Company / Location Information

A. O. Smith is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of water heating and water treatment technologies. We are a $3.8 billion company with 140+ years history and we employ more than 12,000 individuals globally who pride themselves on providing the world with innovative water technology. We are committed to Continuous Improvement, not just in our factories or processes, but in our people.

The Corporate Technology Center (CTC) is the innovative nucleus of the organization. The CTC is charged with discovering, innovating, and developing the next big breakthroughs for A. O. Smith led by a collection of research engineers, material scientists, and experienced technicians. The brand-new research facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin consists of state-of-the-art laboratories, collaborative workspaces and a friendly environment to empower our team to push technology limits.

Primary Function

Join A.O. Smith's Corporate Technology Center and gain unparalleled experience at the innovative nucleus of the organization. As an Electronic Controls Research Engineer Co-op, you will work alongside world-class research engineers and experienced technicians to learn how to and directly contribute to the design, build, and/or test of prototype electronic control features for A. O. Smith’s water heating and treating product lines. Using custom hardware technologies (e.g., National Instruments, Raspberry Pi, or custom PCBs) and software tools (e.g., embedded controls, Raspberry Pi, and/or LabView), you will conduct experiments, analyze data, and troubleshoot test results to generate insights that could lead us to the next big breakthroughs in water technology.

This role is an excellent opportunity for co-operative education students who are passionate about electronics and prefer gaining hands-on experience under the leadership of senior researchers.

Responsibilities Electronic Controls Design – work with senior research engineers to scope, develop and build low complexity embedded control electronics supporting research projects; may include PCB design, embedded controls software development, and hands-on hardware build in the lab. Lab Experiments – under the guidance of senior engineers, perform laboratory experiments supporting A. O. Smith water heating and treating research projects. Data Analysis – analyze experimental data to identify trends and collaborate with research team to draw meaningful conclusions from the test results. Debugging – troubleshoot and resolve issues that arise during custom electronic controls development and lab experimentation. Collaboration – work in a cross-functional team environment including electronics lab technicians and experienced team of researchers to deliver electronic controls research needs.

 

Qualifications A minimum of a sophomore standing and the ability to co-op for at least 3 terms. Understanding of electronics, circuits, and basic principles of electrical engineering. Comfortable in an electronics lab environment, can run lab experiments and capture test data under supervision of senior staff. Familiarity with Python, C++, MATLAB or LabView a plus. Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail. Ability to work independently with support from senior staff.

Desired Characteristics

Hands-On:  prefers working in a laboratory environment, building equipment, running tests. Critical Thinker:  problem-solver, thrives in ambiguous scenarios, gleans ideas from limited data. Self-Driven:  organize, prioritize and help define tasks for oneself, accountable, dependable. Ethical:  treats others fairly and respectfully, obeys the law, trustworthy, lives A. O. Smith values. Communicator:  effective oral and written communication skills, ability to convey advanced concepts to a technical audience.

 

Education OtherCurrently Enrolled in Related Field or Electrical Engineering