Manufacturing Engineer Intern

Blue Canyon Technologies; Lafayette (CO); On-site; USD 37,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Canyon Technologies seeks a Manufacturing Engineer Intern for a Summer in Space program in Boulder/Lafayette, CO. This 11-week, full-time internship runs May 25, 2027 to August 6, 2027 and offers hands-on experience in root-cause analysis, hands-on development, and cross-functional collaboration in a real aerospace manufacturing setting.

Current students in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering are eligible; strong teamwork, problem-solving, CAD skills, and MS

Qualifications

• Education – Enrolled in a Bachelor’s program in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• Teamwork & communication – ability to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams and convey technical info clearly.
• Problem-solving mindset – experience applying structured problem-solving methods (IDEAL, DMAIC, Six-Sigma).

Responsibilities

• Root-Cause Analysis: investigate manufacturing-related defects and develop corrective actions.
• Hands-On Development: support product and process development for spacecraft and spacecraft components.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: work with manufacturing, design, and test- engineering teams to translate detailed designs into reliable assembly processes, work instructions, and tooling solutions.
• Time-Study & Labor Analysis: conduct time-study measurements on key operations, analyze work-content data, and develop standard labor times to improve productivity and cost estimation.
• Manufacturing Flow Optimization: map current manufacturing flow, identify bottlenecks, and propose layout or process changes that streamline material movement, reduce lead-time, and enhance overall line efficiency.

Skills

Teamwork & communication

Problem-solving mindset

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

CATIA

Creo

Autodesk Inventor

Job description

Blue Canyon Technologies, RTX's small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider, is solving some of the toughest challenges in space. Our components and bus platforms have completed missions ranging from very-low Earth orbits to lunar and interplanetary journeys at a fraction of the cost of traditional space systems. We support premier defense, commercial and civil organizations including the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA, MIT Lincoln Lab, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Colorado and more. Join our innovative and dynamic company as we build, test and operate the small spacecraft of the future.

Blue Canyon Technologies is seeking a talented and enthusiastic Manufacturing Engineering Intern to join our BCT Summer in Space Internship program. Applicants must be currently enrolled at an accredited college or university. In addition, applicants must be enrolled fall semester 2027. This will be a full-time position for the summer for 11 weeks, starting May 25 2027.

Title

Manufacturing Engineer Intern

Position Type

Summer Internship

Pay Range

$27.56 - $29.29 hour (Salary rate to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.)

Location

Boulder and/or Lafayette, CO

Job Responsibilities

• Root-Cause Analysis: Investigate manufacturing-related defects, determine underlying causes, and develop/implement corrective actions.
• Hands-On Development: Support product and process development for spacecraft and spacecraft components, including prototype builds and pilot runs.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with manufacturing, design, and test- engineering teams to translate detailed designs into reliable assembly processes, work instructions, and tooling solutions.
• Time-Study & Labor Analysis: Conduct time-study measurements on key operations, analyze work-content data, and develop standard labor times to improve productivity and cost estimation.
• Manufacturing Flow Optimization: Map current manufacturing flow, identify bottlenecks, and propose layout or process changes that streamline material movement, reduce lead-time, and enhance overall line efficiency.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education – Currently enrolled in (or recently graduated from) a Bachelor’s program in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Teamwork & communication – Proven ability to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams and to convey technical information clearly, both in writing and verbally.
• Problem-solving mindset – Experience applying structured problem-solving methods (IDEAL, DMAIC, Six-Sigma, etc.) to engineering challenges.

Additional (Preferred) Qualifications

• Core coursework – Manufacturing processes, engineering design (CAD/ GD&T), materials science, and statistics/data analysis (DOE, process capability).
• CAD proficiency – Experience with SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo, Autodesk Inventor, or another professional CAD tool.
• MSOffice – Strong Excel skills (formulas, basic data analysis) and PowerPoint; comfortable drafting reports and presentations.
• Root-cause analysis – Hands-on experience (projects, labs, or work) conducting defect investigations and developing corrective actions.
• Time-study knowledge – Familiarity with basic time-measurement techniques (stopwatch, work-measurement forms, MTM concepts) and ability to collect/process labor data.
• Manufacturing flow understanding – Knowledge of value-stream mapping, line balancing, cellular layout, and pull/push production concepts.

Position Details

• Duration: 3-month paid internship (05/25/2027 – 08/06/2027)
• Hours: 40 hours per week
• No relocation assistance

Working Conditions

This job operates in a professional office environment, but in a manufacturing company. This role uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, scanners, filing cabinets and fax machines. BCT anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require BCT to shorten or extend the application window.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time. The employee is occasionally required to stand, bend, reach, and walk. The position requires some light physical effort. This would require the ability to lift or move objects up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move objects up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities are required by this job which includes close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Blue Canyon Technologies is a drug-free workplace and an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected factor. Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information. Blue Canyon Technologies is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Melissa Po at [e-mail].