This month, one theme kept coming up in our conversations with interns: the value of community. We heard lots of variations on this, like participate, build relationships, meet people, join meetings, gather outside of work. Connection is crucial—and not just from a networking perspective! We learn more when we're having fun and interacting as a team. Discover how to make the most of your internship/co-op term at Kinaxis in these Q&As with three of our current cohort or check out some of our past interviews.
Sora Zhang, Intern Curriculum Developer
Can you describe your career journey so far? What brought you to Kinaxis?
My career path hasn’t followed a straight line—I’ve worked in academic research, taught science from middle school to AP levels, and even helped build a MOOC course that combined science with one of my personal passions: cooking.
I first encountered Kinaxis at a college career fair, where I met Elmira from the HR team— warm, welcoming, and instantly memorable (yes, the blue hair helped!). She was my very first contact with the company and has offered encouragement and advice ever since. That first impression stuck with me—and it set the tone for everything I’ve experienced at Kinaxis since. As someone transitioning into the tech sector, I was looking for a place to learn, contribute meaningfully, and grow. Kinaxis turned out to be exactly that—and I’m glad to say it’s exceeded my expectations.
What have you learned in your time here? What are some of the projects you’ve worked on?
My first major project was designing an in-person instructional game for the Maestro Fundamentals course at Kinexions—a hands-on experience that taught me the importance of test runs, feedback, and iteration.
I also spearheaded a custom Jira project for standardized and scalable curriculum development workflow for the Kinaxis Training team—building automations, custom templates, application integration and process stages to support project planning and cross-functional collaboration.
It’s been rewarding to see how this work contributes to our team’s mission—create engaging learning experiences that will make our customers successful.
At the same time, I worked on modernizing legacy training content and developing new materials. Through that, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of instructional design principles, stakeholder communication, and customer-centered learning design. I’ve also learned to apply generative AI tools thoughtfully—not as shortcuts, but as creative collaborators that help support intentional, scalable outcomes.
What are some highlights of your Kinaxis experience?
Building our team’s Jira-based workflow from the ground up was a defining moment. It was my first fully owned infrastructure project, and it’s now actively used by colleagues to plan, track, and deliver curriculum work.
What made it especially meaningful was how collaborative it became—I gathered input from team members, proposed solutions, iterated through feedback, and shaped something that improves how we work across functions. It also gave me a front-row view into how operational systems like this can strengthen cross-team collaboration—something that’s increasingly important as we look ahead as a company. I’m proud of the impact, and grateful to my manager, Andy Ho, for trusting me—and empowering me—to lead it.
Another highlight was our quarterly team summit. It combined donuts and bowling with genuine strategic alignment. The combination of focused collaboration and team bonding reminded me just how powerful shared energy can be. A big thank-you to Faez Ahmed for supporting Andy and the Training team in creating that kind of space.
What advice would you give to incoming interns?
Participate. Participate. Participate.
At Kinaxis, interns are treated like full team members—not bystanders. You’re encouraged to ask questions, take ownership, and contribute ideas. That’s rare, and it’s something to embrace.
Also, a pro tip: set alerts on the HQ Teams channel if you’re in Ottawa. Surprise Beavertails and ice cream drops happen. You don’t want to miss them.
Khalid Zabalawi, Intern Developer, AI Solutions
Can you describe your career journey so far? What brought you to Kinaxis?
I started out building during hackathons like the NASA Space apps and Hack The North at an early age and that eventually grew to interning at places like Canadian Tire and Interac's e-Transfer team. I wanted to continue being part of the Canadian tech ecosystem, and Kinaxis was growing fast and innovating (and still is!). That, combined with an impressive rate of adapting new technologies, pushed me towards joining!
What have you learned in your time here? What are some of the projects that you have worked on during your placement?
One of the most interesting things I’ve learned is how to approach building machine learning infrastructure at scale, especially in ways that make it easier for developers to integrate their work. This includes everything from developer integration automation to streamlining the model build lifecycle. This is especially important for the huge scale of data that we work with.
A project I’m especially excited about is one that lays the foundation for improved accuracy tracking across our ML products. It’s meant to enable clearer evaluation signals and help teams iterate more quickly and proactively respond to changes in model quality.
What are some of the highlights of your experience at Kinaxis?
Curiosity and good engineering are encouraged here, and for me, one of the biggest highlights has been getting to meet and learn from so many talented people. Hard problems become a lot more rewarding to work on when you work with folks who are both brilliant and open to sharing what they know
What advice would you give to an incoming co-op/intern?
My first piece of advice would be to strike a good balance between asking questions and figuring it out yourself. Just discussing your approach to tackling something beforehand with your team will also save you a lot of time. Make sure to constantly seek opportunities to learn and create an impact, and don't forget to enjoy your time!
Jarukson Jeevakumar, Intern Curriculum Developer
Can you describe your career journey so far?
As a student studying Media Production and Design, I’ve always been driven by a passion for hands-on creative work and transforming complex topics into something visually appealing and engaging. Before joining Kinaxis, I gained diverse experience across the multimedia landscape, including digital media roles within government at the Bank of Canada, non-profit organizations, and even in sports media. Initially, I didn’t know much about the supply chain industry, but this internship has been the perfect opportunity to explore a new space while doing what I love. The role itself piqued my interest as I would support the curriculum development team and assist with creating e-learning materials, designing assets, and multimedia content, bringing that creative flare to the training experience.
What have you learned in your time here? What are some of the projects that you have worked on during your placement?
During my time at Kinaxis, I learned the importance of voicing and pitching your ideas, no matter the project. In fact, speaking up can even lead to creating a project of your own! I had the chance to dive into several creative design projects, one of the most notable being a sales pitch presentation I helped revamp with a few colleagues. This presentation would be used to promote and sell our training to clients around the world. Together, we brainstormed how to craft a strong narrative and call to action, establish consistent branding, and ultimately design a cohesive, polished deck that presenters could confidently use to sell our training.
Moreover, one of the projects I am most proud of was one I pitched myself, under the direction of my manager, Andy Ho. It was a commercial-style video promoting Maestro Custom Training. I took the lead on storyboarding, scripting, and animating the video from start to finish. Through regular check-ins with Andy and multiple rounds of refining the message, I was able to channel my creativity into something impactful that would be used to advertise our Custom Training.
What are some of the highlights of your experience at Kinaxis?
Some of the highlights from my time at Kinaxis were definitely the quarterly team summits. It was such a valuable experience to join meetings with the entire team, learn from professionals who are experts in their craft, and then unwind together over dinner and fun activities outside of work. These moments made my internship feel even more special and memorable. Another standout was meeting the other interns. Getting to hang out outside of work and build real friendships was a highlight like no other and made the whole experience even more enjoyable.
What advice would you give to an incoming co-op/intern?
I would definitely recommend joining as many intern events as you can. They’re a great way to meet people who might be in your field or on a similar journey. Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask for help or take on tasks that push you out of your comfort zone. I think those two things go hand in hand. Trying something unfamiliar is one of the best ways to grow, and even if it doesn’t go perfectly, it’s reassuring to know your team is always there to support you. Lastly, don’t hesitate to connect with others. Kinaxis is a huge community filled with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Take the opportunity to reach out, whether it’s someone on your team or from another department, for a quick coffee chat. These conversations can be a great way to learn from others and grow in your field. Ultimately, one of the most rewarding parts of your internship will be the relationships you build along the way.
Ready to join a warm and welcoming group of interns? Check out our opportunities: https://www.kinaxis.com/en/open-positions.
New roles are added each term!
