Intern - Operations Data Science

Intern - Operations Data Science

$25.00-$30.00/hour

Build models, optimizers and AI tools that change how a nationwide moving and storage operation runs, and leave behind work the team keeps using.

PODS moves and stores for customers across the country. Our Operations Data Science & AI team builds what helps the business see and run itself better: capacity forecasts, routing and planning optimizations, research on hard operational questions, and AI tools that automate analysis and decisions once done by hand.

Youll report to the Director of Operations Data Science & AI and work alongside senior data scientists on one of two tracks:

- Data Science & Research: statistical modeling, optimization and machine learning

- AI Tool Building: AI-powered tools and agents that automate operational workflows

On either track youll own one or two focus projects with real deliverables, help steward the optimizers and tools already in production, and present your results to the team and operational stakeholders.

What youll do

- Own a focus project. Build and validate a predictive model (demand or capacity forecasting, classification, anomaly detection) against actuals; formulate and solve a routing, scheduling or capacity optimization and quantify the gain; build an AI agent that automates a manual workflow; or frame a loosely defined operational question and deliver a recommendation.

- Do real data science. Prepare and validate operational data, engineer features, and run model and optimization experiments with senior data scientists.

- Build tools and automation. Create AI-powered tools, reproducible pipelines and automated reporting that replace manual work.

- Steward whats in production. Help maintain and monitor the teams optimizers, models and tools, and bring improvement ideas with the analysis to back them.

- Make results usable. Work with IT to integrate solutions into the platforms operational users rely on, maintain data models in Snowflake, and build dashboards and decision-support tools.

- Work AI-first. Use Claude, Cursor, Copilot or similar to move faster on analysis, code and documentation, and verify every output before it ships.

What youll walk away with

- A model, optimizer or AI tool in production that the team keeps using after you leave

- Hands-on experience with Python, SQL, Snowflake, and modern ML, optimization and LLM tooling on live operational data

- A clear understanding of how data science and AI improve a real physical operation

- Mentorship from the Director and senior data scientists, plus exposure to IT and Operations partners

- A presentation to stakeholders you can point to in your next interview

Who were looking for

Both tracks

- Working knowledge of SQL and Python (pandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels or similar) from coursework, projects or a prior internship

- Hands-on use of AI tools (Claude, Cursor, Copilot or similar) for analysis or coding, with the judgment to check the output

- Able to communicate model outputs through clear visualizations and decision-support tools (Tableau, Power BI or similar)

- Comfortable turning a loosely defined operational problem into a clear analytical question and a practical solution

- Takes ownership of a deliverable from first draft to finished product, asks for help early, and explains results in plain language to both technical peers and operational leaders

Data Science & Research track

- Coursework or project experience building and validating statistical or ML models (forecasting, regression, classification or anomaly detection)

- Exposure to optimization methods such as linear or mixed-integer programming; a solver or library (Gurobi, Pyomo, OR-Tools, PuLP) is a plus

AI Tool Building track

- Hands-on experience building AI-powered tools, agents or automations with LLMs and their APIs; prompt design, retrieval or agent frameworks are a plus

Nice to have: Snowflake or another cloud data warehouse; Airflow, APIs, containers or PySpark.

Job Qualifications

- Currently in the final years of a bachelors degree, or enrolled in a masters program

- Majoring in a quantitative or technical field such as Data Science, Business Analytics, Statistics, Operations Research, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Applied Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, Economics, or a related field

- Coursework or hands-on experience with SQL and Python for analysis and model or tool development

- No full-time experience required

- Bonus points for: a prior internship, co-op, or substantial research or course project in data science, optimization, or AI tool building; coursework in machine learning, optimization, or LLM application development; exposure to a cloud data or ML platform (Snowflake, AWS, or similar); experience supporting an operations, supply chain, logistics, or other capacity-constrained business

The details

- Temporary internship for Summer 2027; term dates to be confirmed

- Regular business hours, Monday-Friday

- Climate-controlled office, with occasional travel to Storage Centers or headquarters

- Must be able to use a computer for up to 8 hours a day, stand and walk up to 8 hours a day, and lift up to 50 lbs

- May be subject to a pre-employment background check and drug screening in accordance with company policy

PODS Enterprises, LLC is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer. We will not discriminate unlawfully against qualified applicants or employees based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, place of birth, military service status, or any other basis protected by law.

This description indicates the general nature of the work, the knowledge and skills typically required, and usual working conditions. It is not a comprehensive list of all responsibilities or requirements.