Product Development Intern - Summer 2027

Henkel; Elgin (IL); On-site; USD 30,000 - 37,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing stipend

Relocation support

Online learning platform access

Job summary

Henkel is offering a Product Development Intern position in the Adhesive Technologies unit in Illinois. You will work with a small team to formulate and test structural adhesives, gaining hands-on lab experience and applying digital data tools to accelerate development.

You will contribute to ideation, testing and evaluation while collaborating with senior scientists and fellow interns. The program runs May 24 through August 13, 2026, with housing stipend or relocation support available.

Qualifications

• This internship requires pursuing a degree in Chemistry, Polymer Sciences, Materials Science or Chemical Engineering.
• Undergraduates graduating in 2029 or 2030 are suitable candidates.
• Hands-on chemistry experience or coursework in polymers and materials science.
• Interest in using digital tools and data analysis in research.

Responsibilities

• Join a small, collaborative product development team focused on structural bonding solutions.
• Gain hands-on experience formulating structural adhesives under guidance of senior scientists.
• Prepare and test lab-scale adhesive formulations.
• Utilize digital scientific tools to speed up development and data analysis.
• Contribute to ideation, lab experiments and evaluation of results.
• Support innovation projects to develop next-generation adhesive technologies.

Skills

Chemistry

Polymer Sciences

Materials Science

Chemical Engineering

Lab teamwork

Education

Undergraduate student (Chemistry/Polymer Sciences)

Tools

Lab instruments

Digital data tools

Job description

About this Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow.

This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit - where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings.

Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

What you’ll do

As a product development intern, you will:

• Join a small, collaborative team of product development professionals focused on structural bonding solutions for our brands Technomelt and Loctite
• Gain hands-on experience formulating structural adhesives, such as polyurethanes, to meet challenging market requirements
• Prepare and test lab-scale adhesive formulations under the guidance of senior scientists
• Utilize digital scientific tools to accelerate product development and data analysis
• Contribute to ideation, lab experimentation, and evaluation of test results
• Support innovation projects aimed at developing next-generation adhesive technologies

What makes you a good fit

• An undergraduate student graduating in 2029 or 2030 pursuing a degree in Chemistry, Polymer Sciences, Material Sciences, Chemical Engineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience or coursework in chemistry, polymers, polyamides or materials science.
• Interest in digital tools and data analysis for scientific research
• Strong teamwork and communication skills in a lab environment

Some perks of joining Henkel as an intern

• Exciting projects that allow you to make real impact and collaborate with Henkel colleagues worldwide.
• Countless learning opportunities available through Henkel’s online learning platform with over 9,000 professional courses.
• Networking events with Henkel business leaders, experts and sustainability ambassadors.
• Ongoing feedback discussions throughout the internship that allow you to accomplish concrete goals.
• In-person and virtual social events to connect with other Henkel interns across the country.

Following your internship, you may be invited to join Henkel as a returning intern or full-time employee.

Additional information

• This internship is eligible for a housing stipend or relocation support.
• This internship has a duration of May 24th - August 13th
• Recruitment for our 2027 internships starts in September 2026 and runs through early March 2027 or until all our positions are filled
• If selected to move forward in our recruitment process, you will receive an email from a recruiter on our talent acquisition team
• If a position you applied for is filled by another candidate, you will receive an email from our team alerting you that the position is closed.

The salary range for this role is $22-27/hour. This is the rate that we in good faith anticipate relying on when setting wages for this position. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range. This salary range may also be modified in the future.
Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.