Job Description

2026 Summer Systems Engineering Intern – Architecture & Trade Studies (PEM Fuel Cell Systems)

Status: Non-Exempt (hourly)

Department: Systems Engineering - 283

Term: Summer 2026

Position Summary

Plug Power Inc. is seeking a highly motivated Systems Engineering Intern to support early- to mid-stage system design activities for PEM fuel cell products during Summer 2026. This role is focused on system architecture development, design studies, and trade-off analysis, aligned with the left-hand side of the systems engineering V-model.

The intern will work with the engineering team and system-level models to explore architectural decisions, evaluate sensitivities, and assess design robustness across varying customer applications. Emphasis will be placed on probabilistic methods, including sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo–type simulations..

Learning Objectives

In this role, the intern will:

• Gain hands-on experience applying systems engineering principles to system architecture and concept development
• Learn how architectural decisions are evaluated using structured trade studies and quantitative analysis
• Develop familiarity with system-level modeling tools used to explore performance, constraints, and sensitivities
• Understand the use of probabilistic and statistical approaches to requirement satisfaction and design robustness
• Learn how customer applications and usage profiles influence system design decisions
• Build technical communication skills by documenting and presenting trade study results and recommendations

Core Duties and Responsibilities

The Systems Engineering Intern will:

• Support development and refinement of system architecture concepts for PEM fuel cell systems
• Build, modify, or execute system-level models to explore design sensitivities and performance trade-offs
• Perform parametric and sensitivity analyses to understand the impact of key design variables
• Support development and execution of Monte Carlo or probabilistic simulations to assess requirement satisfaction across distributions of inputs and operating conditions
• Assist in evaluating how different customer application profiles affect system performance and margins
• Document assumptions, methods, results, and conclusions from trade studies in a clear and traceable manner
• Support preparation of technical presentations and design review materials to communicate findings and recommendations

Education and Qualification

• Pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline
• Strong interest in system modeling, simulation, and quantitative analysis
• Familiarity with statistics, probability, or numerical methods is a plus
• Experience or coursework involving MATLAB, Simulink, Python, or similar modeling tools is desirable
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and exploring multiple solution paths
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Self-motivated with a strong sense of curiosity and follow-through
• Must have reliable transportation to the office

Estimated Base Salary Range:

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