Actuation Engineering Intern (Summer)

REGENT; North Kingstown (RI); On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing Stipend

Daily free catered lunches

Learning & professional development

Mentorship & guidance

Job summary

REGENT is seeking an Actuation Engineering Intern to join the Electrical Systems team. You'll build test setups, run evaluations, and analyze actuators and drives to inform component choices for the Seaglider product line.

You’ll collaborate with engineers and vendors, interpret datasheets, program in Python to interface with hardware, and present your findings to help shape the actuation approach across Viceroy and Squire. This hands-on role blends lab work with real-world deployment.

Qualifications

• Rising senior or grad student in mechanical, electrical, aerospace or mechatronics engineering.
• Comfort with hand tools and building jigs.
• Basic programming in Python to communicate with actuators.
• Clear communicator with vendors and teams.
• Bonus: actuator or sensor experience.
• Bonus: CAD and circuits know-how.
• Bonus: MATLAB/Simulink exposure.

Responsibilities

• Build real test setups and install actuators on test stands.
• Evaluate actuators and drives, comparing models.
• Read vendor datasheets and consult with suppliers.
• Use Python to communicate with hardware and verify data.
• Support qualification of actuators for Viceroy and Squire.
• Work with CAD models and arrange actuation equipment in assemblies.
• Present findings to shape actuation approach across product line.

Skills

Engineering fundamentals

Hand tools

Programming (Python)

Clear communication

Actuator experience

CAD & circuits

MATLAB/Simulink

Education

Engineering student (senior/grad)

Tools

Python

3D CAD

Job description

At REGENT, we're on a mission to revolutionize regional transportation between coastal cities. We're not just building vehicles, we're creating a new category of transportation: the Seaglider. These groundbreaking wing-in-ground-effect craft travel just above the water's surface, combining the speed of an airplane with the low operating costs of a boat. Capable of 180 miles at 180 mph on today's battery tech (and up to 400 miles with next-gen batteries), Seagliders will unlock fast, affordable, and sustainable coastal transit for passengers and cargo - connecting cities, islands, and communities like never before.

Backed by leading investors and powered by a team of passionate, forward-thinking engineers, builders, and operators, we're now scaling from a breakthrough prototype to full production - and building the team to make it happen.

Role Overview

REGENT's Viceroy and Squire Seagliders rely on actuators and drive systems that have to perform flawlessly in a demanding, real-world environment, and getting them there starts in the lab. As an Actuation Engineering Intern, you'll work alongside our actuation engineering team to build test setups, run evaluations, and dig into vendor documentation to assess how different actuators and drives stack up against each other. You'll spend real time with real hardware, installing actuators on test stands, building jigs, and generating the data that directly informs which components earn a place on our Seaglider product line.

This role sits within our Electrical Systems team, part of Engineering & Technology, where hands-on rigor and clear-eyed evaluation matter as much as clever design. You'll be given increasing independence as the term goes on, moving from guided lab work to running your own experiments and assembling findings into a presentation that will genuinely shape the actuation approach for Viceroy and Squire. If you've got your engineering fundamentals down and are looking for a chance to apply them to real test hardware on a team that’s reinventing coastal transportation, you'll feel right at home here.

What You'll Do

• Build Real Test Setups: You'll construct test stands and jigs in the actuation lab, installing actuators and drives and getting hands-on with the hardware that powers our Seagliders.

• Evaluate Actuators and Drives: You'll run performance evaluations on actuators and drive systems, comparing them against similar models to understand tradeoffs and capabilities.

• Dig Into Vendor Documentation: You'll interpret datasheets and manuals and work directly with vendors to understand product specifications and communication requirements.

• Talk to the Hardware: You'll use programming tools like Python to communicate with actuators and drives, pulling data and verifying behavior firsthand.

• Support Qualification Work: You'll help qualify actuators and drives for service on Viceroy and Squire, contributing evidence-based assessments that inform real engineering decisions.

• Work With Assemblies and CAD: You'll navigate CAD models and help arrange actuation equipment within assemblies as part of your evaluation work.

• Present Your Findings: You'll compile the results of your assessments into a presentation for the mechanical and electrical teams, directly shaping the actuation approach used across our product line.

What You'll Bring

• Engineering Fundamentals in Place: You're a rising senior or grad student in mechanical, electrical, aerospace, mechatronics engineering, or a related field, with the core fundamentals already solid.

• Comfort With Hand Tools: You're mechanically inclined and comfortable working with hand tools, building jigs, and handling hardware constantly.

• Basic Programming Ability: You have working knowledge of a language like Python, enough to communicate with actuators and drives and make sense of the data they produce.

• Clear Communicator: You write and speak clearly, including when working with outside vendors to interpret datasheets and learn about new products.

• Bonus: Actuator or Sensor Experience: Prior hands-on exposure to actuators, communication protocols, or sensors such as temperature, force, strain, or position would give you a real head start in this niche domain.

• Bonus: CAD and Circuits Know-How: Experience with 3D CAD and drawings, and comfort working with low-voltage DC power circuits, means less time spent learning the basics and more time in the lab.

• Bonus: MATLAB/Simulink Exposure: Familiarity with MATLAB or Simulink is a plus, since it’s key software for post-processing actuator data and modeling actuation systems.

Who We're Looking For

• Collaborative Team Player: You believe that great things happen when teams work together. You communicate effectively and collaborate with engineers, stakeholders, and other cross-functional teams to align on goals and move projects forward. You bring people together, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and moving towards a shared vision.

• Creative Problem Solver: You thrive on tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions. Whether you're resolving installation challenges, debugging elusive electrical issues, or adapting on the fly during integration and test, you bring a practical, inventive mindset to every problem. You don't just patch issues - you improve processes, anticipate downstream impacts, and help turn one-off fixes into scalable solutions that raise the bar for future builds.

• Adaptable & Agile: In a fast-paced, ever-evolving startup environment, you quickly adapt to changing priorities and requirements. You approach challenges with a calm, resilient mindset, and know how to pivot and adjust your approach as needed, ensuring that progress continues without missing a beat.

• Innovative Mindset: You're driven by curiosity and a passion for technology. You're passionate about driving continuous improvement, embracing new technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency, quality, and team performance.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation

• Housing Stipend available for those temporarily moving to join our team

• Daily, free catered lunches

• Learning & professional development opportunities

• Meaningful projects that make an impact

• Mentorship & guidance from experienced team members

Equal Opportunity Employer

REGENT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.