Systems Engineering Internship (Automation & Machine Code) - Year in Industry placement - Start summer 2026 in Witney

We have an opportunity for a System Engineering Intern to join our Operations Engineering Group. Our engineering teams consist of individuals bringing a diverse mix of backgrounds, experiences, and competencies. As a Systems Engineering Intern, your role will be to support new software solutions within our high-volume machines. You will help and work closely within the Controls engineering team to propose new solutions and mitigations to any identified opportunities in the machine’s performance. You will contribute towards delivering important projects for the site. By the end of this internship placement, you will have gained a working knowledge of complex automated machine systems, their structure, and the basic principles of how industrial machines work.

You will have worked in our Operations Engineering department where you will have met passionate people with very different skills and backgrounds and gained knowledge in Programmable Logic Controller programming languages and their possibilities at the heart of modern industrial machines.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for someone who is interested in automation and machine code (PLC, LadderLogic etc), and who is working towards a degree in Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or similar subject matter, requiring a year in industry placement as part of the qualification. The ideal candidate will be a proactive individual who takes initiative and is able to work within a team and be comfortable working in a fast-paced, changing environment. You will need to have good oral and written communication skills to be able to prepare reports and technical documents. You must be organised and flexible in your approach to work, with good attention to detail in order to ensure that data and analyses are accurate and meet the requirements of the project.

We’re looking for someone who is passionate about STEM, and keen to pursue their career in the Medical Devices sector. Career growth and future opportunities are pillars of our program. Students who continuously excel in our early career programs are encouraged to apply for Abbott’s Professional Development Programs or other full-time positions.

To Apply:

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter. Interviews will be conducted in person at our Witney site. By submitting your application, you consent for your details to be shared with Randstad, our Third Party Labour supplier, who are working on behalf of Abbott on this position. This is a 13-month placement starting summer 2026.

About Us:

Abbott is about the power of health. For more than 135 years, Abbott has been helping people reach their potential — because better health allows people and communities to achieve more. With a diverse, global network serving customers in more than 160 countries, we create new solutions — across the spectrum of health, around the world, for all stages of life. Whether it’s next-generation diagnostics, life-changing devices, science-based nutrition, or novel reformulations, we are advancing some of the most innovative and revolutionary technologies in healthcare, helping people live their best lives through better health.

Our Diabetes Care division is part of the Medical Devices group, and it is here that we design, develop, and manufacture leading-edge blood glucose monitoring systems, including our revolutionary Freestyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System, which is used by patients and healthcare professionals for the day-to-day management of diabetes. The system consists of a hand-held meter or smartphone app, and disposable test strips or on-body patch containing a sensor. The meters are developed in Alameda, California, and the strips and sensors developed and manufactured in the UK, at Witney, near Oxford.

Here at Witney, we also support our employees to live life to the fullest – whether it’s joining our couch to 5k team, tending the allotments, learning to be a bee keeper, dropping in for a yoga session, there is plenty going for you to engage with as and when you wish!