Intern – Industrial Engineer, Manufacturing

Location: Lakeland, FL
Job ID: 31486BR
Department: Manufacturing
Working Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm; Monday - Friday
Pay Frequency: Weekly
Date Posted: Jan 27, 2025

Salary varies

Onsite

Full Time - Temporary

Apply

---

Description

Program Introduction

At Publix, we are committed to making a difference and it’s our pleasure to continuously develop our most valuable resource— our associates. The Publix Summer Internship Program prepares a cohort of young professionals for a smorgasbord of opportunity in the workplace through relationship building, development of self-confidence, and insight into industry knowledge.

Since the inception of the program in 2007, Publix empowers interns to share, lead, and implement their creative ideas, projects, and unique contributions towards our organization and the communities we serve.

Over the course of 10 weeks, interns are immersed in consequential department projects which allow them to apply academic concepts learned in the classroom to a real-world, corporate setting. The intern cohort participates in several exclusive events including meeting with Publix executives, volunteering in a local community service event, touring manufacturing and distribution facilities, and giving an end-of-summer presentation to Publix leaders. This summer, the program will occur from May 19 through July 25 at our company facilities in Lakeland, Florida. Interns are offered competitive pay and are generally expected to work onsite 40 hours per week, although this varies by department. Additionally, we partner with Florida Southern College to provide free housing for our out-of-town interns.

Come join an organization consistently ranked as a great place to work and make valuable contributions through an inimitable experience helping you grow professionally and personally. Add your story to the Publix legacy and apply today.

* This internship posting can close within two weeks from the date it was posted. Candidates are encouraged to apply immediately.

Position Overview

The Manufacturing Industrial Engineering (IE) team is focused on driving process improvements that ensure operations are efficient, accurate, and safe. Under the supervision of a degreed industrial engineer, the intern will be responsible for applying scientific and analytical engineering methods to achieve these objectives. The intern will support business plan, tactical, and/or ad-hoc improvement initiatives using their developing engineering skills and operational knowledge.

What you’ll do

• Drive process improvements in Lakeland production facilities by applying a range of continuous improvement, mathematical, and quantitative industrial engineering techniques
• Eliminate waste and establish processes that incorporate best practices for safety, repeatability, and efficiency; for example
  • Apply lean manufacturing techniques to reduce costs and increase yields
  • Investigate root cause of failures/defects and propose corrective actions
• Perform data collection and analysis to help the IE team develop and maintain production standards for run rates, scrap, ingredients, labor, etc., which are used for product costing, production planning, capacity modeling, and capital budgeting.

---

Required Qualifications

• Must be an actively enrolled student not graduating prior to the start of the Summer Internship Program in May; or
  • If graduating from a bachelor’s degree program prior to the start of the internship, starting a graduate degree program in the upcoming summer or fall semester
• Must be pursuing a bachelor’s or graduate degree in industrial engineering or a closely related engineering discipline (e.g. statistics, operations research) and be a current junior or above (rising senior or above as of the program start in Summer 2025) or a graduate student
• Completed introductory work measurement and statistics courses
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint
• Ability to work a flexible schedule to meet production demands
• Ability to plan, organize and follow through on assignments, seeking guidance when needed
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; must be able to communicate effectively with production associates, managers, and executives
• Ability to utilize business management skills that include leadership, decision making, systems analysis, and creative thinking
• High level of maturity, discretion, tact, and judgement
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Valid driver’s license and reliable form of transportation

---

Preferred Qualifications

• Current or prior Publix work experience
• Basic Microsoft Access experience
• Basic VBA programming experience
• Knowledgeable in Lean/Six Sigma methods
• Prior relevant internship work experience

---

Benefits

• Free hot lunches (buffet-style) at facilities with a cafeteria
• Paycheck direct deposit
• Credit union

---

Additional Information

Your application may have additional steps that you will need to complete in order to remain eligible for consideration. Please be sure to monitor your email, including your spam folder, on a daily basis for critical, time-sensitive emails that could require action within 24-48 hours.

Please do not use your Publix email address when applying. Once your application has been successfully submitted you will receive a confirmation email.

For this position, Publix does not and will not file a petition or application with the USCIS or Department of State on behalf of any noncitizen for any immigration-related benefit to work and/or to continue to work in the United States, e.g., an H-1B or TN petition or permanent residence.

---