from across the country, so apply early and filter by work type to see them before they close.
What is a rotational engineering internship program?
Rotational internship programs at larger companies place program engineer interns across two or more teams or functional areas during a single summer, giving broader exposure than a single-team placement. They target people new to the field and are designed to identify candidates for full-time rotational roles. These programs recruit early, fill competitive cohorts quickly, and reward applicants who apply in the first wave.
Can international students get program 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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