Last updated: September 2026
Post Consumer Brands welcomed 42 interns in summer 2025 and 21 interns in summer 2026 across its corporate headquarters, manufacturing plants, and sales offices, giving early-career talent hands-on ownership of projects for an $8.2 billion revenue Fortune 500 food company. Post Holdings (NYSE: POST), the parent company, operates through Post Consumer Brands (PCB) in Lakeville, Minnesota, along with Michael Foods, Bob Evans Farms, and Weetabix. PCB owns iconic brands including PEBBLES, Honey Bunches of Oats, Malt-O-Meal, Grape-Nuts, Peter Pan peanut butter, Kibbles 'n Bits, and 9Lives. The internship program runs 12 weeks from May through August, with a campus career fair-driven application window of approximately four to five weeks in late August through September.
Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | jobs.postholdings.com (iCIMS portal) |
| Application window (2027-28) | Expected late August to end of September 2026 (4-5 week window) |
| Rolling? | Yes, rolling within a short campus-driven window; 13 university career fairs in 2025 |
| Eligibility | Undergrad or grad student; 3.0 GPA preferred; must be authorized to work in US |
| Duration | 12 weeks (May through August) |
| Compensation | ~$34/hr average (Glassdoor, 8 salary submissions); range ~$20-$34/hr |
| Locations | Lakeville MN (PCB HQ), manufacturing plants (Lawrence KS, Northfield MN, Tremonton UT), Bentonville AR (Walmart sales) |
| # Programs | Brand Marketing, MBA Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Engineering, Data Science, Finance, Sales, Quality/Food Safety, Corporate Communications |
Post Consumer Brands recruits heavily through campus career fairs in late August through September. The 4-5 week application window is short and closes by end of September. Apply immediately when postings appear.
Externships are short, remote professional experience programs where you finish a real project with a real company. The TikTok Social Media Content & Brand Strategy Externship builds the brand marketing skills Post Consumer Brands values, and the Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis Externship develops the consumer analytics skills the Data Science and Brand Marketing tracks demand. Explore all Externships.
What Is a Post Holdings Internship?
A Post Holdings internship, run through the Post Consumer Brands subsidiary, is a 12-week paid summer program placing students into real roles across brand marketing, R&D, supply chain, manufacturing engineering, data science, finance, and sales at the maker of PEBBLES, Honey Bunches of Oats, Malt-O-Meal, and Kibbles 'n Bits. The program welcomed 42 interns in 2025 and 21 in 2026 across the Lakeville, Minnesota, corporate headquarters and manufacturing plants. Features include executive lunch-and-learn series, dedicated mentors, plant tours across the Post network, volunteering opportunities, and end-of-summer project presentations to leadership. MBA-level brand marketing positions have been offered for three consecutive years.
When Do Post Holdings Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
Post Consumer Brands operates on a tight, campus-driven recruiting schedule. The summer 2026 cycle opened in late August 2025, with the official page stating applications would close at the end of September 2025, giving a roughly four-to-five-week window. The company visited 13 university career fairs. Expect the summer 2027 cycle to follow the same pattern: postings in late August or early September 2026, closing by end of September 2026.
Summer 2027 postings are expected to go live within days. The application window is only 4-5 weeks. Prepare your resume now and monitor jobs.postholdings.com and postconsumerbrands.com/internships. If Post visits your campus, attend the career fair with resume in hand.
Application window open. Post Consumer Brands visits 13+ university career fairs during this period. Apply online and attend campus events. The window closes at the end of September, meaning you have approximately 4-5 weeks.
Interviews and selection. Expect behavioral questions about brand marketing, CPG interest, and teamwork. Manufacturing engineering candidates may face technical questions. MBA marketing candidates have a separate track.
Offers extended. Lakeville MN (corporate) and plant locations (Lawrence KS, Northfield MN, Tremonton UT, Bentonville AR) confirmed at offer stage.
12 weeks, May through August. Real project ownership across brand marketing, R&D, supply chain, data science, and more. Executive lunch-and-learns, dedicated mentors, plant tours, and end-of-summer project presentations.
How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.
Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open
Post Consumer Brands' application window is only 4-5 weeks long, from late August through end of September. This is one of the shortest application windows among Fortune 500 CPG internships. The company recruits through 13+ campus career fairs during this period, meaning the pipeline fills quickly from campus events. If you miss September, you miss the window entirely. Check postconsumerbrands.com/internships and jobs.postholdings.com the first week of September 2026.
