Manufacturing Engineering Intern

Overview

Lightship is the first American all-electric recreational vehicle manufacturer currently developing an aerodynamic, battery-powered trailer for the electric age. As the macro transition to an all-electric transportation ecosystem accelerates, Lightship is bringing the increased convenience and superior performance that electrification offers to a pastime enjoyed by over 11 million American families.

Honoring Diverse Perspectives

Lightship is committed to hiring and developing top talent from diverse backgrounds. We believe representing and supporting diverse groups is key to the success of our team members, customers, shareholders and the achievement of our mission and vision. We operate in a collaborative environment with a flat organizational structure and expect a high degree of integrity, autonomy and creativity from all members of the team.

About the Role
You'll own the development of work instructions for our assembly and integration processes. This is the documentation technicians rely on to build every trailer as well as capture time study data that tells us how long those processes actually take.


This is a focused, high-ownership internship: rather than rotating across scattered projects, you'll go deep on two of the most foundational inputs in any production organization. You'll spend a lot of time on the floor watching how builds actually happen, translating that into clear, repeatable instructions, and quantifying the work so we can balance the line and plan capacity.
Because our processes are still being established, you won't be maintaining mature systems, you'll be helping build them.

You'll report to the Manufacturing Engineering team and partner closely with Production Technicians, Supervisors, and Quality.

This is a full-time, paid internship running now through late September (approximately 8 weeks). We're open to shifting to a part-time schedule in the final weeks for candidates returning to fall classes.

Responsibilities

• Develop, write, and refine work instructions for assembly and integration processes
• Conduct time studies to capture cycle times and process data across build stations
• Spend time on the floor observing builds to capture accurate process steps, sequences, and standards
• Photograph and document tooling, fixtures, and key build steps to support clear visual instructions
• Validate instructions against actual builds and revise based on technician feedback
• Standardize formatting and structure so documentation is consistent and scalable across the line
• Organize and summarize time study data to support line balancing and capacity planning
• Partner with technicians, supervisors, and quality to ensure instructions reflect the correct build methods

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering, or a related field
• Experience with CAD software
• Familiarity with Google software suite
• Strong written communication and an eye for clarity, sequence, and detail
• Comfort reading engineering drawings and translating physical processes into written steps
• Comfort capturing and organizing data with attention to accuracy
• Hands-on aptitude and genuine interest in how things are physically built and assembled
• Self-directed and comfortable with ambiguity in an environment where processes are still being defined

$28 - $30 an hour

Employee Benefits & Philosophy - Applies to Full Time Employees only

- Healthcare, Dental, Vision

- 401k

- Flexible Paid Time Off - that we actually want you to use!

- 13 Company Holidays: 8 throughout the year + the company observes a week of scheduled downtime during the end of the year, allowing all employees to enjoy a break

- 12 weeks paid parental leave

- Yearly LightTrip stipend for an RV trip &/or professional development opportunities


Lightship offers all of its full time employees and their dependents full benefits including health, dental and vision insurance. We are on a mission to create a more healthful all-electric experience for a pastime that millions of families enjoy and believe strongly that our team should not have to worry about quality healthcare for themselves or their loved ones along the way.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.