Manufacturing Engineer 1
Cook Medical · Canton, IL
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $76k–$89k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 3+ years
- Industry
- Medical devices
- Posted
- 4 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level manufacturing role at Cook Medical (medical devices) in Canton, IL. Provides process support for extrusion department.
- They ask for
- 3+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Six Sigma, Root cause, CAPA, DOE, ISO 13485, FDA / GMP
- Base pay
- $76k–$89k
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in Illinois: typical posted base $90k–$143k. This one lists $76k–$89k.
Median of the low and high ends of 39 live postings that list pay, out of 67 manufacturing engineer openings in Illinois, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Illinois plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 66 other live manufacturing postings in Illinois.
- Base pay
- About 26% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (3+ vs 5+)
Typical $89k–$134k, from 34 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 43%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 34%
- ✓ Tooling 33%
- Automation 33%
- Lean 28%
- New product launch 25%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for CAPA, ISO 13485, Extrusion, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Cook Medical
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
Manufacturing Engineer 1 at Cook Medical in other locations
Cook Medical lists this title in 2 places. Pick the plant you can get to.
Full description from Cook MedicalAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Provides process support for extrusion department
- ◆Hands-on position with visibility on the manufacturing floor
- ◆Requires a high level of interaction with the production, product development, and quality teams
- ◆Supports product development activities, continuous improvement, complaint resolution, CAPA investigations and other quality initiatives
- ◆Supports production departments’ manufacturing issues with technical support as the process expert. Uses strong reasoning and problem-solving skills to investigate and analyze complex problems to determine root cause and implement innovative solutions to prevent recurrence
- ◆Supports and drives continuous improvement activities in the manufacturing department to improve operational performance. Leads technical aspect of process validation projects
- ◆Assist product development teams with design for manufacturability
requirements
on new products. Supports new capital equipment and tooling purchases with appropriate documentation and evaluation
- ✓Manages multiple technically oriented projects through coordinating internal and external resources
- ✓Collaborates on product complaint resolution
Qualifications
- ✓High School Diploma with applicable experience is required; Bachelor’s degree in related field required, Engineering/Plastics preferred
- ✓3+ years of extrusion process development experience
- ✓5+ years of work related to polymer processing preferred
- ✓Process validation (IQ, OQ, PQ) preferred• Equipment qualification (IQ, OQ, PQ) preferred
- ✓Fundamental understanding engineering principles• Extrusion process development / Extrusion Tooling Design
- ✓Mechanical aptitude preferred
- ✓Understanding of ISO 13485:2016 preferred
- ✓CFR, FDA, OSHA, environmental regulations preferred
- ✓Proficiency at using Microsoft Office applications• Troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
- ✓Equipment / process troubleshooting preferred• Experience with blue print reading preferred• Design of Experiments / Six Sigma preferred
Physical
Requirements
- ✓May exert up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects
Cook currently projects the base salary for this position could range from $76,000 to $89,000 and the actual pay will depend on a variety of factors including the candidate’s qualifications, education, experience and the required location for this role. In addition, this role will be eligible for an additional variable bonus opportunity based on company and/or individual performance. Full-time employees will also be eligible for a comprehensive benefits package to include a company-sponsored 401(k) and profit-sharing plan, paid time-off benefits, medical, prescription drug, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts including both healthcare and dependent care, short and long-term disability as well as life insurance. In addition, there are well-being resources to support physical, emotional and financial wellness as well as a comprehensive EAP program. Cook also provides voluntary benefits funded 100% by employees in the areas of critical illness, accident insurance, hospital indemnity and long-term care. Cook offers three different work location options, on-site, hybrid and fully remote. The compensation range described above is always subject to change and could be higher or lower depending on the particular candidate. Finally, in its sole discretion, Cook reserves the right to amend modify or terminate any compensation or benefit program at any time and Cook’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the terms of promotion or transfer of existing Cook employees.
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Overview
The Manufacturing Engineer 1 is responsible for providing technical support for the day-today production activities in the manufacture of custom, plastic components used in the assemblies of various medical devices.
