📍 Location: VAT Group, Haag, Switzerland
🕒 Duration: 6 months | Start: July 1st 2025
💼 Department: COO Office | Reports to: Head of Automation Program (Operations Excellence)

📅 Paid internship, including access to state-of-the art Innovation Center & cafeteria, employee events, and global VAT networking

🚀 Be Part of VAT’s Automation Journey

At VAT, we are on a mission to make automation a natural reflex in our operations — accelerating faster time-to-market, better productivity, and a safer workplace. As part of our "Lighthouse 2030" transformation, we’re building a people-centric automation culture with global reach.

This internship offers a unique opportunity to participate in shaping the foundation of VAT’s automation future from inside the COO’s Office — working at the intersection of automation engineering, strategy, IT, Finance, and local factory execution.

🛠️ What You’ll Do

As our Automation Program Intern, you’ll play a role in building, structuring, and accelerating our global automation program during its early stages — blending strategic program work with real engineering involvement.

🔧 Technical & Engineering Engagement (Switzerland, Malaysia, and Romania)

• Scout new automation technologies and partners (AMRs, cobots, vision systems, etc.)
• Contribute to prioritizing automation use cases through data analysis and site input
• Participate in commissioning, testing, and rollout of early-stage automation pilots (e.g., Automated Mobile Robots)
• Support technical evaluation of vendors and platforms, including documentation and comparison
• Assist in validating use case feasibility with across sites

📌 Program Structuring & Execution Support

• Help define and refine automation governance models, decision flows, and policies
• Build templates and toolkits to support automation pilots and investment requests
• Track global progress and prepare automation dashboards and initiative trackers

📢 Communication & Engagement

• Prepare visual content for intranet posts, VATsUp video updates, newsletters, etc…
• Design presentations and visuals for board briefings and executive leadership
• Support organization of global knowledge Automation events

🎯 What You’ll Gain

• Exposure to a real-world industrial automation program on a global scale
• Hands-on experience in technology scouting, feasibility analysis, and commissioning
• Mentorship access from experts in automation, operations excellence, and digitalization
• A portfolio of tangible deliverables and technical achievements to jump start your career
• Opportunities to sharpen your business communication skills via presentations to senior stakeholders

🎓 What We’re Looking For

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Automation Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, or a related field
• Passion for automation, smart factories, and real-world manufacturing challenges
• Comfort with both technical tasks (commissioning, vendor reviews) and strategic thinking (pipeline prioritization, ROI estimation of automation uses cases)
• Structured, proactive mindset with good problem-solving skills
• Strong communication and presentation skills (PowerPoint or equivalent)
• Fluent in English (German a plus); proficiency in MS Office, knowledge of automation tools (TIA Portal, CODESYS, etc.) is an advantage