Which Post Holdings Internship Programs Should You Target?
Post Consumer Brands offers internships across 12+ functional areas:
| Track | Focus | Duration | Key details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brand Marketing Intern | Brand strategy, campaigns, consumer marketing for PEBBLES, Honey Bunches of Oats, Malt-O-Meal | 12 weeks | Lakeville MN |
| MBA Brand Marketing Intern | MBA-level brand management (offered 3rd consecutive year in 2026) | 12 weeks | Lakeville MN |
| Product R&D Intern | Food product development, formulation, ingredient testing | 12 weeks | Lakeville MN |
| Data Science Intern | Predictive analytics, modeling, consumer insights | 12 weeks | Lakeville MN |
| Manufacturing Engineering Intern | Process optimization, plant engineering at cereal and pet food facilities | 12 weeks | Lawrence KS, Northfield MN, Tremonton UT |
| Supply Chain Intern | Demand/supply planning, logistics, transportation across plant network | 12 weeks | Lakeville MN |
Additional tracks include Finance, Sales (Walmart team in Bentonville AR), Quality/Food Safety, Insights & Analytics, Brand Media, and Corporate Communications. Visit Post Consumer Brands internships for program details.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
From official program descriptions:
• Enrollment: undergraduate or graduate student.
• GPA: 3.0 minimum preferred.
• Work authorization: no visa sponsorship (based on available JD language and industry practice).
• Relocation: willing to relocate to intern location (Lakeville MN, plant sites, or Bentonville AR).
• Majors: track-specific: marketing/business for brand roles, food science/engineering for R&D and manufacturing, statistics/CS for data science, supply chain/operations for SCM.
Does Post Consumer Brands Offer MBA Internships?
Yes. MBA-level brand marketing positions have been offered for three consecutive years (2024-2026). This is a dedicated track separate from undergraduate internships, providing MBA students with brand management experience at a Fortune 500 food company. Apply through the same portal.
What Skills Does Post Holdings Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
Post Consumer Brands is a CPG company where brand marketing and manufacturing operations meet. Marketing interns develop campaigns for iconic cereal and pet food brands. R&D interns work on food formulation. Manufacturing engineering interns optimize production at plants producing hundreds of millions of pounds of product annually.
What Post Holdings looks for in interns
Skills across 6 Post Holdings intern & analyst job descriptions · Post Consumer Brands internship program descriptions and CPG industry analysis (2025-2026)
Method: Post Consumer Brands internship page, summer recap press releases, and CPG industry analysis.
How Is Demand for CPG & Food Interns Moving?
CPG & food intern hiring: September 2026
Across US food and consumer goods intern postings
CPG food companies are investing in brand marketing and data science interns alongside traditional manufacturing and supply chain roles.
Method: US CPG and food intern postings, September 2026.
Build These Skills Before You Apply
Skills that map to remote Externships.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Brand marketing & content strategy | Campaign development for PEBBLES, Honey Bunches of Oats, and other iconic food brands | TikTok Social Media Content & Brand Strategy |
| E-commerce & consumer analytics | Consumer data analysis, market modeling, and digital retail strategy for CPG products | Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis |
| Financial modeling & analysis | Capital project evaluation, brand P&L analysis for a Fortune 500 food company | Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling |
The TikTok Brand Strategy project builds the social media marketing and content creation skills Post Consumer Brands' marketing interns use daily.
What Is the Post Holdings Application and Interview Process Like?
Post Consumer Brands recruits through campus career fairs and its online portal:
1. Monitor the internship page. Visit postconsumerbrands.com/internships and jobs.postholdings.com starting late August 2026. The window is only 4-5 weeks.
2. Attend campus career fairs. Post visited 13 universities in the 2025 cycle. If your school is on the list, attend with your resume.
3. Submit your online application through iCIMS. Apply for specific tracks that match your major and interests.
4. Interview. Behavioral questions about CPG interest, brand thinking, and teamwork. Manufacturing candidates may face technical questions about food production processes.
5. Offer. Location and track confirmed. Lakeville MN is the primary hub for corporate roles; plant locations for manufacturing engineering and quality.
