Intern - Higher Level Assembly (HLA) Manufacturing Engineering (Summer 2027)
Posted Sep 3, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a hands-on project where you built something from several parts. What went wrong along the way?
What they are checking: Whether they have real build experience and learned from problems instead of describing only the finished result.
Tell me about a time you worked on a team project and someone wasn't pulling their weight.
What they are checking: Whether they address problems directly and keep the work moving rather than complaining or doing it all themselves.
What would you do
Operators keep making the same mistake at one assembly step. How would you figure out why?
What they are checking: Whether they go to the floor, watch the work and look at the instruction and fixture before blaming people.
An experienced operator suggests a better way to do a step than the one in the instruction. What would you do?
What they are checking: Whether they value floor knowledge while making sure any change goes through proper review and documentation.
About the work
What do you understand higher level assembly to mean, compared with building a circuit board?
What they are checking: Whether they know HLA means putting boards, cables and mechanical parts together into a full product or system.
How would you write a work instruction so a new operator could build a part correctly the first time?
What they are checking: Whether they think in clear steps, visuals and checkpoints that prevent errors, a core manufacturing engineering task.
What is a fixture, and how could a good one improve quality or speed on an assembly line?
What they are checking: Whether they understand how simple tooling holds parts in place and makes the right way the easy way.
Explain how you'd use something like a fishbone diagram or the five whys to solve a production problem.
What they are checking: Whether they know basic root cause tools and can apply them instead of jumping to the first explanation.
Plexus builds products like surgical systems and aerospace equipment. Why would a manufacturing engineer need to follow procedures strictly here?
What they are checking: Whether they understand that regulated products need documented, controlled changes, not quick fixes made on the fly.
Which CAD or design tools have you used, and what did you make with them?
What they are checking: Whether they can contribute to fixtures and layouts quickly, or will need time to ramp up on tools.
How would you measure whether an improvement you made on the line actually helped?
What they are checking: Whether they think about before and after data like cycle time, defects or rework rather than opinions.
Practice this interview out loud.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Plexus.