Intern - Furnace Technology

About the Role

The Furnace Technology Intern will support the Furnace Technology teams in planning, executing, and documenting furnace related initiatives across operations, maintenance, upgrades, and reliability improvements. This role blends project management fundamentals with hands on exposure to industrial furnace systems, enabling the intern to contribute to both technical execution and process standardization.

The intern will help develop asset lifecycle management tools, standard operating procedures (SOPs), coordinate cross functional stakeholders, support furnace related project planning & reporting, and assist in capturing technical knowledge related to furnace design, operation, safety, and performance. This role is ideal for students interested in engineering, manufacturing, industrial technology, or project management within a heavy manufacturing industry.

Key Responsibilities

Furnace Technology & Technical Support

• Assist Furnace Technology engineers with documentation of furnace designs, operating parameters, equipment layouts, and process constraints.
• Support data collection related to furnace performance, availability, downtime events, electrode systems, refractory conditions, and thermal efficiency.
• Help organize and maintain technical documentation including:
  • Furnace operating procedures
  • Maintenance and inspection guidelines
  • Equipment drawings and technical specifications
• Observe furnace operations, maintenance activities, and shutdown/start up planning.

Project Management & Capital Projects Support

• Support project managers in planning and executing furnace-related capital projects, including repairs, upgrades, retrofits, and technology trials.
• Assist with project documentation such as charters, schedules, risk and issue logs, action trackers, and status reports.
• Help standardize project workflows, templates, dashboards, and reporting cadence for furnace and thermal process projects.
• Participate in project meetings, take detailed notes, track action items, and follow up with stakeholders.

Stakeholder Identification & Cross Functional Coordination

• Identify and map stakeholders involved in furnace related projects, including operations, maintenance, engineering, safety, contractors, and vendors.
• Document roles, decision rights, communication paths, and escalation processes.
• Support coordination between Furnace Technology, Capital Projects, and plant operations teams.

Data Analysis, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Assist in collecting and analyzing operational and project data (e.g., downtime drivers, schedule adherence, cost tracking).
• Support development of KPIs and dashboards for furnace reliability, project performance, and safety metrics.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on furnace uptime, safety, and execution efficiency.

Tooling & Systems

• Support configuration and use of project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Power BI, SharePoint, Teams, Smartsheet, MS Project).
• Help ensure documentation aligns with version control, confidentiality, and accessibility standards.

Qualifications

• Education: Currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Glass Science & Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Project Management, or a related technical field.
• Foundational Skills:
  • Strong written communication and attention to detail. Strong verbal communication skills with high diligence. Ability to translate technical and operational concepts into clear documentation.
  • Analytical mindset with proficiency in Excel/Sheets and PowerPoint/Slides
  • Comfort working with engineers, technicians, and project managers in an industrial environment. Comfortable facilitating interviews, developing documentation, and synthesizing feedback.
• Helpful Experience:
  • Exposure to continuous manufacturing, glass furnaces, high temperature environments, thermal processes, and/or heavy industrial operations.
  • Familiarity with project management concepts (scope, schedule, risk, change control).
  • Experience or coursework related to:
    • Industrial equipment
    • Safety systems
    • Lean manufacturing or process improvement
  • Experience with tools such as Microsoft Power BI, Project, Smartsheet, SharePoint, Confluence, or similar platforms.

Core Competencies

• Work Ethic: Demonstrates consistent effort, discipline, and follow‑through to achieve high‑quality results, especially when tasks are challenging or time‑bound. Display reliability and ownership, to meet commitments without sacrificing safety, standards, and ethics.
• Safety Awareness: Understands the importance of safety, procedures, and compliance in industrial environments.
• Technical Curiosity: Interest in how industrial furnace systems operate and are maintained.
• Organization & Prioritization: Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Process Thinking: Identifies inefficiencies and supports practical improvements.
• Collaboration: Works effectively with cross‑functional and technical teams.
• Learning Agility: Quickly absorbs technical context and adapts based on feedback.