APD Engineering Intern

Job Description
The Internship:
The Walmart Automated Pick and Delivery (APD) Internship is an 11-week program held during the summer of 2026. It is open to undergraduate students graduating between December 2026 and August 2027. This paid internship will prepare associates for a career with Walmart APD. Interns will work on meaningful projects, network with industry experts, and develop their skills while having an enriching summer experience.   A successful candidate will not require sponsorship from Walmart for authorization to work now or in the future. 

About Automated Pickup & Delivery (APD)
Automated Pickup & Delivery (APD) centers are Walmart’s automated grocery fulfillment facilities that combine robotics, software systems, and 
in-store operations to fulfill online grocery orders at scale.
APDs are designed to:

Increase daily order throughput per store
Improve labor productivity (Units Per Labor Hour – UPLH)
Deliver reliable, fast pickup experiences for customers
These systems sit at the intersection of physical automation, software platforms, and store operations, and are a critical part of Walmart’s 
long-term eCommerce and grocery strategy.

Role Summary
The APD Engineering Intern (Undergraduate) will work on real-world automation and fulfillment problems that directly impact throughput, labor 
efficiency, system availability, and customer experience.
Interns will join one of several APD engineering-focused teams and contribute to projects that improve how automation is designed, deployed, 
operated, and scaled across Walmart stores.
This role is ideal for undergraduate engineers who want hands-on experience working on large-scale, real-world systems where software, 
hardware, and operations intersect.

What You’ll Learn:

How automated fulfillment systems operate end-to-end in live retail environments
How engineering decisions affect cost, productivity, and customer experience
How data, simulation, and experimentation drive operational improvements
How cross-functional teams (engineering, product, operations) work together to scale automation

Team Options & Focus Areas
Interns will be aligned to one primary team, based on interest and business need:
1. Process Engineering
Focus: Operational processes and labor efficiency
This team defines how store associates and automation work together day-to-day.
You’ll help:

Analyze operational workflows and identify bottlenecks
Improve throughput and labor productivity (UPLH)
Evaluate process changes and their impact on capacity and efficiency

Example problems:

How should work be sequenced to maximize throughput?
Where does labor time get lost during peak volume?

2. Integration & Implementation
Focus: Operations readiness and launch, construction and design, and successful automation adoption
This team manages the end to end construction and launch and ensures stores are fully prepared to operate automation.
You’ll help:

Support site launch planning and track key readiness milestones
Analyze operational data to identify workflow and throughput issues
Review site layouts and identify gaps between system design and real-world store usage
Develop tools, documentation, or feedback loops to improve adoption and address issues

Example problems:

What causes stores to struggle after automation go-live?
How can we reduce ramp-up time and operational errors?
What causes certain sites to perform below others in key acceptance metrics?

3. Stability & Scalability
Focus: Automation reliability, availability, and customer impact
This team ensures automation is available 98%+ of the time, minimizing customer disruption.
You’ll help:

Analyze downtime, failure modes, and recovery processes
Identify patterns that reduce automation availability
Propose improvements to monitoring, response, or system design

Example problems:

What causes automation downtime and how do we prevent it?
How do we design systems that scale without increasing failure risk?

4. Design and Simulation
Focus: Design and simulate Automation (machines / robots, processes, workstations, etc.)
This team designs how automation looks, operates, and performs before it is built.
You’ll help:

Evaluate, assess and integrate next gen technologies / systems
Simulate automation flows to test throughput and capacity
Validate that designs meet business goals before deployment

Example problems:

Will this design achieve throughput and labor targets?
How do layout changes affect flow and congestion?

Sample Intern Projects (Across Teams)

Analyze a specific APD workflow and assess its impact on:

Throughput 
Labor efficiency 
System availability

Build a data-backed recommendation to improve a process, design, or operational outcome
Support a pilot or site review by summarizing performance, risks, and improvement opportunities
Use simulation, analysis, or structured problem-solving to evaluate tradeoffs

Qualifications:

Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Systems, or related field)
Expected graduation date between December 2026 and August 2027
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Interest in automation, robotics, operations, or large-scale systems
Comfortable working with data (Excel/Sheets required; coding or simulation tools a plus)
Clear written and verbal communication skills

Success Metrics

Ability to understand and explain complex systems
Quality of analysis and clarity of recommendations
Demonstrated impact on throughput, efficiency, reliability, or design outcomes
Learning velocity and ability to operate in ambiguous environments

 A successful candidate will not require sponsorship from Walmart for authorization to work now or in the future.