enFocus Innovation Fellowship: Engineering Track
enFocus Inc is a nonprofit organization focused on empowering communities in the South Bend-Elkhart region through innovation and collaboration. The Innovation Fellowship program allows early-career engineers to work on multiple projects across various industries, applying their skills to solve complex problems and develop leadership capabilities.
Responsibilities
- Work on multiple engineering and innovation projects simultaneously
- Collaborate with manufacturers, startups, and technology teams
- Apply engineering problem-solving to real operational challenges
- Gain exposure to product development, operations strategy, and supply chains
- Present solutions directly to executives and industry leaders
- Spend up to 30% of your time launching your own product, technology, or startup
- Discover, design, and implement solutions for complex technical and operational challenges
- Analyze manufacturing and operational processes
- Conduct stakeholder interviews with plant managers and operators
- Collect and analyze production, quality, and supply chain data
- Identify bottlenecks and improvement opportunities
- Map manufacturing processes and value streams
- Develop product or technology implementation strategies
- Design operational improvements and automation workflows
- Create financial models, simulations, or engineering specifications
- Deploy new technologies or digital systems
- Support manufacturing process improvements
- Manage vendor relationships and pilot programs
- Train staff and evaluate project performance
- Analyze plant operations, identify inefficiencies, and implement improvements that increase throughput and reduce costs
- Evaluate and implement automation technologies, robotics, or digital tracking systems to modernize operations
- Support product development initiatives by analyzing markets, supply chains, and production strategies
- Use tools such as Python, PowerBI, Tableau, or SQL to analyze operational data and inform decision-making
- Collaborating with companies on federal R&D grants (SBIR/STTR)
- Supporting early-stage startups in the region
Skills
- Bachelor's degree (Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related engineering field)
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Ability to work full-time in the South Bend-Elkhart region
- Reliable transportation for travel to sponsor locations
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Initiative and ownership in ambiguous situations
- Leadership experience in academic or project environments
- Interest in manufacturing, operations, product development, or supply chain
- Curiosity about how systems, organizations, and businesses operate
- Ability to communicate technical ideas clearly to non-technical audiences
Benefits
- $1,500 technology stipend
- 14 paid holidays + 4 floating holidays
- Two weeks paid time off + sick days
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Retirement contributions after one year
- Professional development programming
- Dedicated mentor aligned with your career interests
- Up to 30% paid time for research, development, and entrepreneurship
Company Overview
Company H1B Sponsorship