Operations Manager Intern (Starting Summer 2027) Upstream Distribution Center, Dekalb, IL

ALL ABOUT TARGET
As a Fortune 50 company with more than 400,000 team members worldwide, Target is an iconic brand and one of America's leading retailers.

Working at Target means the opportunity to help all families discover the joy of everyday life. Caring for our communities is woven into who we are, and we invest in the places we collectively live, work, and play. We prioritize relationships, fuel and develop talent by creating growth opportunities, and succeed as one Target team. At our core, our purpose is ingrained in who we are, what we value, and how we work. It’s how we care, grow, and win together.

ALL ABOUT OUR SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS INTERNSHIP
Experience firsthand what it’s like to lead a team within a Target Supply Chain Facility. This internship is a paid 40 hr./week, hands-on training program to develop and prepare for your operations leadership. As an Operations Intern, you’ll gain a realistic job preview into life as an Operations Manager over a defined period of time. Within this Operations Management internship, you will work closely with other managers and team members in the building to develop an understanding of how Target’s supply chain business works and what it takes to excel in a management role. You’ll lead and support the execution of daily operations by working beside your team members and learn to lead, motivate and influence a team, including the opportunity to lead a department.

This program is designed to teach individuals how to lead within a supply chain facility. You will work closely with a Mentor as you take a deeper dive into how they effectively lead their department while gaining a line of sight into different business areas and functions within the building. You will spend your days learning how to problem solve, lead and motivate a team, conduct real-time observations, and drive results, all while ensuring safety is a top priority and that we are maximizing productivity to get products to the guest as fast as possible. During your internship, you will have the opportunity to step into leading your Mentors work center - of course, we will be there to guide you and help you learn along the way! Your development will be a top priority of ours, and to ensure you’re feeling supported, you can expect ongoing developmental conversations with your Mentor and Manager. We’ll be supporting you with extensive training to help you grow as a strong operations intern. 

Hear more from past Interns, Mentors, & Managers here.

At Target, we believe in our leaders having meaningful experiences that help them build and develop skills for a career. The role of an Operations Intern can provide you with the:

• Experience in building and managing a team culture across the building
• Problem solving and change management skills
• Knowledge of retail business fundamentals
• Experience setting and planning department(s) daily/weekly workload to support business priorities and managing a team to deliver goals
• Experience managing a team of hourly team members and creating business strategies and goals
• Knowledge of departments within the distribution center that you will learn more about throughout the internship experience include- Inbound/Outbound/Warehousing

As an Operations Intern, no two days are ever the same, but a typical day will most likely include the following responsibilities:

• Spending time on the facilities floor helping to lead amongst team members and aligning the team in daily business priorities.
• Working alongside team members to lead through daily priorities
• Maintaining a high standard of quality/inventory accuracy through standardization of processes (standard works, job breakdowns, and quality risk analysis) while also ensuring employee accountability.
• Tracking various KPI’s such as safety, teamwork, quality and productivity to identify gaps, and drive actions in order to maintain consistent performance.
• Carrying out process improvement initiatives by leveraging CI methodologies such as Gemba, Fish Bone Analysis, and 5 why’s to create a lean defect-free operation.
• Administering the communication between the IT and the Operation team to address system issues and conduct testing in the WMS.
• Recruiting and mentoring team members to adapt a continuous improvement mindset, and guide them to take up leadership roles in the company through engaging and inclusive leadership.
• Addressing team member concerns and remove operational hurdles to ensure smooth operations and goal attainment.
• Leading daily meetings for the operational team, share pertinent company and site-specific information.
• Lead/present at daily planning meetings with peer/leadership team.
• Plan daily goals and organize shift plans to achieve targets at start of shift.
• Provide summary of results around plan attainment, share hurdles, successes, and key learnings to apply moving forward at end of shift.
• Conduct audits around standard adherence with safety, quality, and productivity. Share feedback and coach team members on audit observations.
• Conduct safety walks in building to identify, resolve and report findings.
• Conduct follow-ups on team member attendance, any necessary coaching, etc.
• Partner with leaders regarding team member performance by teaching, coaching, training, and delivering timely performance feedback
• Provide new ideas and recommend solutions for business or team opportunities
• Take the initiative to learn how to be a Target leader by seeking out opportunities for growth and development; continuously learn throughout the internship experience
• Commit to learning Target’s expectations of leaders and use them to personally develop by asking questions and seeking feedback
• Actively participate in internship program training activities, developmental opportunities, and events.
• Demonstrate a willingness to take risks; step out of your comfort zone and take on new assignments
• Demonstrate a culture of ethical conduct, safety, and compliance; lead the team to work in the same way and hold others accountable to this commitment
• Foster an inclusive, safe, and secure culture
• Carry out principle duties and responsibilities by the department through internship rotations as trained.
• Understand business reporting and guest insights to understand, troubleshoot, and follow up on opportunity areas
• Gain an understanding of all business areas to develop business acumen
• Working with buildings leaders each day to set goals and expectations

About You

We might be a great match if:
•Working in a fun and energetic environment makes you excited… We work efficiently and as a team to deliver for our guests
• You enjoy the idea leading teams who are working to get products to our stores and guests… That’s the core of what we do
• If you aren’t looking for a Monday thru Friday job where you are at a computer all day… We are busy, oftentimes working different shifts in a 24-hour building getting merchandise to our teams and guests

The good news is that we have some amazing training that will help teach you how to be an effective leader within our facilities. But there are a few skills you should have from the get-go:

• Participation in school or extracurricular activities and experience in leadership roles
• Strong interest in working in retail, specifically within our supply chain facilities
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Problem-solving skills and strong initiative
• Team-oriented thinking with enthusiasm for continuous learning
• Ability to access all levels and areas of the facility to respond to team member issues.
• Understand instructions, reports, and information
• Climb up and down ladders
• Scan, handle and move merchandise efficiently and safely, including frequently lifting or moving merchandise up to 15 pounds and occasionally moving merchandise up to 40 pounds
• Flexible work schedule (e.g., nights, weekends, and holidays) and regular work attendance are necessary