Summer 2027 Data Engineer Internship

Summary

Southwest Airlines is a transportation company offering a Technology internship focused on real-time data engineering. The Data Engineering Intern will support data pipeline testing and integrations, automate manual processes, build dashboards and reports, monitor data quality, and participate in user acceptance testing and quality control activities.

Responsibilities

• Support testing of data pipelines and integrations (e.g., between People and Training applications, such as Workday and Cornerstone)
• Assist to isolate errors in data flow or transformation logic and document findings
• Contribute to automating manual processes such as training assignment tracking, report generation, or data syncing between systems
• Build or update dashboards and reports using tools like Tableau or Alteryx to reflect data from both LMS (eLearning Platform) systems
• Document technical processes, data definitions, and system behaviors during the transition of Learning Management systems (LMS)
• Assist in monitoring data quality, flag duplicates or inconsistencies, and support cleanup efforts
• Participate in user acceptance testing (UAT) for LMS features and reporting tools
• Conduct and participate in quality control activities and provide meaningful feedback

Skills

• The Data Engineering Intern should be a strong communicator and collaborator, capable of presenting ideas in both technical and user-friendly terms
• U.S. citizenship or current authorization to work in the U.S. required and no current or future work authorization sponsorship available
• Coursework or hands-on experience with programming and scripting languages such as Python, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
• Coursework or experience with AWS cloud services and infrastructure, including S3, Lambda, Fargate, Aurora, Athena, and Redshift
• Coursework or experience with data visualization, reporting, and business intelligence tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms
• Coursework or experience with SQL development, query optimization, and relational database management systems
• Coursework or experience with data warehousing and data lake architectures
• Coursework or experience with data integration, ETL/ELT processes, and data pipeline development
• Coursework or experience with structured and semi-structured data formats, including XML, XSLT, XPath, JSON, and data transformation principles
• Coursework or experience with Agile or Scaled Agile (SAFe) methodologies
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-based, Customer service-oriented environment with a high regard for hospitality
• Demonstrate programming aptitude and ability for logical and abstract thinking
• High School Diploma, GED or equivalent education required
• Progress towards degree, major, or minor in MIS, Business, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems or Information Technology, Data Analytics, Statistics, Economics, Finance, Business Administration or similar degree
• Progress towards a 4-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree is required
• To be eligible, you must be currently enrolled as a full-time student (as defined by your university) at the time of application and during the internship
• Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the time of application is required
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must have authorization to work in the United States as defined by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986
• You must have a valid U.S. Social Security Number to complete the full hiring process
• Ability to stay organized and manage multiple and concurrent assignments under tight deadlines preferred
• Previous internship or work experience as a Data Engineer Intern within the past 12 months preferred
• Problem solving ability and strong written/verbal communications skills preferred
• Works well in a culture that is open, direct, respectful, courteous, and compassionate preferred
• 1-2 semesters remaining at the time the internship ends is preferred

Qualifications

Must Haves

• The Data Engineering Intern should be a strong communicator and collaborator, capable of presenting ideas in both technical and user-friendly terms
• U.S. citizenship or current authorization to work in the U.S. required and no current or future work authorization sponsorship available
• Coursework or hands-on experience with programming and scripting languages such as Python, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
• Coursework or experience with AWS cloud services and infrastructure, including S3, Lambda, Fargate, Aurora, Athena, and Redshift
• Coursework or experience with data visualization, reporting, and business intelligence tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms
• Coursework or experience with SQL development, query optimization, and relational database management systems
• Coursework or experience with data warehousing and data lake architectures
• Coursework or experience with data integration, ETL/ELT processes, and data pipeline development
• Coursework or experience with structured and semi-structured data formats, including XML, XSLT, XPath, JSON, and data transformation principles
• Coursework or experience with Agile or Scaled Agile (SAFe) methodologies
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, team-based, Customer service-oriented environment with a high regard for hospitality
• Demonstrate programming aptitude and ability for logical and abstract thinking
• High School Diploma, GED or equivalent education required
• Progress towards degree, major, or minor in MIS, Business, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems or Information Technology, Data Analytics, Statistics, Economics, Finance, Business Administration or similar degree
• Progress towards a 4-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree is required
• To be eligible, you must be currently enrolled as a full-time student (as defined by your university) at the time of application and during the internship
• Minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA at the time of application is required
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must have authorization to work in the United States as defined by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986
• You must have a valid U.S. Social Security Number to complete the full hiring process

Nice to Haves

• Ability to stay organized and manage multiple and concurrent assignments under tight deadlines preferred
• Previous internship or work experience as a Data Engineer Intern within the past 12 months preferred
• Problem solving ability and strong written/verbal communications skills preferred
• Works well in a culture that is open, direct, respectful, courteous, and compassionate preferred
• 1-2 semesters remaining at the time the internship ends is preferred

Benefits

• Receive free, unlimited space available travel privileges for yourself (taxes and fees may apply on international travel).
• Interns will be provided any required equipment, such as a laptop, for the internship.
• Stipends may be offered based on eligibility and program criteria.
• This role is offered as a remote workplace position, which may require travel for trainings, meetings, conferences, etc. Outside of those required visits, the majority of your working time may be spent in an approved remote location, away from our Corporate Campus.