2026 Summer Live Operations Intern

Join Butterball, America's favorite turkey brand, for an exciting summer internship! Butterball, LLC, is one of America's most iconic brands and the most loved and trusted brand of turkey in the United States. Known for helping consumers celebrate Thanksgiving, Butterball also brings delicious turkey products to tables around the world every day. Located in the thriving Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area, our business model gives us the opportunity to provide a diverse array of career opportunities and paths which include live operations, processing facilities, corporate functions and support offices. At Butterball, we aim to provide great-tasting foods that bring people together and inspire meaningful moments with the people who matter most.

Over the course of 10-12 weeks, as a Live Operations Intern, you'll work in our Goldsboro Live Ops facility located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The Live Ops team works alongside all the Farmers & Growers, Feed Mills, Processing Plants located in the North Carolina region. The team also oversees the health and well-being of the turkeys and raised with the utmost care. The Live Operations Intern will work very closely with the team to learn various aspects of Butterball Live Operations. The program's primary objective is to grow future leaders by providing professional development and a series of assignments that align with professional interest within the processing and manufacturing industry.

What you'll do:

• Farm visits in both North BBN and South BBS divisions with and without birds (empty farms waiting for birds).
• Working with birds of different ages and sizes: brooders of 1-5 weeks old and/or grow out of 5-18 weeks.
• Working closely with flocks, supervisors and farmers.
• Lab work with processing of samples.
• Develop and conduct live operations research.
• Work with live animals in a farm environment.

What you'll get:

• Introduction to the whole process: breeders, feed mill, processing plant and live ops in general (farms).
• Hands-on experience and professional development.
• Opportunities to network and learn from industry experts.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.

We're looking for awesome students like you! Do you have a knack for problem-solving and a passion for food? We're looking for creative minds who can help us make our food production process even better. You'll need to be a team player, ready to roll up your sleeves and get things done.

Think you have what it takes to make a delicious difference?

• Pursuing a Bachelors in Animal Sciences, Poultry Science, or related field with an expected graduation date of December 2026 through June 2027.
• You are required to have a valid drivers license and reliable transportation to and from work.
• Ability and interest in both indoor facilities and outdoors with either hot or cold temperatures.
• Work Monday through Friday.
• Working knowledge of animal care and well-being practices.
• Ability to follow animal care well-being and bio-security policies and procedures.