Manufacturing & Process Improvement Intern

Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Schedule: Onsite, Monday–Friday, with scheduling flexibility
Duration: Summer Internship

Build Practical Experience Through Meaningful Projects

Ag Express Electronics is seeking a motivated college student for a paid, hands-on summer internship at our Des Moines location. This project-based opportunity is ideal for a student interested in agriculture who wants to explore how technology, electronics repair, assembly, design, and manufacturing work together to support the agricultural industry.

This will not be a desk-only internship. You will spend time alongside employees in our manufacturing and repair departments, learning directly from the people who perform the work. Through observation, conversation, and hands-on engagement, you will develop an understanding of the tools, parts, processes, and workflows used throughout our operations.

You will use what you learn to create practical documentation and other project resources that support employee training, knowledge sharing, process consistency, and continuous improvement. Your work will produce tangible results that remain valuable to Ag Express beyond the internship.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will engage regularly with managers and employees throughout the organization. You will be encouraged to ask questions, contribute ideas, share your perspective, and become an active member of the Ag Express team.

Qualifications

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled as a college sophomore, junior, or senior in agriculture, agricultural systems technology, engineering technology, industrial technology, manufacturing, electronics, operations, drafting and design, or a related field.
• Interested in agriculture and how technology, repair, assembly, design, and manufacturing support the industry.
• Willing and able to learn through hands-on participation in active manufacturing and repair work areas.
• Self-motivated, dependable, curious, and prepared to take ownership of assigned projects.
• Comfortable building relationships with employees, asking thoughtful questions, and learning from their practical knowledge and experience.
• Able to organize technical and operational information and communicate it clearly through written, visual, or process-based materials.
• Detail-oriented and capable of managing assignments, priorities, and deadlines.
• Receptive to coaching and able to incorporate feedback into completed work.
• Prepared to contribute ideas, knowledge, and a fresh perspective to the team and assigned projects.

What You’ll Do

• Work alongside employees in the manufacturing and repair departments to understand daily operations and workflows.
• Observe and document tools, equipment, parts, procedures, and process steps.
• Develop clear and useful process documentation, work instructions, reference materials, workflow maps, or other assigned project deliverables.
• Gather information through employee interviews, job observation, and hands-on learning.
• Identify opportunities to improve documentation, knowledge sharing, consistency, or workflow efficiency.
• Organize technical and operational information in a format that is accurate, practical, and easy for employees to use.
• Share project updates, findings, and recommendations with the COO, management, and participating teams.
• Incorporate feedback and complete agreed-upon project deliverables within established timelines.
• Actively contribute ideas, questions, and knowledge throughout the internship experience.

What You’ll Gain

• Practical exposure to electronics repair, manufacturing, assembly, workflow design, and process documentation.
• Experience working across departments and communicating with employees at multiple levels of an organization.
• Mentoring and professional development through regular engagement with the COO, managers, and experienced team members.
• Opportunities to apply classroom knowledge in an active workplace environment.
• Tangible project work that demonstrates research, communication, documentation, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Experience managing assignments, priorities, feedback, deadlines, and professional expectations.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a college or university program related to agriculture, agricultural systems technology, engineering technology, industrial technology, manufacturing, electronics, operations, drafting and design, or a similar field.
• Interest in technology, electronics repair, mechanical or electrical assembly, manufacturing processes, workflow improvement, or technical documentation.
• Self-motivated, dependable, curious, and willing to take ownership of assigned projects.
• Comfortable engaging with employees, asking thoughtful questions, and learning through observation and hands-on participation.
• Able to organize information and communicate it clearly in written, visual, or process-based formats.
• Detail-oriented and capable of balancing multiple assignments, priorities, and deadlines.
• Receptive to coaching and able to apply feedback throughout the internship.
• Willing to contribute personal ideas, knowledge, and perspective to enhance the internship experience and assigned projects.

Academic Internship Support

Ag Express will work with the selected student, when applicable, to support reasonable college or university internship requirements. This may include establishing learning objectives, identifying project outcomes, verifying internship hours, participating in supervisor evaluations, and providing feedback required for academic credit. The student remains responsible for confirming and coordinating all requirements with their college or university.

Schedule

This is a paid, on-site internship at our Des Moines location. Work will generally be scheduled Monday through Friday, with flexibility available based on the intern’s academic schedule, program requirements, and business needs. The internship is expected to last approximately ten weeks.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this internship will require consistent attendance, active participation, dependable follow-through, and timely completion of assigned projects. The intern will be expected to engage with employees throughout the organization, ask questions, communicate progress, maintain accurate and organized files, respond constructively to feedback, and produce polished, consistent, and high-quality process documentation and project deliverables.

About Ag Express Electronics

Ag Express Electronics is a 100% employee-owned company providing electronics repair, manufacturing, and technology solutions to the agricultural industry. Our work is guided by our core values:Customer First, Motivated, Innovative, and Authentic.

If you are ready to move beyond the classroom, learn directly from experienced employees, and contribute meaningful work to a company serving the agricultural industry, we encourage you to apply