Talent & Development Intern

Composing the core of a brighter world

LIGHTERA has one of the longest and most respectable corporate lineages in American business, which goes back to Alexander Graham Bell and the invention of the telephone more than a century ago. We have a proven track record of being first in the industry with application specific fibers, optical connectors, ribbon cables, erbium doped fibers, Raman fiber lasers, fiber gratings and more. Our mission is to provide leading optical innovations and solutions by designing, manufacturing and supplying the best optical fibers, fiber cable and components and devices for our customers, with exceptional service that creates value for our shareholders, customers and employees. To do so, we must continue shaping the future of communications by applying the best minds to the challenges our customers will continually face.

Our mission is simple and bold: to build brighter, more connected communities through cutting‑edge optical technologies.

Talent & Development Intern

Norcross, GA

You won't be fetching coffee or filing papers. You'll be embedded in a talent team actively building Lightera's leadership pipeline: touching real recruiting, real data, and real people. If you're organized, curious, and want to understand how HR actually runs inside a global manufacturing company, this is the role for you.

The Talent & HR Operations Intern will support key Talent initiatives across recruiting operations, early‑career engagement, onboarding documentation, HR systems support, and talent reporting. This role is designed to provide hands‑on exposure to real‑world HR work while contributing meaningful value during a busy execution period. The intern will partner closely with the Talent team on operational tasks, process improvement, and documentation, while also bringing a fresh perspective on campus recruiting and early‑career engagement.

This internship aligns directly with our broader Talent strategy, supporting early career pipelines, operational excellence, and scalable talent processes.

Recruiting Operations

• Support candidate screening by learning how to review resumes and flag qualified candidates aligned to role criteria for the talent team review.
• Learn to coordinate and manage interview scheduling across hiring managers, candidates, and HRBPs. Keeping calendars accurate and communication timely.
• Develop the campus recruiting calendar, tracking career fair dates, interview days, and deadlines across our Tier 1, 2, and 3 university partners.
• Support outreach to local high schools and colleges near Lightera's Norcross and plant sites. Researching potential partnerships, identifying career fair and classroom visit opportunities, and drafting initial outreach communications.
• Co-plan the fall signature early career engagement experience. Scoping the event concept alongside the Talent team, researching venue or virtual platform options, drafting the run-of-show, and building out the logistics checklist.

Onboarding & HRIS

• Support LMS cleanup in ADP Learning, reviewing course completion records, flagging inactive content, and helping the team maintain an accurate, up-to-date catalog.

Data & Talent Reporting

• Build and maintain weekly and monthly talent reporting dashboards. Tracking recruiting activity, learning completion, and headcount data for the team and business leaders.
• Elevate our Excel reporting system, bring sharper layouts, smarter formulas, and cleaner visuals that make data easier to read and act on.
• Compile and organize early career program data. Tracking leadership development program participant engagement, touchpoints, and milestone completion.

Global Projects & Early Career

• Research and develop SOPs for the global expat experience. Documenting onboarding steps, cultural transition touchpoints, and HR support processes for employees relocating globally.
• Support the Jumpstart early career program for early career employees. Helping coordinate quarterly virtual sessions, tracking participant engagement, and assisting with the in-person immersion experience.
• Assist the EDGE rotational program pilot launching Summer 2026. Supporting logistics, participant check-ins, and documentation as the program gets off the ground.
• Participate in select global leadership development experiences alongside Lightera leaders (including program sessions and any global L&D events occurring during the internship window), gaining exposure to how leadership development works at a multi-regional scale.

What we're looking for

• Rising junior or senior studying HR, Business, Data Analytics, Psychology, Communications, or a related field.
• Comfortable with Excel: pivot tables, formulas, data organization.
• Detail-oriented and organized you'll be managing calendars, documents, and process steps simultaneously.
• Experience with Google Workspace or Microsoft Office suite; prior HR, admin, or campus involvement a plus.

Visa sponsorship not available. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or any immigration support (including STEM OPT training plan) for this position

Note: Only those candidates selected for the interview process will be contacted.

About Lightera

Lightera is a global leader in optical fiber and connectivity solutions, delivering innovative technologies that drive communication networks, data centers, and specialty photonics applications. With a deep legacy of expertise in optical science, we provide high-performance solutions that enable faster, more reliable, and more sustainable connections for businesses, communities, and industries worldwide.

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, U.S.A., Lightera operates with a global footprint, serving customers across telecommunications, enterprise, industrial, generative AI, data centers, 5G/6G, utilities, medical, aerospace, defense, and sensing markets. Lightera is part of Furukawa Electric Group, a multi-billion-dollar leader in optical communications.

Lightera is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability.