Industrial Engineering / Continuous Improvement - Spring Co-Op 2026 - Black Mountain, NC

Overview

Founded in 1918, Kearfott Corporation, a global Aerospace and Defense supplier for over 100 years, is a leader in the design and manufacture of precision motion control products and inertial navigation components. Kearfott has a long history of innovation and excellence and is the go-to brand for many of our global clients. Kearfott is trusted, respected and plays a vital role in the success of America\'s aerospace and defense industries. With over a century of expertise and experience, Kearfott is dedicated to providing quality, reliability, and cutting-edge technology to customers worldwide to meet their sea, land, air, and space navigation and guidance requirements.

Kearfott offers a comprehensive benefits package including a 401K, and Tuition Reimbursement. We offer a 9/80 schedule with every other Friday off.

We are looking for talented individuals who want to be part of a world-class work force. Join Kearfott and become part of a company that is recognized for technical expertise and respected worldwide as a \'full service\' provider. For more information, visit our website at www.kearfott.com

Position Description

The qualified candidate will support our Industrial Engineer as a part of the Kearfott Motion Systems Quality Engineering team. The selected candidate will work in a dynamic people-focused environment where you will work directly with experienced engineers and on the production floor to enhance your skills and develop a higher level of confidence in your capabilities.

Our Quality Engineering team is deeply ingrained in the functional areas of the business and partners heavily with the leadership team on critical decisions. Team members are expected to have the skills to analyze data and communicate recommendations to leaders at all levels in the company. Through the co-op program, we are looking to find the next wave of talent to drive these efforts. If selected, the candidate will have the opportunity to work for at least 2 semesters or more with Kearfott Corporation.

Responsibilities

  • An Industrial Engineering Co-Op will be responsible for providing on time support to our internal customers on process improvement opportunities
  • Assist in the development of conducting time-based motion studies and work measurements to establish standard work times and optimize labor utilization
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives through Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies
  • Collaborates with other engineering disciplines to assure methods and techniques are appropriate and are incorporated into the processes and production workflow
  • May support other areas such as design assurance, supply chain, product testing, non-conformance management, production quality, or data analytics
  • Must be able to analyze data, provide summary conclusions, and present to site leadership
  • Must be able to interpret engineering drawings and specifications
  • Work cross functionally with various teams to achieve quality standards
  • Other responsibilities may include: facility layout design, project management, capacity planning, production scheduling, etc.

Required Skills

  • Completed at least Sophomore year of college/university
  • Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment
  • Must be able to work full-time (40 hours per week) for 16-week period during the Spring 2026 semester (January 2026 - May 2026)
  • Must not graduate before December 2026
  • Must be U.S. citizen
  • Must be able to work on U.S. government programs and/or obtain security clearance in the future

Required Experience

  • Currently enrolled in an accredited college/university degree program pursuing a Bachelor\'s or Master\'s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, or a related field
  • Demonstrated problem solving skills
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher preferred
  • Experience in Microsoft Office
  • Excellent oral, written, and presentation communication skills

Equal Opportunity Employer/including Disabled/Veterans

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