About the role
What you'll do
The Engineering Systems and Continuous Improvement Co-op is a structured, three-term developmental assignment designed to provide an engineering student with progressive experience in engineering systems support, design automation, continuous improvement, project management, and Engineered-to-Order, ETO, engineering processes.
The co-op will rotate through three connected assignments
• Spring Semester: Engineering Systems and Automation
• Summer Internship: Product Line Continuous Improvement
• Fall Semester: End-to-End Capstone Project
During the Spring semester, the co-op will gain foundational experience supporting Eaton's Engineering Systems. The student will analyze ticketing data, support issue documentation and resolution, identify recurring system problems, and assist with engineering automation opportunities.
During the Summer semester, the co-op will transition into a product line continuous improvement role. The student will work directly with engineering, design, systems, and other stakeholders to evaluate an engineering process, identify improvement opportunities, analyze relevant data, and support implementation of practical countermeasures.
During the Fall semester, the co-op will propose, develop, and present an end-to-end systems and process improvement capstone project. The project will connect the knowledge gained during the first two rotations and demonstrate the student's ability to define a business problem, analyze the current state, develop requirements, propose a future-state solution, implement or pilot improvements, and communicate measurable outcomes.
The overall purpose of the program is to develop future engineering talent while generating tangible improvements in engineering productivity, quality, automation, user experience, standard work, and process effectiveness.
Approved work locations include the following PDCA facilities: Arden, NC, and Greenwood, SC.
Essential Functions
A. Analyze engineering systems, support tickets, user feedback, and process performance data to identify trends, recurring issues, automation opportunities, and areas for continuous improvement.
B. Support the administration, testing, validation, and documentation of front end engineering systems, design automation tools, and related ETO engineering processes.
C. Collaborate with engineering, design, systems, IT, manufacturing, and product line stakeholders to understand business needs, gather requirements, and develop practical solutions.
D. Participate in process improvement initiatives by documenting current-state workflows, conducting root cause analysis, and recommending actions that improve productivity, quality, standardization, and user experience.
E. Assist with the development and maintenance of training materials, standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, dashboards, and technical documentation.
F. Support engineering automation and digital transformation projects through data analysis, process mapping, testing, reporting, and implementation of approved enhancements.
G. Manage assigned projects and action items by tracking milestones, communicating progress, documenting results, and presenting recommendations to engineering leadership.
H. Develop and execute an end-to-end capstone project that delivers a measurable systems and process improvement, including problem definition, solution development, validation, implementation, and final presentation of business results.
Qualifications
Basic (Required) Qualifications
• Actively enrolled in an accredited bachelor's degree program in electrical or mechanical engineering.
• Completion of foundational university coursework appropriate to the student's degree program.
• Ability to complete the full three-term co-op assignment consisting of a Spring semester, Summer internship, and Fall semester.
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.
• Ability to work at the assigned location for the duration of the program.
• Ability to travel to another applicable facilities when required by the assignment.
• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher
Preferred Qualifications
• Exposure to Lean, Six Sigma, root-cause analysis, process mapping, standard work, or other continuous-improvement methods.
• Experience with data visualization or reporting tools such as Power BI.
• Experience with programming, scripting, databases, workflow automation, or low-code development.
Skills
Position Criteria
• Demonstrated interest in engineering systems, digital tools, automation, continuous improvement, or engineering process development.
• Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Ability to organize and interpret data and communicate meaningful findings.
• Ability to learn unfamiliar engineering processes and software applications.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage assignments, action items, and deadlines across multiple project activities.
• Curiosity, initiative, and willingness to challenge the current state constructively.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Teams, and SharePoint.