Innovation Intern

Description

Location: Hanover Park, IL (Greater Chicago Area)

Schedule: Full-Time (40 hours/week)

Target Start: July 2026

About the Role: At Pro Ampac, we focus heavily on the development and advancement of innovative, sustainable packaging solutions. We are seeking an Innovation Intern for our Hanover Park facility to support our Packaging Science Lab.

This role offers significant hands‑on experience. You will work directly alongside our Lead Innovation Engineer, essentially serving as their second‑in‑command. Because our engineer frequently travels for trials and customer consultations, you will be trusted to maintain lab operations, run ongoing experiments, and keep projects moving forward in their absence. This is an excellent opportunity to see how R&D directly connects to an active, on‑site manufacturing environment.

• Lab Continuity & Management: Keep the lab running smoothly. You will oversee active testing, manage daily lab work, and troubleshoot challenges—particularly when the Lead Engineer is traveling.

• Experimental Testing: Conduct hands‑on experiments to develop and evaluate active, intelligent, and sustainable packaging solutions.

• Data & Analysis: Document experimental procedures, results, and observations accurately. Analyze the data to prepare clear summaries, reports, and case studies.

• Cross‑Functional
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Partner with engineering, production, and other internal teams to brainstorm ideas and solve technical manufacturing challenges.

• Presentations & Prototypes: Help prepare prototypes and present project updates or technical findings to internal stakeholders in a clear, professional manner.

• Education: Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Packaging Science, Materials Science, Chemistry, Engineering, Food Science, or a related technical field.

• Technical & Problem‑Solving
  
  Skills:
  
  Strong troubleshooting abilities with a natural curiosity for diagnosing why an experiment or material behaves a certain way.

• Organization: Ability to manage multiple testing projects simultaneously while following documented policies and safety procedures.

• Communication: Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills for sharing technical data with different teams.

• Software: Proficient with Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).

• Environment: Work is split between a climate‑controlled office/lab environment and an attached manufacturing facility. When on the production floor, compliance with safety protocols is required, including the use of safety shoes, eye protection, and hearing protection. There is occasional, minimal exposure to standard manufacturing elements (such as non‑toxic smells, airborne dust, moving mechanical parts, or temporary heat/humidity).

• Physical Requirements: This role requires standard office work (typing, sitting) alongside active lab work. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, handle lab equipment, and must occasionally be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

Job Category: CO-OP & Interns