Manufacturing AI Expert

Molex; Lisle (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) plan

Paid vacation

Flex spending accounts

Career development

Job summary

Molex is seeking a Manufacturing AI Expert to accelerate AI adoption across our manufacturing operations. You will lead real‑time quality improvements, predictive maintenance, and AI‑driven planning, partnering with cross‑functional teams to deliver measurable outcomes.

The role favors candidates located in Lisle/Chicago area or other Molex locations. Ideal candidates have hands‑on experience bridging manufacturing and AI, with a track record of deploying digital transformations and delivering

Qualifications

• Identify high‑impact manufacturing problems where AI can improve quality and throughput.
• Deploy real‑time inspection and defect detection solutions.
• Improve OEE and bottlenecks with data‑driven methods.
• Collaborate across Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, IT.

Responsibilities

• Develop AI-enabled maintenance and equipment management solutions.
• Forecasting, scheduling and planning optimization using AI.
• Translate business needs into scalable AI applications.

Skills

AI in manufacturing

Data analytics

Quality improvement

Predictive maintenance

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Communication

Tools

Azure Cloud

Copilot Studio

Computer Vision

Microsoft 365 Copilot

Job description

Molex makes a connected world possible by enabling technologies that transform the future and improve lives. With a presence in more than 40 countries, Molex offers a complete range of connectivity products, services and solutions for the data communications, medical, industrial, automotive and consumer electronics industries.

Your Job

Molex is a global leader in connectivity solutions, serving customers across the automotive, industrial, data communications, consumer electronics, healthcare, and telecommunications industries.

As part of our digital transformation journey, we are accelerating the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across our manufacturing operations to drive improvements in productivity, quality, maintenance, planning, inventory management, and supply chain performance.

Our Team

Molex is establishing a team of Manufacturing AI Experts to apply AI and advanced analytics to real-world manufacturing challenges and deliver measurable improvements across key sites.

This role is designed for a hands‑on, business‑oriented AI expert who can connect manufacturing needs with practical AI solutions‑not an AI‑modeling role in isolation.

The primary focus of the role will be:

• Quality improvement, including real‑time inspection, defect reduction, and closed‑loop quality systems.
• Predictive maintenance and AI‑enabled equipment management.
• Production and supply planning optimization, including forecasting, scheduling, resource allocation, and decision support.
• Manufacturing productivity and throughput improvement, including bottleneck identification and OEE improvement.
• Inventory and supply chain optimization where AI can improve planning, risk identification, replenishment, and inventory performance.
• Digital transformation and practical adoption of AI across manufacturing operations.

This role will be ideally in a Molex location preferably in Lisle/Chicago, Detroit, Harrisburg, Atlanta, GA or Texas.

What You Will Do

Manufacturing & Quality Improvement

Identify high‑impact manufacturing problems and opportunities where AI and advanced analytics can improve quality, productivity, cost, or operational performance. Develop and deploy practical AI solutions for real‑time inspection, defect detection, root‑cause analysis, and closed‑loop quality improvement. Analyze manufacturing bottlenecks and improve throughput and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Partner with operations, quality, engineering, and site teams to implement data‑driven continuous improvement.

Predictive Maintenance & Equipment Management

Identify equipment and maintenance use cases suitable for AI and predictive analytics. Develop and deploy predictive maintenance solutions and AI‑enabled equipment‑management capabilities. Translate equipment data into actionable recommendations that improve reliability, availability, and maintenance decision‑making.

Production, Supply & Planning Optimization

Apply AI and advanced analytics to production planning, scheduling, resource allocation, demand forecasting, and supply planning. Improve inventory performance through forecasting, safety‑stock, replenishment, and planning analytics where appropriate. Develop predictive analytics to identify and mitigate supply chain risks and support end‑to‑end planning decisions.

AI Deployment & Transformation

Identify, evaluate, and prioritize high‑impact AI use cases at manufacturing sites. Move AI solutions from concept or research into practical production environments and measure business outcomes. Work cross‑functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, IT, and other stakeholders. Translate business and manufacturing requirements into scalable AI applications. Support AI adoption and continuous improvement, including communicating results, lessons learned, and business value.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Proven experience in manufacturing operations
• Strong understanding of AI, advanced analytics, and data‑driven technologies applied to manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and implement AI solutions that improve manufacturing performance, quality, productivity, maintenance, planning, or cost.
• Hands‑on experience bridging manufacturing expertise and AI/advanced analytics rather than AI theory alone, or demonstrated ability to translate advanced AI research into practical manufacturing applications.
• Practical knowledge of manufacturing processes, operational challenges, and decision‑making.
• Track record of successfully deploying or supporting digital transformation and AI adoption in manufacturing.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to translate business needs into scalable AI applications.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills across manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, and IT teams.
• Ability to work effectively across regions and cultures and influence stakeholders without relying on direct authority.
• Unable to support CPT/OPT sponsorship

What Will Put You Ahead

• Experience in connector manufacturing, electronics, automotive, semiconductor, or other high‑volume manufacturing environments.
• Experience with smart factories or digital manufacturing implementations.
• Experience establishing or leading an AI Center of Excellence (CoE).
• Experience working in multinational manufacturing companies.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot implementation experience.
• Copilot Studio experience.
• Azure Cloud Architecture experience.
• Computer Vision implementation experience.
• Predictive Maintenance deployment experience.

For this role, we anticipate paying $150,000 - $250,000 per year. 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

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 Benefits

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 Opportunities

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, aqui, or tu).