Manufacturing Engineering Co-op - Fall 2026, Mills Job detail

Manufacturing Engineering Co-op (Fall 2026) – Various Locations 

The Opportunity: Our Smurfit Westrock Early Careers Engineering Intern/Co-op will gain a hands-on experience in one of Smurfit Westrock's manufacturing, research & development, or corporate environments focusing in areas such as cost savings, environmental, and/or sustainability efforts. Throughout the assignments, there will be a heavy emphasis placed on safety, teamwork, and process improvement. By the end of the assignment, this experience will have positively contributed to your curriculum and career goals in preparation for life after college.  

Internship Opportunities and Locations: We are currently recruiting for multiple Internship and Co-op positions to support our Mill Operations business units. Internship and co-op opportunities are available and based in various locations across the U.S. within manufacturing facilities and corporate offices. By applying for this position, you may be considered for all available opportunities (location examples listed below). 

How you will impact Smurfit Westrock:  

• Develop and apply skills to help increase efficiency, reliability, and productivity within Smurfit-Westrock's manufacturing, converting, or support groups.
• Analyze data sets to identify key insights and provide value-based solutions
• Seek out and promote innovative solutions to operational challenges and support maintenance activities with a focus on preventative maintenance
• Identify root cause problems through troubleshooting issues to identify areas of opportunities
• Report project discovery findings to managers, teams, and senior leadership
• Serve as safety champion by understanding and enforcing department, plant or mill safety policies
• Manage day-to-day activities of assigned roles, complete project tasks, and implement new processes
• Gain exposure to one or more of the following fields within the Pulp, Paper and Packaging Manufacturing Industry – Process Engineering, Process Controls and Automation, Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, Maintenance & Reliability, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Research & Development, etc.

People & Culture: 

• Communicate cross-functionally about technical and project findings
• Collaborate closely with assigned team members to complete project tasks   

Work Environment: 

• Work in an office within the plant environment
• Be comfortable working in an industrial / manufacturing work setting where applicable
• Be able to Maintain strict adherence to safety rules and regulations

What you need to succeed:  

• Candidates must be actively enrolled in an accredited engineering college/university program.
• Should be pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Materials Science/Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Packaging Science/Engineering, Paper Science/Engineering
• Demonstrates an interest, willingness, and drive to learn new things; seeks to understand concepts, processes, and ideas within area of functional expertise; naturally inquisitive; sets meaningful goals for personal work productivity
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills: Clearly exchanges thoughts, ideas, and messages through written, verbal, and non-verbal methods that promote an understanding with the target audience; listens carefully and attentively
• Has an eye for recognizing errors or differences; plans and completes work with thoroughness, giving attention to specific information and individual details, conditions, necessary record keeping, and elements of that work
• Strong attention to detail and Problem-Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations; demonstrates tackling a problem by using a logical, systematic, or sequential approach
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload: Plans, arranges and/or monitors work to ensure achievement of desired results; establishes a systematic course of action to accomplish objectives
• Demonstrates agility, flexibility, and a willingness to modify one’s approach to achieve desired results; responds quickly to changing demands, processes, and updated information
• Collaboration: Works effectively with others to complete a task or achieve a common objective; ability to cooperate in both interpersonal and team relationships to foster enthusiasm and maintain mutual trust, candor, and respect for others. Works through conflict constructively
• Ability to commit for up to 40 hours a week during the term

What we offer:  

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability and excellence 

• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities 
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies and potential 
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.