Fiber Optic Engineering Technician

Flint Hills Resources; Lisle (IL); On-site; USD 48,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Educational assistance

Paid vacation/time off

Job summary

Molex in Lisle, IL is seeking a Fiber Optic Engineering Technician to prototype, test, and qualify fiber optic connectors and cable assemblies. You will work closely with engineering teams to turn concepts into validated prototypes and deliverables.

The role emphasizes hands-on assembly, test, and documentation, with opportunities to contribute to design improvements and DOE activities in a fast-paced lab environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a technician in lab, manufacturing, or product development.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with precision components.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, specs, and test procedures.
• Comfortable recording/analyzing test data with Excel.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and modify prototype fiber optic connectors, adapters, and cable assemblies.
• Perform fiber preparation, termination, polishing, and inspection.
• Operate optical/test equipment and document results clearly.
• Support environmental and reliability qualification testing.
• Record results and help pinpoint failure modes for design decisions.
• Develop test fixtures and ensure calibration of lab equipment.

Skills

Hands-on approach

Detail-oriented

Troubleshooting

Reading engineering drawings

Excel data analysis

Education

Associate degree in Engineering Technology or related

Tools

Microscopes

Calipers

Micrometers

Force gauges

Job description

The Fiber Optic Engineering Technician supports the development, prototyping, testing, and qualification of fiber optic connectors, cable assemblies, and related connectivity products. This position works closely with mechanical, optical, manufacturing, and product development engineers to turn new concepts into functional prototypes and validated product designs.

The ideal candidate is highly hands-on, detail-oriented, and comfortable building fiber optic assemblies, operating optical and mechanical test equipment, troubleshooting failures, and documenting test results.

Our Team

Molex is an industry leader in transforming optical network infrastructure with an unwavering commitment to speed, reliability, and performance. We proudly engineer high-performance systems for critical, fast-growing industries including data centers, telecom, medical, and industrial automation. Our team develops an advanced portfolio of optical solutions, ranging from cutting‑edge optical connectivity products—such as expanded beam connectors, fiber management, adapters, and hybrid copper/fiber solutions for medical systems—to end‑to‑end optoelectronic solutions featuring cages, connectors, optical transceivers, and cable assemblies. Supporting extreme data rates from 100 Mbps to 1.6 Tbps across long‑haul distances up to 80km+, we deliver complete wavelength management and turnkey OEM solutions. Come join Molex and help build the future of global connectivity.

What You Will Do

Prototype Development

• Build and modify prototype fiber optic connectors, adapters, cable assemblies, fixtures, and related components.
• Perform fiber preparation, stripping, cleaving, termination, polishing, cleaning, and inspection.
• Support rapid prototype iterations for new connector and cable‑assembly concepts.
• Develop and modify fixtures and test setups in collaboration with engineers.
• Maintain prototype materials, components, tools, and development hardware.

Fiber Optic Testing

• Perform insertion loss and return loss testing on single‑mode and multimode fiber assemblies.
• Conduct fiber end‑face inspection using appropriate inspection equipment and acceptance criteria.
• Operate optical power meters, light sources, interferometers, microscopes, and other fiber‑optic laboratory equipment.
• Support mechanical testing such as mating/unmating, tensile, retention, durability, and dimensional measurements.
• Assist engineers with environmental and reliability qualification testing.
• Record results accurately and identify abnormal test behavior or product failures.
• Work directly with engineers during feasibility studies, design experiments, DOE activities, and product‑development programs.
• Execute engineering test plans and provide clear feedback on prototype performance and manufacturability.
• Assist with failure analysis, root‑cause investigation, and corrective‑action experiments.
• Identify practical improvements to prototype designs, assembly methods, tooling, fixtures, and test processes.
• Support development of engineering samples for internal reviews, customer evaluations, and qualification programs.

Documentation

• Maintain accurate laboratory notebooks, test records, sample identification, photographs, and measurement data.
• Prepare basic test reports and summarize experimental results.
• Document prototype assembly procedures and test methods.
• Support development and maintenance of work instructions and laboratory procedures.
• Maintain calibration status and proper operation of assigned laboratory equipment.

What Success Looks Like

A strong Fiber Optic Engineering Technician should be able to:

• Take an engineer's concept and physically build it.
• Produce consistent, high-quality fiber terminations and prototype assemblies.
• Set up, execute or coordinate testing with minimal supervision.
• Recognize unexpected results rather than simply recording them.
• Troubleshoot whether a problem originates in the design, component, assembly process, fixture, or test method.
• Capture enough data and documentation for engineers to make informed design decisions.
• Help engineers iterate prototypes substantially faster.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• 5+ years of experience as a technician, in a laboratory, manufacturing, or product‑development position
• Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to work with small, precision components.
• Ability to use microscopes, calipers, micrometers, force gauges, and other precision measurement equipment, as well as hand tools.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, specifications, and test procedures.
• Comfortable recording and analyzing test data using Microsoft Excel.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving skills.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Associate degree in Engineering Technology, Electronics Technology, Mechanical Technology, Photonics, Optics, or a related technical discipline
• Experience with several of the following would be especially valuable:

• Fiber stripping and preparation
• Precision fiber cleaving
• Fiber connector termination
• Fiber polishing
• Single‑mode and multimode fiber
• MPO/MTP or other multifiber connectors
• Optical power meters and light sources
• IEC 61300 series fiber‑optic testing
• Environmental and mechanical qualification testing

For this role, we anticipate paying $35 - $42 per hour. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here .

Who We Are

As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading‑edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here , aquí , or tu ).