Manufacturing Engineer - I
North American Lighting · Salem, IL
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $66k–$86k
- Degree
- Preferred
- Experience asked
- 2+ years
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- 10 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level manufacturing role at North American Lighting (automotive) in Salem, IL. NAL provides advanced lighting technology, engineering design expertise, and state-of-the-art production capabilities to auto makers based in North America and around the world.
- They ask for
- 2+ years · degree preferred
- Tools it names
- Root cause, FMEA, APQP, Assembly lines, Tooling
- Base pay
- $66k–$86k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage · relocation help
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 $96k–$143k. This one lists $66k–$86k.
Median of the low and high ends of 36 live postings that list pay, out of 64 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 63 other live manufacturing postings in Illinois.
- Base pay
- About 32% below similar roles
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (2+ vs 5+)
Typical $89k–$134k, from 31 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Root cause 41%
- Automation 34%
- ✓ Tooling 31%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 31%
- Lean 28%
- ✓ New product launch 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for APQP, Assembly lines, 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 North American Lighting
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 does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- 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.
This plant: North American Lighting in Salem
4 other open roles at this site.
- Production Engineer - II · Production
- Equipment Engineer - I · Manufacturing
- Manufacturing Engineer - II · Manufacturing
- Tool & Die - B · Manufacturing · Technician
Full description from North American LightingAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
to the Core Team and all supporting engineering groups.
- ✓Addresses internal and external customer complaints, conducts investigations, develops root cause analysis, determines countermeasures, and documents — using NAL problem solving methods.
Requirements
Your Background
Bachelors Degree in Engineering, Industrial Technology, or a related discipline, plus up to 2 years of related manufacturing experience.
Experience in a Just In Time (JIT) automotive manufacturing environment is preferred.
At North American Lighting
Team Member Benefits
World class health insurance plans
Award winning 401k plan
Relocation assistance
Paid time off (vacation, sick, holidays, etc)
Supplier discounts (wireless, computer, vehicle, etc.)
Company sponsored wellness program including gym reimbursement
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Who We Are
North American Lighting Inc., member of the Koito Group of Companies, is the largest tier one automotive exterior lighting manufacturer in North America. As the market share leader in exterior automotive lighting, NAL provides advanced lighting technology, engineering design expertise, and state-of-the-art production capabilities to auto makers based in North America and around the world.
Our Opportunity
North American Lighting (NAL) is looking for a Manufacturing Engineer - I to join our team. The ideal candidate will plan, design, and implement manufacturing processes, ensure new product designs can be manufactured, and maintain the assembly processes in production.
Your Priorities
- •Provides day-to-day technical support and training for the assembly processes in the plant.
- •Maximizes efficiency by analyzing assembly line layouts, workflow, assembly methods, change-over-fixturing, gauges, work-in-process (WIP) storage, and tool storage.
- •Develops Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) requirements, including Process Failure Mode & Effect Analysis (PFMEA), Process Flow Charts, and Process Design Sheets.
- •Supports Program Management generated project macro-schedules with detailed engineering micro-schedules to ensure that all project milestones are tracked and completed on time.
- •Identifies and provides tooling and equipment requirements, and the need to implement new processes to support launch
Diversity at NAL
The mission of NAL’s Diversity Committee is to facilitate NAL’s ongoing and continuing efforts to foster a culture and atmosphere of mutual respect, for the benefit of all Team Members from different backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities that represent our communities.
You can learn more about NAL and our opportunities at jobs.nal.com.
Location: Salem Plant