Operations Management Internships Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

This is an UNPAID internship through the DoD Skillbridge Program for transitioning active-duty US military personnel. DoD Skillbridge Internships are available to help transitioning active-duty military personnel gain real-world experience in the work force sometime during their final 180 days of active-duty service. The intern will actively train on meaningful projects and work closely with a mentor and with senior company leadership. HII Mission Technologies Internship programs are focused on placing transitioning military into internships that require KSAs, Education & Military Training similar to their current or previous military jobs; positions that could easily transition over to a full-time regular and permanent job with HII.

Objective

The SkillBridge intern will train as a Project Manager - C2 SME, supporting HII Mission Technologies' Distributed Training Operations Center (DTOC) contract and related business areas. Under the supervision of HII Program Managers, Capture Managers, and technical leads, the intern will gain handson experience in:

-Program management processes
-Contract execution and performance tracking
-Capture and proposal development
-Business development workflows
-DTOC mission understanding and customer environment
-Crossfunctional collaboration across engineering, training, and PMO teams

All work products will be reviewed, validated, and released exclusively by HII employees to ensure full compliance with DoD SkillBridge and representation restrictions.

Desired End State (3Month Target)

At the end of this training, the intern will learn:

Program Management Foundations

-Understand HII's PM frameworks, contract structures, and execution processes
-Assist with schedule reviews, risk tracking, action item management, and PM artifacts
-Support internal PMO coordination and crossfunctional workflows

Business Development & Capture

-Learn HII's BD lifecycle, capture strategy, and proposal development processes
-Assist with market research, competitor analysis, and opportunity shaping
-Participate in colorteam reviews (internal only) and proposal preparation tasks

DTOC Contract Familiarization

-Understand the mission, scope, and operational environment of the DTOC in Des Moines, IA
-Support internal DTOCrelated planning, documentation, and readiness activities
-Translate C2 operational experience into program insights and training recommendations

Professional Readiness

-Strengthen communication, documentation, and PM discipline
-Prepare for transition into Program Management, Capture, or C2related industry roles

HII Mission Technologies will benefit from the intern's operational insight, maintenance expertise, and disciplined approach to technical data accuracy and sustainment readiness.

Assumptions / Restrictions

-SkillBridge interns do not represent HII to DoD or Government customers
-All work performed is training only and reviewed, validated, and released solely by HII employees
-Training will be conducted remotely or from an HII office, not on military installations
-Interns may participate in real PM/BD tasks as long as:

• They do not perform billable work
• They do not independently deliver products to customers
• They do not act as HII representatives
• All customer interactions occur through HII employees only

Phase 1 - Foundations, DTOC Orientation and PM Fundamentals (Weeks 1-4)

Week 1: Orientation and Program Overview
-HII orientation and DTOC mission overview
-Review SkillBridge compliance
-Introduce PMO structure, contract scope, and workflows
-Overview of PM artifacts (schedules, risks, action logs, deliverables)

Week 2: DTOC Mission and Contract Understanding
-Study DTOC mission and customer environment
-Review contract structure and key deliverables
-Intro to reporting, metrics, and PM dashboards
-Begin supervised PM documentation reviews

Week 3: PM Tools and Internal Coordination
-Learn PM tools (Teams, SharePoint, Jira, MS Project)
-Support schedule reviews and milestone tracking
-Assist with meetings and action item management
-Participate in PMO discussions on risk and performance

Week 4: Business Development Foundations
-Intro to BD lifecycle and pipeline management
-Review capture processes and competitive analysis
-Assist with BD research and shaping tasks
-Participate in BD and capture meetings

Phase 2 - Capture, Proposal Development and Program Execution (Weeks 5-8)

Week 5: Capture Strategy and Market Research
-Support capture planning
-Assist with market research and competitor analysis
-Participate in capture strategy discussions

Week 6: Proposal Development and Color Team Prep
-Learn proposal structure and compliance basics
-Assist with proposal inputs and draft sections
-Support color team preparation and reviews

Week 7: Program Execution and Performance Tracking
-Assist with PM reviews and reporting
-Support risk management and issue tracking
-Participate in PM syncs and internal reviews

Week 8: DTOC Focused PM Support
-Support DTOC planning and documentation
-Assist coordination across PM, engineering, and training
-Review DTOC workflows and performance requirements

Phase 3 - Advanced PM Integration and Capstone (Weeks 9-12)

Week 9: Advanced PM and BD Integration
-Assist with schedule refinement and risk analysis
-Support BD integration for upcoming opportunities
-Participate in strategy and planning sessions

Week 10: Cross Functional Collaboration
-Work with PMs, engineers, trainers, and BD staff
-Participate in coordination meetings
-Support updates to PM artifacts and DTOC documentation

Week 11: Complex PM Tasks and Contract Integration
-Assist with cost tracking (internal only) and staffing plans
-Integrate C2 insights into PM and BD products
-Conduct final quality checks on training materials

Week 12: Capstone, Evaluation and Transition
-Complete a capstone on a PM artifact or DTOC document
-Present findings to HII mentors
-Participate in transition coaching and final evaluation

Additional Goals
-Build internal PM/BD/DTOC relationships
-Gain exposure to HII Mission Technologies
-Strengthen readiness for PM, Capture, or C2 industry roles

Active-Duty Military ONLY within final 180 days of active-duty service. Applications accepted within final 12 months of active-duty US military service. Education and Experience dependent on Program of Instruction.

• Minimum 3 years of experience conducting training in a DMO environment
• Current or previous Senior Director, MCC, ABM, or Weapons Director
• C2 Instructor qualification required
• Minimum 5 years operational C2 experience
• Ability to train remotely using HIIapproved systems and collaboration tools

• Weapons School graduate
• Experience with AOC/CRC/AWACS/JSTARS/BMC2 operations
• Experience developing training materials, mission planning, or scenario design
• Bachelor's degree in management, operations, engineering, or related field

Physical Requirements will vary and is dependent on the Program of Instruction.