Sr Materials Engineer Manager, (Electrical Contacts)

Lead a global R&D team within Global Materials Engineering, comprised of Metals, Tribology, and Plating subject-matter experts (SMEs), to define, develop, and deploy enterprise-wide technology roadmaps for connector contact systems. Provide technical leadership and governance across the enterprise, supporting all Business Units (BUs) and partnering with Engineering, Manufacturing/Operations, Procurement, and Quality to deliver reliable, scalable, differentiated, and cost-effective contact surface technologies. Develop and strengthen technical talent and supervisors by coaching, mentoring, and building functional and leadership capabilities across the global team. In addition to mid to long -range technology development, the team provides timely, request-driven technical support to address near-term program needs, manufacturing issues, supplier challenges, and customer inquiries.

Molex is a global leader in electronic components and solutions, with a strong focus on innovation, quality, and customer service. The company has been in operation for over 80 years and has a strong presence in various industries, including automotive, telecommunications, consumer electronics, aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial automation.

Candidates can expect to work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment that values creativity, collaboration, and excellence. Molex is committed to investing in its employees and providing opportunities for growth and development.

• Masters/Ph.D. or equivalent industrial experience in Materials Science, Metallurgy, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
• Practical Engineering experience with metallurgy and plating & finish systems, including surface-driven failure mechanisms (wear, fretting corrosion, film growth, diffusion, porosity, contamination) and impacts to manufacturability and contact resistance stability.
• Demonstrated experience in electrical contacts/connector contact systems (materials selection, plating/finish stacks, tribology/fretting, and/or contact reliability), with cross-functional collaboration in a manufacturing and supplier ecosystems.
• Five (5) years or more people management experience in leading a team
• Experience with project/program management of multi-project portfolios (scope, schedule, resourcing, risk, executive reporting) across global stakeholders.
• Experience building and executing 3-5 year technology roadmaps, including business cases and transition-to-BU adoption.

• Enterprise/global experience supporting multiple BUs, plants, and supplier networks-driving consistent standards, governance, and technical decision-making.
• Deep connector contact industry experience (high-reliability/harsh environment; automotive, data center, industrial power, consumer/commercial) and familiarity with common qualification frameworks.
• Experience in qualifying new alloys/finishes, reducing precious-metal cost, and standardizing test methods across product families.
• Experience leading supplier technology development, including supplier qualification, joint development programs, and supplier technology roadmaps.
• Demonstrated use of innovation frameworks and best practices (e.g., stage-gate, portfolio management, VOC-to-CTQ, design thinking, structured experimentation/DOE) to move concepts from ideation through validation and adoption.
• Track record of building corporate intellectual property (patents, publications, and/or documented trade secrets).
• First-hand experience using tools/techniques to predict product-level performance from material and process inputs, including tooling/process strategies, modeling, and simulation (and/or digital twin approaches).

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.