Process Development Apprentice

Process Development Apprentice (Production to Engineering Track)Location: Provo, UTPosition Type: Full-Time, On-SiteEducation Required: None required. (We evaluate practical ability and innovative mindset over paper credentials.)Pay Rate: $23.00 – $30.00 / hour (Starting rate determined by past demonstration of integrated innovation, effectiveness, and teamwork.)Do you love taking things apart to see how they work?If you spend your free time fixing cars, tinkering in the garage, building 3D printers, or working on mechanical projects, you already have the most valuable skill we are looking for here at Sprout: mechanical instinct.At our facility in Provo, we aren't anti-education—we just know credentials don't guarantee the ability to innovate. We care about real-world problem solving, waste reduction, and true value creation. Whether you picked up your mechanical instincts in a classroom, a trade program, or tearing things apart in your garage, what matters most to us is your ability to turn knowledge into practical, functional solutions on the shop floor.In many cases at Sprout, we don't just buy off-the-shelf solutions—we build our own tools and equipment. We have already designed and built several custom in-house CNC machines, and we are currently preparing to design, build, and deploy at least 6 more.We are hiring candidates for our Process Development Apprentice program. We will pay you a competitive hourly wage to work hands-on in production while giving you access to mentorship, tools, and training in CAD design, CNC programming, PLC automation logic, and custom equipment design.Our Core Philosophy: Gemba (Be Where the Work Happens), Lean Thinking & Self-Driven GrowthOur workplace culture is built around four fundamental values: Transparency & Reflection, Discipline & Standardization, Growth & Innovation, Community & Mentorship.Above all, we believe that providing value to others is a key element of life and work satisfaction. We innovate not just for the technical thrill, but because solving problems on the floor directly serves and improves the experience of our customers.Here is what our values look like in practice on our shop floor:Transparency & Reflection (Open Communication & Feedback): We value honest, transparent communication. We reflect openly on what’s working and what’s not, we ask questions, and talk about how we can improve together. We don't hide mistakes or hoard knowledge—we think out loud, analyze root causes without ego, and share solutions across the entire team.Discipline & Standardization (The Baseline for Success): Standardization is the bedrock of improvement. You cannot improve a process that changes every day. We maintain disciplined, standardized baselines to achieve consistency—because only when a process is consistent can you accurately measure, innovate, and elevate it. To empower our team, we have invested significantly in developing proprietary technologies that allow for real-time standardization with direct ownership and feedback from the people operating the tools.Community & Mentorship (We Guide, YOU Drive): We believe in building a strong community where team members support and elevate each other. We provide expert mentorship, guidance, and high-level tools, but we don't do step-by-step hand-holding. We look for people who take active ownership of their learning, teach themselves in their downtime, and lift up those around them. The speed of your career growth is entirely driven by your own curiosity and initiative.Growth & Innovation (Hands-On Customer Value): We don't innovate from isolated cubicles. True growth happens at Gemba—going directly to the workplace to observe, learn, and solve problems where real value is created for our customers. While the ratio of direct production work versus technical design will naturally shift as your capabilities grow, staying connected to the floor remains a permanent commitment. Even as a master PLC programmer or CAD equipment designer, innovation happens with tools in your hands.How Your Technical Growth EvolvesRather than putting you on a rigid timeline, your journey naturally evolves as you master the floor, take initiative, and build your technical toolbelt:Process Familiarity & StandardizationBuild quality products on the floor to understand customer needs, line flow, and team dynamics firsthand.Learn our manufacturing equipment inside and out, using disciplined observation to spot bottlenecks, material waste, and motion friction.Standardize processes to establish solid operational baselines, utilizing our custom real-time technology stack and taking direct ownership of our "Living SOP" (Standard Operating Procedure) system.Work Environment & Process InnovationDrive continuous growth and innovation by designing and executing simple, practical changes to the work environment.Improve line layout, workstations, and tooling ergonomics through open feedback from line operators to eliminate fatigue and waste.Help transition batch processes toward smooth, single-piece flow that maximizes quality and eliminates unnecessary lead time.Equipment Design, Fixturing & AutomationLearn 3D CAD modeling, CNC toolpath editing, machine assembly, and PLC ladder logic through hands-on mentorship from our engineering community.Design custom fixtures, jigs, and tooling—and directly build, test, reflect on, and refine them on the shop floor to make line work easier and higher quality.Actively contribute to designing, building, wiring, programming, and deploying our next generation of custom in-house equipment (including our 6+ planned CNC machine builds).Compensation, Benefits & Innovation PhilosophyWe offer a competitive $23.00 – $30.00 / hour pay range for this role.Where you start within this range is based on your demonstrated track record of integrated innovation. We evaluate:Practical Effectiveness & Innovation: Have you successfully built, modified, standardized, or solved real problems with functional, waste-eliminating solutions that add value?Community & Teamwork: How well do you collaborate with others, share knowledge, reflect transparently on outcomes, and elevate the team on the floor?As you take ownership of new technical capabilities (CAD, CNC, PLC) and drive continuous improvements on the shop floor, your contributions directly unlock further advancement and earning potential.Open Maker Space Benefit:We believe makers should be able to make. To support your personal growth and creativity, we offer an Open Maker Space policy: you are welcome to use our shop machinery, CAD workstations, tools, and scrap materials (with prior approval) for your own personal projects outside of work hours.Who We Are Looking ForYou don't need fancy resumes or technical jargon. You are a great fit if you live these values:Driven by Customer Value: You believe that helping others and creating meaningful value for the end customer is a core source of personal and professional satisfaction.Drive Your Own Growth: You don't wait to be told what to learn next. You see a tool or machine you don't understand, and you spend your energy figuring it out.Embrace Discipline & Standards: You understand that building repeatable, standardized habits is the starting line for any upgrade, and you want real-time ownership over the tools and procedures you use.Are a Waste-Hating Innovator: When you notice something broken, inefficient, or wasteful, you don't just complain—you naturally start coming up with ideas to fix it and streamline the flow.Value Transparency & Reflection: You think out loud, communicate clearly, and aren't afraid to reflect on mistakes or ask questions to get to the root cause of a problem.Foster Community & Mentorship: You enjoy working alongside others, sharing what you learn, and helping your teammates succeed.Embrace Floor-Level Problem Solving: You believe the best way to fix a machine or improve a process is to be right there at Gemba, running it.Have Natural Mechanical Aptitude: You understand gears, levers, tools, and physical forces naturally.Have a Great Work Ethic: Reliable, punctual, accountable, and ready to learn every single day.How We Hire (No Boring Interviews)We don't do standard 45-minute Q&A interviews where you list your strengths and weaknesses.Beyond our initial screening, our evaluation process combines three practical assessments designed to see your values and abilities in action:The Build Challenge: You’ll get a pile of scrap materials, tools, and a prompt to build something functional in 1 hour—testing your practical creativity, discipline, and resourcefulness.The Blind Diagnostic Challenge: You'll open a blind box containing a disassembled mechanism mixed with decoy parts. You'll spend 20 minutes narrating to camera how you diagnose, sort, sketch, and fix it—testing your diagnostic logic, transparency, and ability to think out loud under uncertainty.The Mechanical, Spatial & Applied Math Test: A written evaluation focused on practical physics, mechanical reasoning, spatial intuition, and practical shop math.How to ApplyReady to turn your hands-on talent into a technical career without sitting behind a desk or taking on student debt?Send us a brief message telling us about the coolest thing you’ve ever built, fixed, or modified on your own initiative. (Photos or video links are welcome, but not required!)