Program/Engineering Trainee/Intern
Forvia · Cape Town
Forvia, a sustainable mobility technology leader
We pioneer technology for mobility experience that matter to people.
Your mission, roles and responsibilities
Main purpose of the role
The incumbent supports the Program Manufacturing Leader, Chief Engineer, Program Core Team and plant teams with analysis, documentation, coordination and follow-up across product industrialisation, production system development and launch activities. Build manufacturing program capability while providing reliable technical and administrative support that helps the team deliver safe, feasible, cost-effective and launch-ready production processes.
Essential responsibilities and duties:
Program coordination and team support
- Support the tracking of manufacturing work-package tasks, milestones, risks, actions and deliverables.
- Prepare meeting inputs, update action logs and follow up agreed actions with relevant owners.
- Assist with information flow between the Program Manager, Program Manufacturing Leader, Industrial Program Leader, plant teams, suppliers and other functional leaders.
- Participate in Program Core Team and manufacturing reviews, capture decisions and maintain accurate records.
- Escalate delays, technical concerns or missing information to the responsible engineer or leader.
Product manufacturability and process definition
- Assist with the preparation and update of the Initial Process Concept, Process Definition and supporting manufacturing documentation.
- Contribute to concurrent engineering activities with Product Development and Quality teams to support design for manufacturing.
- Help document process or product changes and maintain change records under the direction of the responsible engineer.
- Perform basic technical analysis, time studies and data checks using approved methods and templates.
Production System Development
- Assist with Preliminary Manufacturing Footprint Analysis and the preparation of facility planning inputs.
- Participate in Equipment Design Workshops, Cardboard Workshops and other standard production line definition activities.
- Collect technical and cost information required for Capital Expenditure Requests and product costing.
- Maintain capacity study inputs, equipment lists, vendor timing plans, key dates and open-point registers.
- Track manufacturing assumptions such as work content, material consumption, cycle time, scrap, rework and launch costs.
Production launch support
- Support plant launch-readiness activities, trial preparation and production ramp-up.
- Assist with equipment, tooling and gauge pre-acceptance activities and ensure observations are recorded and followed up.
- Provide practical support during process qualification, Production Part Approval Process activities and production trials, including PT, MPT and EMPT where applicable.
- Collect trial results, organize evidence and assist in preparing concise status reports.
Targets, reporting and continuous improvement
- Assist in maintaining dashboards and reporting for manufacturing objectives such as capital expenditure, direct labour or work content, cycle time, changeover time, scrap, rework, material cost and launch cost.
- Support the consolidation and quality check of manufacturing work-package deliverables and mandatory program deliverables.
- Participate in Industrial Design Workshops and improvement activities, contributing observations and structured problem-solving support.
- Identify opportunities to standardise templates, improve data quality and simplify routine reporting.
Your profile and competencies to succeed
- BTech, BEng, BSc Eng or equivalent qualification in Mechanical, Industrial, Mechatronics, Manufacturing or a related engineering discipline.
- Recent graduate or candidate with up to two years of relevant internship, vacation work or entry-level experience. Automotive or manufacturing exposure is advantageous but not essential.
- Basic understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering drawings, problem solving and quality principles.
- Interest in production systems, industrialisation, equipment, tooling, process validation and program launch.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word. Experience with data analysis or project-tracking tools is advantageous.
- Good written and spoken English.
- Willingness to work in plant environments and travel to suppliers or other sites when required.
What we can do for you
- At Forvia, you will find an engaging and dynamic environment where you can contribute to the development of sustainable mobility leading technologies.
- We are the seventh-largest global automotive supplier, employing more than 157,000 people in more than 40 countries which makes a lot of opportunity for career development.
- We welcome energetic and agile people who can thrive in a fast-changing environment. People who share our strong values. Team players with a collaborative mindset and a passion to deliver high standards for our clients. Lifelong learners. High performers. Globally minded people who aspire to work in a transforming industry, where excellence, speed, and quality count.
- We cultivate a learning environment, dedicating tools and resources to ensure we remain at the forefront of mobility. Our people enjoy an average of more than 22 hours of online and in-person training within FORVIA University (five campuses around the world)
- We offer a multicultural environment that values diversity and international collaboration. We believe that diversity is a strength. To create an inclusive culture where all forms of diversity create real value for the company, we have adopted gender diversity targets and inclusion action plans.
- Achieving CO2 Net Zero as a pioneer of the automotive industry is a priority: In June 2022, Forvia became the first global automotive group to be certified with the new SBTI Net-Zero Standard (the most ambitious standard of SBTi), aligned with the ambition of the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Three principles guide our action: use less, use better and use longer, with a focus on recyclability and circular economy.
Why join us
FORVIA, a global automotive technology supplier, comprises the complementary technology and industrial strengths of Faurecia and HELLA.
With over 137 500 people, including more than 12,000 R&D engineers across 40+ countries, FORVIA provides a unique and comprehensive approach to the automotive challenges of today and tomorrow. Composed of 6 business groups and a strong IP portfolio of over 12,400 patents, FORVIA is focused on becoming the preferred innovation and integration partner for OEMs worldwide.
In 2025, the Group achieved a consolidated revenue of 26.2 billion euros prior to IFRS 5. FORVIA SE is listed on the Euronext Paris market under the FRVIA mnemonic code and is a component of the SBF 120 index.
FORVIA aims to be a change maker committed to foreseeing and making the mobility transformation happen. www.forvia.com