Operational Excellence Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)
Posted Sep 16, 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 time you made a process faster or simpler, at school, work or anywhere else.
What they are checking: Whether they have a natural habit of noticing waste and doing something about it.
Tell me about a team project where you had to keep everyone on track.
What they are checking: Whether they can organize and follow through on group work, which improvement projects depend on.
What do you want to learn this summer that you can't learn in a classroom?
What they are checking: Whether they have clear, realistic goals and will make good use of time in the plant.
What would you do
If you spent your first week on a yogurt line at Richland Center, what would you watch for to find improvement ideas?
What they are checking: Whether they know to look for waste like waiting, rework and changeover time by observing the real process.
An operator tells you your idea won't work on night shift. How do you respond?
What they are checking: Whether they take floor feedback seriously and adjust instead of defending their plan.
About the work
What does operational excellence mean to you, in plain words?
What they are checking: Whether they understand it as steady, measurable improvement in how work gets done, not a buzzword.
What Lean tools have you heard of or used, like 5S, value stream mapping or standard work?
What they are checking: Whether they have some vocabulary for improvement work or a clear readiness to learn it.
How would you measure whether an improvement you made actually worked?
What they are checking: Whether they think in terms of baseline and after-data rather than assuming a change helped.
How would you make sure an improvement sticks after your internship ends?
What they are checking: Whether they understand that standard work, training and documentation keep gains from slipping back.
What's a risk of changing a process in a food plant that you wouldn't face in an office?
What they are checking: Whether they think about food safety, sanitation and allergen control when changing anything on a line.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Schreiber Foods.