Research & Development Intern (Summer 2027)

Posted 4 Days Ago
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Chicago, IL, USA
In-Office
28-28 Annually
Internship
Food
The Role
Supports fairlife’s R&D team with food and dairy product development projects, including formulation, ingredient testing, pilot production, product evaluation, data analysis, and project documentation. The intern follows laboratory, food safety, quality, and confidentiality protocols while gaining exposure to product commercialization. This is an on-site Chicago internship from May 24 through August 10, 2027, with 5–10% travel to plant locations.
Summary Generated by Built In

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With over $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

about our internship program:

The fairlife Summer Internship Program is designed to welcome interns across our locations to gain meaningful experience and social and professional development opportunities. For 11 weeks, interns will work in one of our four locations: Chicago, IL; Coopersville, MI; Goodyear, AZ; or Webster, NY. fairlife’s paid internship program also offers a summer full of social, professional, and community engagement events including exposure to our senior leadership and executives across the business in small group settings, insight into company initiatives, off-site field trips, and for those qualified and selected, an opportunity to pursue a full-time job opportunity.

The fairlife 2027 Summer Internship Program will take place from May 24 through August 10 at the fairlife location specified in this job description.

job purpose: This internship experience provides an opportunity to work directly with the Research and Development (R&D) team, in Chicago, IL. This role will be focused on supporting R&D initiatives in alignment with company objectives.

skills/qualifications required:

  • Must be currently enrolled in a four-year undergraduate degree program, entering the Fall semester, post internship, as a senior.
  • B.S. Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemical Engineering or Food process engineering or closely related field.
  • Possess a strong technical foundation in the sciences; dairy knowledge desired but not required
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0, or higher
  • Ability to take ownership of assignments and complete them
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to work in a team setting
  • Skilled in Microsoft Office Suite including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • Proficiency in English: Comfortable with both written and verbal communication, including reading and writing. 

learning objectives:

The intern will handle a responsibilities in the following areas:

  • Product development:
    • Support a project to either develop new products, optimize an existing product formula, or evaluate ingredient functionality in a product with the objective of enhancing the organoleptic properties or optimizing cost while maintaining the high quality of our products.
    • Exposure to different aspects of product development from formulation, and pilot plant production through commercialization. This will include ingredient selection, ingredients testing, raw batch testing and final product testing.
  • In all areas the intern is expected to:
    • Ask questions and learn quickly on the job
    • Conduct product testing and evaluations according to project objectives
    • Comply with lab safety protocols
    • Enter and analyze data
    • Create and maintain comprehensive records of the project
    • Maintain security and confidentiality of information within the R&D Department

food safety requirements:

  • Notify supervision of any repairs or adjustments that are required that may affect product quality or food safety.
  • Understand, observe, and comply with the handling and usage of the color-coded container policy while in the Production Areas.
  • Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company.
  • Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system.
  • Identify and record any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system.
  • Control further processing or delivery of nonconforming product in terms of Food Safety and Quality issues until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected.
  • In the event of absence, another employee with the same skill level will assume the duties and responsibilities as required.

internship location: Chicago, IL

schedule: On-site, Monday-Friday 

internship duration: May 24-August 10, 2027

reports to: R&D lead

travel requirements: 5-10% travel to plant locations

*Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

Base pay range:
$28$28 USD

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email [email protected].


For Recruitment Agencies
At fairlife, we manage the majority of our hiring internally through our dedicated Talent Acquisition team, which is actively engaged in direct candidate sourcing. Most of our roles are filled through applications submitted via our careers site or through direct outreach by our team.

As our recruitment is primarily handled in-house, we work only occasionally with external agencies, and only those on our existing, pre-approved vendor list. At this time, we are not reviewing or expanding that list.

Unsolicited resumes or submissions from external agencies not authorized by our Talent Acquisition team will be considered direct candidate applications. As such, fairlife will not assume responsibility for any placement fees associated with these submissions.


Skills Required

  • Currently enrolled in a four-year undergraduate degree program and entering the fall semester after the internship as a senior
  • Bachelor of Science in Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemical Engineering, Food Process Engineering, or a closely related field
  • Strong technical foundation in the sciences
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0 or higher
  • Ability to take ownership of assignments and complete them
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to work in a team setting
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • English proficiency for written and verbal communication, reading, and writing
  • Dairy knowledge

fairlife, LLC Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about fairlife, LLC and has not been reviewed or approved by fairlife, LLC.

  • Fair & Transparent Compensation Pay is considered competitive for many roles, often described as great or above average across positions. Compensation levels, paired with appreciation initiatives, contribute to strong overall sentiment.
  • Strong & Reliable Incentives Quarterly bonuses are highlighted as a consistent perk that meaningfully enhances total compensation. Recognition programs and appreciation efforts further reinforce incentive strength.
  • Healthcare Strength Multiple medical, dental, and vision options alongside wellness resources and an EAP indicate a comprehensive health offering. Supplemental protections and wellness reimbursements add depth to the coverage.

fairlife, LLC Insights

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The Company
HQ: Chicago, IL
359 Employees
Year Founded: 2012

What We Do

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based dairy company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and value-added products to nourish consumers. With more than $1B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s growing portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health; and fairlife® Light Ice Cream. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation. The company is driven by its values of caring for the people, animals, and planet it touches across its business. By providing nourishing products, implementing stringent care standards for animals, and stewarding efficient operations and responsible packaging, fairlife, LLC puts a focus each day on making a positive impact for all. To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com. We reserve the right to take down any posts we find to be in violation of the above, or ban users who violate these rules. Thanks for your support.

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