IT Operations & Controls Engineering Intern

About the role

Garlock is seeking an IT Operations & Controls Engineering Intern to gain practical, hands-on experience supporting day-to-day operations in a professional manufacturing and corporate technology environment. This internship is designed for a student or early-career candidate who is interested in IT & engineering support, infrastructure, cybersecurity, endpoint management, networking, and SCADA system development. The intern will work under the guidance of IT Operations leadership and Engineering leadership mentors to support users, document procedures, assist with technology projects, develop software, design machine connections to promote IoT, and build foundational technical and professional skills.

Role Distinction

This is a supervised internship role focused on learning, execution, documentation, customer support, and exposure to real-world IT and engineering operations. The intern is not expected to independently own site technology operations, make access or security decisions without approval, act as an escalation owner, or provide formal after-hours support. The role provides meaningful contribution to IT Operations and Engineering while giving the intern structured opportunities to learn how IT and engineering support functions in office and manufacturing environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with basic on-site and remote technical support for laptops, desktops, mobile devices, printers, conference rooms, Microsoft 365, collaboration tools, and common end-user technologies.
• Support user onboarding, device preparation, workstation setup, hardware refresh activities, equipment moves, and basic peripheral setup under supervision.
• Perform basic troubleshooting for Windows endpoints, Microsoft 365, network connectivity, printing, conferencing, and common business applications.
• Assist with site technology needs such as shared workstations, scanners, label printers, conference room equipment, inventory checks, network closet organization, and other support tasks as assigned.
• Assist with endpoint management, cybersecurity, networking, infrastructure, backup, and application-related initiatives as directed by IT leadership.
• Follow Garlock standards for security, access control, asset management, change management, documentation, and professional conduct.
• Participate in projects, technology upgrades, device lifecycle activities, inventory cleanup, and continuous improvement efforts where appropriate.
• Work with the SQL server to write queries that will optimize SCADA system data collection and storage.
• Design hardware systems used to develop network connections that will bring unique production machine performance data onto the network.
• Assist with upkeep of PLC hardware and software.

Learning Objectives

• Build foundational experience in IT operations and engineering, service desk practices, endpoint support, Microsoft 365, identity and access basics, SCADA systems, and manufacturing site technology support.
• Develop practical troubleshooting habits, including isolating issues, documenting findings, and communicating clearly with users, IT peers, and engineers.
• Gain exposure to IT standards, cybersecurity expectations, asset management, change control, knowledge management, and service management processes.
• Understand how IT and engineering support business continuity, manufacturing operations, user productivity, and secure technology adoption across a multi-site organization.

Communication and Teamwork

• Communicate professionally with users, engineers, site team members, IT peers, vendors, and leaders when assigned.
• Maintain a positive customer-service approach while balancing urgency, accuracy, security expectations, and the need for supervision.
• Collaborate with IT Operations, Engineering, and Infrastructure teams to learn standard processes, improve documentation quality, and support repeatable service delivery.
• Contribute to a team culture of accountability, curiosity, practical problem-solving, knowledge sharing, and professionalism.

Required Qualifications

• Current enrollment in, or recent completion of, a degree, certificate, technical school, military technical training, or equivalent learning path related to information technology, computer science, cybersecurity, networking, or a related field.
• Interest in hardware and software development employed to enhance networking, SCADA system development, and IoT.
• Basic understanding of Windows computers, Microsoft 365, common end-user hardware, mobile devices, printers, and troubleshooting concepts.
• Interest in IT operations, infrastructure support, service desk, endpoint management, networking, cybersecurity, or manufacturing technology support.
• Ability to communicate clearly, document work accurately, follow instructions, and provide professional support to users.
• Ability to manage assigned tasks, ask thoughtful questions, learn quickly, and work safely in office and manufacturing environments.
• Ability to safely lift and move common IT equipment such as desktops, monitors, peripherals, and related hardware with guidance as needed.
• Ability to work on-site according to the internship schedule and participate in approved training or development activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Coursework, lab experience, internship experience, help desk experience, personal projects, or certifications related to IT support, networking, cybersecurity, cloud, or Microsoft technologies.
• Exposure to tools or concepts such as Active Directory, Entra ID, Intune, ServiceNow, ticketing systems, VPN, remote support tools, basic scripting, TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, wireless networking, or endpoint imaging.
• Relevant certifications or active study toward certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Microsoft Fundamentals, ITIL Foundation, Cisco, Azure, AWS, or similar.
• Interest in supporting manufacturing, industrial, multi-site, regulated, or audit-sensitive environments.

Success Measures

• Assigned tasks are completed accurately, safely, and within agreed expectations.
• Tickets, notes, documentation, asset records, and knowledge articles are clear, useful, and kept current.
• The intern demonstrates steady learning, sound judgment, professionalism, and appropriate escalation habits.
• Users receive respectful, timely, and practical support within the intern’s assigned scope.
• The intern contributes positively to team projects, documentation quality, inventory accuracy, and basic operational improvements.
• The internship produces visible growth in technical skills, communication, service delivery awareness, and understanding of enterprise IT operations.

Working Conditions

Manufacturing environment with variations in temperature and light.

Physical Requirements

• Light to moderate physical effort (lifts / carry up to 25 pounds).
• Frequent prolonged standing/walking.
• Lifts supplies/equipment. Pushes/pulls or moves/lifts heavy equipment/supplies.
• Occasional reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling.
• Far Acuity: ability to see clearly at 20 feet or more.
• Near Acuity: ability to see clearly at 20 inches or less.
• Depth Perception: ability to judge distance and space relationships.
• Field of Vision: ability to see peripherally.
• Accommodation: ability to adjust vision to bring objects into focus.
• Color Vision: ability to distinguish and identify different colors.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.