Operations Manager

Your Job

Molex is seeking an Operations Manager for our Naperville, IL site - a focused, fast-moving facility that designs and prototypes new products to support a rapidly growing optical connectivity business. You will be accountable for end-to-end operational performance for the site, with a strong emphasis on New Product Introduction (NPI), manufacturing execution, quality, safety, and continuous improvement. This role requires a handson leader who can scale capability, deliver disciplined product launches, and partner closely with design, engineering, quality, supply chain, and commercial teams to accelerate time to market and increase customer value.

Our Team

You will lead a compact, multidisciplinary organization of ~40 employees (technicians, operators, manufacturing engineers, quality, and supervision). The site is an innovation-focused center that connects product design with manufacturability - enabling rapid prototyping, pilot production, and learning that feeds into broader manufacturing networks.

What You Will Do

• Lead day-to-day operations and manufacturing execution for the NPI site, ensuring safe, compliant, and ontime delivery of prototypes and pilot volumes.
• Own NPI readiness and launch execution: develop launch plans, coordinate cross-functional readiness reviews, establish process controls, and drive early life quality.
• Coach, mentor, and develop frontline supervisors, technicians, and engineers to build capability and operational discipline.
• Implement and sustain operating systems (MOS / SQDC / PBM principles) and leverage digital tools to improve visibility, process control, and throughput.
• Establish, monitor, and own site KPIs (safety, quality, delivery, cost, first pass yield, cycle time) and use data-driven decision making to meet or exceed targets.
• Lead continuous improvement and problem-solving activities (Lean, Six Sigma tools recommended) to reduce waste, improve repeatability, and lower cost of poor quality.
• Partner with design and engineering teams to improve product manufacturability and transfer robust processes to scale-up sites.
• Conduct capacity planning for pilot runs and short-term customer commitments; advise on capital needs and resource allocation for site growth.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies, quality management systems, and applicable regulatory or customer requirements.
• Manage site operating budget and cost control initiatives appropriate to site scale; escalate and partner for larger capital or cross-site investments.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, or business OR 10+ years in manufacturing operations.
• 5+ years of leadership experience in manufacturing or operations, including direct responsibility for NPI or pilot production environments.
• Demonstrated experience with continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, value stream mapping).

What Will Put You Ahead

• Experience in optical connectivity, connector/electronic assembly, fiber optics, or related precision electromechanical manufacturing.
• Prior success leading small innovation or pilot/manufacturing sites (20-100 employees).
• Familiarity with MOS / SQDC / PrincipleBased Management (PBM) or similar operating systems.
• Technical background with exposure to injection molding, microassembly, PCB or cable assembly, or precision tooling.
• Proven record of successful NPI launches and transferring processes to highervolume sites.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; effective crossfunctional collaborator.
• Comfortable in a handson, fastpaced environment with changing priorities.

This position does not qualify for VISA Sponsorship.

In order to comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations, this position requires applicants to either provide proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status or be eligible to receive an export authorization (a license) under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations.

For this role, we anticipate paying $120,000 - $160,000 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

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 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).

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