Internship Operating Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

What Does Steel Dynamics Do?

Steel Dynamics is a leading industrial metals solutions company that produces lower-carbon, high-quality steel products primarily from recycled scrap. Operating through a circular manufacturing model, the company manufactures a wide range of steel products including flat roll, structural, and long products for industries such as construction, automotive, energy, and manufacturing. In addition to steel production, Steel Dynamics operates metals recycling facilities, steel fabrication plants, and aluminum production operations, serving customers across North America with a focus on innovation, efficiency, and sustainability.

This is an Aluminum Dynamics (ADL) Internship. What Does ADL Do?

Aluminum Dynamics is developing a state-of-the-art, 650,000-tonne low-carbon recycled aluminum flat rolled mill, supported by two satellite recycled aluminum slab centers. The facility will produce a wide range of flat rolled aluminum products while prioritizing sustainability through advanced recycling practices. Our product offering includes value-added finishing lines such as Continuous Annealing and Solution Heat treatment (CASH) lines, continuous coating, and multiple slitting and packaging operations. This combination of cutting-edge technology and sustainable processes positions Aluminum Dynamics as a leader in delivering high-quality, low-carbon aluminum solutions to meet the growing demands of diverse industries.

What Makes This Internship Different?
Steel Dynamics’ metallurgy internships stand apart from others in the market because they provide a true balance of office-based engineering work and hands-on industrial experience. Interns are not confined to observing from a distance; instead, they actively work alongside operators and maintenance teams on the production floor, applying engineering principles directly to equipment, systems, and processes. This immersive approach gives interns the opportunity to design solutions, test them in real-world conditions, and see the immediate impact of their work. At SDI, metallurgy is not limited to research and development, it is a dynamic combination of technical analysis and practical application that exposes interns to the full scope of how metallurgy drives production success.

Internship Location

This internship will be at Aluminum Dynamics located in Columbus, MS in the Cold Mill Department. This internship will take place in Summer 2027. 

Internship Benefits

• Furnished Housing Free of Cost
  
  • Provided for interns living more than 50 miles from their work site, including essential furnishings to ensure a comfortable stay during the internship.
• 401(k) & Company Match
  
  • Eligibility to participate in the company 401(k) plan with a 10–50% company match that vests immediately.
• Employee Discounts
  
  • Access to discounts on hotels, vehicles, and other goods and services through Steel Dynamics’ nationwide partner network.
• Employee Assistance Program
  
  • Up to five free visits per issue, per year for counseling, legal advice, financial guidance, and other daily living resources.
• Intern Extravaganza
  
  • A two-day event at company headquarters featuring facility tours, networking with company leaders, cultural immersion, and connecting with other interns from across the country.
• Competitive Pay
  
  • Competitive hourly wages for all internship positions, rewarding the value interns bring to the company.

What Are My Responsibilities as a Metallurgy Intern at Aluminum Dynamics?

• Assist with development of countermeasures to prevent recurrence of failures having a negative impact on key performance metrics using structured problem-solving methodology.
• Support cold mill operations by collecting and analyzing production data, identifying yield loss points, and recommending improvements for efficiency and recovery.
• Participate in scrap recovery and/or process optimization projects, such as decreasing head and tail scrap loss and decreasing between coil time.
• Collaborate with operators, engineers, and lab personnel across shifts to ensure consistency in data collection, quality assurance, and process improvements.
• Gain hands-on experience in cold mill operations, including assisting with quality inspections, coil preparation, and coil loading and unloading sequences.
• Contribute to overall recovery efforts by implementing automated equipment set points based on incoming process data.

What Qualifications Do I Need?

• Candidates should be enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program in Materials Science or Engineering
• Preferred GPA of at least 2.7

Examples of Projects Aluminum Dynamics Metallurgy Interns Have Completed

• Collaborate with operators to develop safe procedure for collecting and properly labeling cold mill sheet samples for lab testing to support product development.
• Develop calculator and tracking program to determine quantity of cold mill rolling oil additives required to bring mill systems to target concentrations based on current levels and to track additions.
• Collect and analyze tensile properties data provided by lab to build cold rolling work hardening curves for specific aluminum alloys.
• Analyze aluminum scrap using optical emission spectrometry (OES) to determine alloy composition, contamination levels, and reusability, supporting ISO 17025 certification and chemical accuracy standards.
• Develop and refine scrap sorting criteria by evaluating melt loss rates and contamination risk across different scrap types, such as bare clips, stubs, and shreds, and determine effective cost per pound for each.
• Lead a scrap recovery project to track and quantify melt loss during charging, establish baselines for key commodities, and provide actionable recommendations to reduce loss and improve recovery through better handling and process controls.
• Participate in quality assurance initiatives such as round robin testing across multiple spectrometers, coordinating with lab personnel to validate data against certified samples and ensure accuracy across labs.
• Assist in planning and conducting future recovery trials focused on single scrap types or different alloying sequences to isolate melt loss behaviors and refine charge mix procedures.

Steel Dynamics, Inc., and all affiliated entities are equal opportunity employers.