Intern Assistant Lighting Designer Jobs in Raleigh, NC

Description

When you walk into a building, do you wonder how it actually works? We do too. Summer Consultants is looking for Electrical Engineering Interns for Summer 2027. This is an opportunity for an engineering student who is curious about building systems and wants to see how classroom concepts become real designs in real buildings.

At Summer Consultants, we design the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems that make buildings safe, comfortable, functional, and reliable. Much of our work involves renovating and modernizing existing federal, institutional, higher education, and historic facilities. That means our projects are technical, hands-on, and rarely routine.

As an intern at Summer, you will support real project work alongside experienced engineers. You may assist with surveys, lighting and power calculations, electrical layouts, drawings, and other project activities appropriate to your experience and the needs of the team.

Existing buildings do not give you a clean sheet of paper. Our engineers spend real time in the field walking buildings, surveying and documenting existing conditions, tracing systems, observing constraints, and figuring out how a new design can actually work within the building that is already there.  The challenge of renovation work is solving real problems: what is already there, what can change, what must remain operational, how equipment and systems fit within existing spaces, and how a design can actually be built.

Field surveys are also an important part of how our interns learn. You may help observe and document existing mechanical and plumbing systems, ask questions about what you are seeing, and learn how field conditions affect design decisions. Seeing buildings firsthand helps connect engineering concepts, drawings, and calculations to the systems that are actually installed and operating.

Curious about building systems? Let's see what we can do together.

WHAT SUMMER CAN DO FOR YOU

Summer Consultants will help you:

• Gain real-world experience in the MEP/FP consulting industry. 
• Get hands-on experience with lighting and power design, calculations, layouts, documentation, and existing-building surveys. 
• Learn how engineers survey buildings, document existing conditions, and turn field observations into practical design decisions. 
• Build experience with tools such as Revit, AutoCAD, lighting calculation software, and applicable electrical analysis software. 
• Work on varied projects. We rarely have "typical" projects because buildings are unique, and so are their systems and constraints. 
• Learn directly from experienced engineers in the office and in the field. 
• Collaborate with engineers across disciplines and see how building systems work together. 
• Work in a small, technically engaged environment where you can ask questions, receive feedback, and build practical engineering experience. 

INTERN BENEFITS & SUPPORT

• Paid sick leave: One hour of sick leave earned for every 30 hours worked.
• Parking and business travel: Summer provides parking at no cost and reimburses reasonable approved expenses associated with travel to job sites and other business travel.

Requirements

WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR SUMMER

In this role, you may:

• Support electrical design work on renovation and existing-building projects. 
• Participate in field surveys to observe and document existing building conditions and electrical systems. 
• Assist with lighting and power design, electrical calculations, lighting calculations, electrical distribution, and system layouts. 
• Help translate survey information, calculations, and existing constraints into project drawings and design documentation. 
• Use tools such as Revit and AutoCAD to support project work. 
• Coordinate with engineers and designers from other disciplines. 
• Ask questions, apply feedback, and take on increasing responsibility as your skills develop. 
• Help solve client problems with curiosity, precision, quality, and follow-through.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING WITH YOU

• At least two years completed toward a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical Engineering Technology, or Architectural Engineering (Electrical/Lighting focus). 
• Genuine interest in power, lighting, electrical distribution, building systems, existing-building renovation, and learning how engineering works in practice. 
• Curiosity about how buildings are constructed, operated, maintained, and modified over time. 
• Willingness to spend meaningful time in the field surveying existing conditions. 
• Ability to learn from experienced engineers, ask questions, receive and apply feedback, and contribute as part of a project team. 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Strong Microsoft Word and Excel skills. 
• AutoCAD and Revit experience preferred. 
• Ability to support day-long field surveys outdoors and indoors, including conditioned and unconditioned spaces, with or without reasonable accommodation. Field work may include walking 10,000 to 20,000 steps in a day, climbing up and down a 6-foot ladder, kneeling, squatting, and bending. 
• Ability to obtain site access at client locations, including federal facilities, as required by project assignments.