EnFocus Innovation Fellowship: Engineering Track

For Mechanical & Industrial Engineers

en Focus is a nonprofit organization that brings an entrepreneurial focus to communities in the South Bend–Elkhart region by recruiting top talent, providing mentorship, and executing innovation projects with community and industry partners.

Through the Fellowship program, we empower early-career professionals to solve complex problems, launch new ideas, and help organizations innovate while accelerating their own careers.

Our Fellows collaborate with manufacturers, technology companies, startups, and civic institutions to implement solutions that improve efficiency, create new products, and strengthen regional industries.

Graduating with an engineering degree but not sure which path you want to take yet?

The en Focus Innovation Fellowship allows young professionals to build real-world experience across industries before committing to a single role. Instead of entering one company or one function immediately, Fellows work on multiple projects with regional manufacturers, startups, and civic organizations.

Over two years, you’ll apply your engineering training to projects like manufacturing systems, product development, operations strategy, and technology implementation—while developing the leadership and business skills that engineers need to advance quickly.

Most entry‑level engineering roles specialize you immediately.

At en Focus, you’ll gain broad engineering and operational experience first, so you can discover where your skills and interests align.

During the Fellowship you will:

• 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

Think of it as a two‑year engineering “rotation” across industries with leadership responsibilities from day one.

As an Innovation Fellow, you’ll work with en Focus Project Managers and industry partners to discover, design, and implement solutions for complex technical and operational challenges.

Most Fellows lead 1–3 projects at a time, depending on scope and stage.

Typical engineering activities include:

• 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

Engineering Fellows regularly work on projects like:

• Manufacturing Process Optimization
  • Analyze plant operations, identify inefficiencies, and implement improvements that increase throughput and reduce costs.
• Automation & Smart Manufacturing
  • Evaluate and implement automation technologies, robotics, or digital tracking systems to modernize operations.
• Product & Market Research
  • Support product development initiatives by analyzing markets, supply chains, and production strategies.
• Data & Operations Analytics
  • Use tools such as Python, Power
    
    BI, Tableau, or SQL to analyze operational data and inform decision‑making.

All Fellows participate in Research, Development & Entrepreneurship initiatives.

You may spend up to 30% of your time working on projects such as:

• Launching your own product or service
• Collaborating with companies on federal R&D grants (SBIR/STTR)
• Supporting early‑stage startups in the region

This gives engineers a rare opportunity to test business or product ideas while maintaining a stable salary and mentorship…