Automation Engineer Intern

Wunderlich-Malec (WM) Engineering is a 100% employee-owned ESOP and one of the largest and most well-established engineering companies in the United States. As an Intern at WM you become part of a company that is:

• 100% employee-owned company with 40+ years of industry history 
• A Top 5 Systems Integrator Giant
• AN ENR top 500 firm 

Wunderlich Malec has an Automation Engineer Internship available – IIoT & Edge to Cloud Systems to help develop the next generation of our industrial IIoT demonstration. This internship is centered on evolving our existing Whack‑a‑Mole (WaM) IIoT Demo Kit—a live, industrial‑grade system that demonstrates secure edge‑to‑cloud data flow using real automation, networking, and cloud technologies. While the demo presents as a fast‑paced game, it mirrors how modern manufacturing systems collect, process, and analyze data. This game will launch at an industry trade show in Fall 2026.

You will work closely with a lead engineer to transform this proven baseline into a more advanced, data‑driven, and visually compelling demo.

What You'll Do During the internship, you will:

• Define the next‑generation demo scope
• Review the current WaM system and identify improvement opportunities
• Work with a lead engineer to define requirements and success criteria
• Develop engineering documentation
• Create a Functional Specification describing system behavior and workflows
• Create a Design Specification detailing hardware, edge, network, cloud, and data architecture
• Implement system improvements
• Enhance hardware and software based on requirements and design
• Improve IIoT data flow, reliability, and usability
• Build game‑based analytics
• Use Whack‑a‑Mole game data to create engaging analytics and dashboards
• Translate gameplay metrics into insights that demonstrate real industrial value
• Develop a user guide
• Document setup, operation, analytics interpretation, and basic troubleshooting
• Present at a Fall trade show
• Demonstrate the system live
• Explain edge‑to‑cloud architecture, analytics, and business value to a mixed audience
• Plan what comes next
• Create a maintenance plan
• Propose future enhancements for the next internship cycle

What You'll Deliver By the end of the internship, you will have produced:

• Functional & Design Specifications
• Implemented IIoT and analytics enhancements
• Game‑based analytics dashboards
• A complete User Guide
• Trade‑show presentation materials
• A maintenance and future‑improvement roadmap

All deliverables will be reused in future demos and customer engagements.

Who You Are

Required

• Pursuing a degree in Electrical, Computer, Controls/Automation, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• Strong interest in automation, IIoT, and edge‑to‑cloud systems
• Comfortable documenting and explaining technical systems
• Willing to work hands‑on with hardware and software

Preferred

• Exposure to PLCs, HMIs, networking, MQTT, or cloud platforms
• Interest in data analytics or visualization
• Comfortable presenting technical concepts to non‑technical audiences

Why This Internship Stands Out 

• You’ll own a real, industrial IIoT system—not a simulation
• Your work launches publicly at a major trade show
• You’ll turn game data into compelling analytics
• You’ll leave with a portfolio‑ready, end‑to‑end project
• Future interns will build on your work

Working Environment Standard office environment, On-site office environment, and diverse industrial environments. Frequent PC usage, fax machines, copy machines, phones.

Salary Range Hourly pay rate of $25/hour.