Quality Intern

About the Role

As a Quality Intern at MacLean-Fogg, you will apply classroom learning to the products and processes of a manufacturing business. You will collaborate with quality professionals, engineers, and production teams to understand requirements, investigate issues, and enhance product and process consistency. You will own a significant project with mentorship from an experienced team. Potential project areas include analyzing defect trends, investigating recurring problems, improving inspection methods, or making quality information more accessible. The program culminates in a presentation of your work, findings, and recommendations to facility leadership.

Quality Areas You Could Explore

• Quality Engineering and Problem-Solving: Investigate defects, identify root causes, and support actions to prevent recurrence.
• Measurement, Inspection, and Testing: Learn to verify product requirements, utilize measurement tools, and document reliable results.
• Quality Data and Process Improvement: Analyze trends in defects, scrap, or rework, and assist teams in evaluating improvement opportunities.
• Quality Systems and Documentation: Contribute to improving inspection instructions, records, and processes that ensure consistent work and traceability.
• Supplier and Customer Quality: Support the review of quality concerns, organize evidence, and help track follow-up actions.

Prior experience in these specific areas is not required.

Key Responsibilities

• Learn products, processes, and quality requirements relevant to your assignment.
• Gather and organize measurements, observations, and other evidence to understand problems.
• Use spreadsheets or other tools to identify patterns and communicate findings.
• Collaborate with team members to investigate causes and evaluate potential improvements.
• Support testing or verification of changes under the guidance of qualified team members.
• Document work accurately, ask clarifying questions, and promptly raise concerns.
• Follow safety procedures, required training, and instructions for manufacturing and laboratory areas.
• Share project progress, seek feedback, and present results and recommendations.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Enrollment in a bachelor's or master's degree program in engineering, engineering technology, quality technology, materials science, statistics, or a closely related technical field.
• Interest in manufacturing, product quality, measurement, or process improvement.
• A thoughtful approach to problem-solving and work verification.
• Willingness to ask questions, learn from feedback, and collaborate across different roles.
• Ability to organize information and clearly explain reasoning.
• Availability for a full-time, on-site summer internship.
• Limited start-date flexibility may be available for academic calendars.
• All college class levels are welcome.
• Previous internship experience is not required.
• Coursework, labs, projects, volunteering, student activities, and other jobs can demonstrate potential.

Helpful, but Not Required

• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Coursework or projects involving statistics, measurement, manufacturing, materials, or process improvement.
• Experience using Excel or another tool to organize and analyze data.
• Exposure to drawings, measurement tools, inspection methods, or structured problem-solving.

What You Will Gain

• Ownership of a project with a clear business purpose and defined deliverable.
• Coaching and feedback from experienced team members.
• Practical experience working with manufacturing data, products, and processes.
• Opportunities to collaborate across functions and present your work to leadership.
• Insight into potential career paths in Quality and manufacturing.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

• Sit at a workstation and use a computer for extended periods.
• Move throughout manufacturing areas to observe equipment, processes, and production activities.
• Occasionally lift and carry tools, samples, or parts weighing up to 30 pounds.
• Occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, and reach when observing equipment or components.
• Review drawings, gauges, measurement equipment, and other visual information.
• Wear required personal protective equipment (e.g., safety glasses, hearing protection, safety footwear).
• Work in office and manufacturing environments where noise, temperature variation, and airborne particulates may be present.

Program Details

• Location: Buffalo, New York
• Pay: $28.00 per hour
• Program Start: Tuesday, May 25, 2027
• Duration: 10 weeks (possibility of extending up to two additional weeks)
• Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, on-site