Research Post Consumer Brands' portfolio (PEBBLES, Honey Bunches of Oats, Malt-O-Meal, Peter Pan, Kibbles 'n Bits) and recent product launches before your interview. Understanding the brand portfolio shows genuine CPG interest.
What the Community Says
Post Consumer Brands provides detailed public program data:
Post Consumer Brands welcomed 42 interns in summer 2025 and 21 in 2026 across brand marketing, R&D, supply chain, manufacturing engineering, data science, finance, and sales. The program features executive lunch-and-learns, dedicated mentors, plant tours, and end-of-summer project presentations.
Glassdoor reports an average intern pay of approximately $34 per hour based on 8 salary submissions at Post Consumer Brands. The company's Lakeville Minnesota headquarters offers lower cost of living than major metro areas, making this pay highly competitive in the CPG sector.
How Do You Stand Out at the Maker of PEBBLES and Honey Bunches of Oats?
Two moves. First, know the portfolio. Post Consumer Brands owns brands spanning breakfast cereal (PEBBLES, Honey Bunches of Oats, Malt-O-Meal, Grape-Nuts, Great Grains), peanut butter (Peter Pan), and pet food (Kibbles 'n Bits, 9Lives, Nutrish, Nature's Recipe). A candidate who can discuss how these brands compete in their respective categories demonstrates CPG thinking. Second, attend the campus career fair. Post visited 13 universities in the 2025 cycle, and career fair conversations are essentially first-round screens. Making a strong impression in person gives you an advantage over online-only applicants.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Post Consumer Brands' peer set spans CPG food companies.
- General Millslargest CPG cereal competitor; Minneapolis MN; Cheerios, Nature Valley, Pillsbury; structured marketing intern programGuide →
- Conagra BrandsCPG food company; Chicago IL; ~60% intern conversion rate; Healthy Choice, Slim Jim, Orville Redenbacher'sGuide →
- Kellanovasnacking company spun from Kellogg; Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It; Battle Creek MICareers site
- TreeHouse Foodsprivate-label food manufacturer; similar manufacturing engineering tracksCareers site
Our marketing internships guide maps CPG and brand marketing opportunities.
FAQ
When is the application window for Post Consumer Brands?
Late August through end of September only. The 2025 cycle opened August 27 and closed by end of September. This 4-5 week window is one of the shortest among Fortune 500 CPG programs. Apply as soon as postings appear.
How much do Post Consumer Brands interns get paid?
Glassdoor reports an average of approximately $34 per hour based on 8 salary submissions. The range spans approximately $20 to $34 depending on role and level. MBA marketing positions likely pay at the upper end.
Where are Post Consumer Brands internships located?
Corporate roles are at Lakeville, Minnesota (22-acre campus, 800+ employees). Manufacturing engineering and quality roles are at plants in Lawrence KS, Northfield MN, and Tremonton UT. The Walmart sales role is in Bentonville AR.
Does Post Consumer Brands visit campus career fairs?
Yes. The company visited 13 university career fairs in the 2025 recruiting cycle between August 28 and October 8. Career fair attendance is a primary recruiting channel and essentially serves as a first-round screen.
What brands do Post Consumer Brands interns work on?
PEBBLES, Honey Bunches of Oats, Malt-O-Meal, Grape-Nuts, Great Grains (cereal), Peter Pan (peanut butter), and Kibbles 'n Bits, 9Lives, Nutrish, Nature's Recipe (pet food). Brand marketing interns work on real campaigns for these products.
Does Post Consumer Brands offer MBA internships?
Yes. MBA-level brand marketing positions have been offered for three consecutive years. This is a dedicated track separate from undergraduate internships, providing MBA students with brand management experience at a Fortune 500 food company.
Can a Post Holdings internship lead to a full-time job?
No official conversion rate is published. The company offers a 36-month Operations Leadership Development Program for graduating seniors, providing a structured pipeline from intern to full-time. Average employee tenure exceeds a decade, indicating high retention.
Does Post Consumer Brands provide housing for interns?
No explicit mention of housing assistance or relocation stipend for interns was found. The OLDP rotational program does provide relocation assistance. Lakeville Minnesota has a lower cost of living than major metro areas.
Post Consumer Brands' 4-5 week application window means you need to be ready when postings appear in late August. A remote Externship in brand marketing or consumer data analysis gives your September 2026 application the CPG project evidence that stands out at a career fair.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
