R&D Engineering Co-op: AI, Automation & Digital Design

Eaton; Greenwood (SC); On-site; USD 17,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Eaton's Power Distribution & Controls Assemblies (PDCA) Engineering Co‑op in Greenwood, SC offers a structured three-term developmental assignment providing progressive experience in product research and development, engineering design, validation, digital engineering, and automation. The program rotates through Spring, Summer, and Fall assignments to deliver real project impact.

You will engage with R&D and Division Engineering, applying AI, data analytics, and CAD tools to improve engineering

Qualifications

• Actively enrolled in an accredited bachelor’s degree program in electrical or mechanical engineering.
• Completion of foundational university coursework appropriate to the student’s degree program.
• Ability to complete the full three-term co‑op assignment consisting of a Spring semester, Summer internship, and Fall semester.
• Ability to work at the assigned location for the duration of the program.
• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher.

Responsibilities

• Support research and development activities associated with power distribution and control assembly products.
• Assist in product design, engineering analysis, prototype development, testing, and validation activities.
• Conduct engineering investigations, root cause analysis, competitive benchmarking, and technology evaluations that support product innovation.
• Analyze product performance data and laboratory test results to support design decisions and product improvements.
• Develop, maintain, and update engineering drawings, specifications, design documentation, reports, and technical presentations.
• Collaborate with R&D engineers, product line teams, manufacturing, quality, and systems engineering functions to solve engineering problems and execute development projects.
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering productivity through automation, artificial intelligence, and digital tools.
• Support development of AI‑enabled solutions that automate engineering workflows, improve data accessibility, and reduce administrative burden on engineering teams.
• Assist with creation of engineering dashboards, analytics tools, workflow automations, and data visualization solutions using modern digital technologies.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging AI technologies that can be applied to engineering design, documentation generation, requirements management, knowledge retrieval, and project execution.
• Participate in engineering continuous improvement initiatives by documenting current‑state processes, identifying inefficiencies, and recommending practical improvements.
• Manage assigned projects and action items through effective planning, execution, communication, and reporting.
• Develop and execute a capstone project delivering measurable improvements in product development, engineering productivity, quality, automation, or business performance.

Skills

Engineering analytics

Problem solving

Data interpretation

Communication

Microsoft Excel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD tools

Python

Power BI

Microsoft Copilot

Job description

Eaton's Power Distribution & Controls Assemblies (PDCA) Engineering Co‑op in Greenwood, SC offers a structured three-term developmental assignment providing progressive experience in product research and development, engineering design, validation, digital engineering, and automation. The program rotates through Spring, Summer, and Fall assignments to deliver real project impact.

You will engage with R&D and Division Engineering, applying AI, data analytics, and CAD tools to improve engineering