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At Cognesense, this isn’t just another job – it’s your chance to be part of something bigger. You’ll play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between cutting-edge engineering and real-world customer needs.
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Current Opportunities
Reporting To: Director of Operations
Location: Hillside, IL
About the Role:
The Facilities Manager is a hands-on, operationally focused role responsible for ensuring Cognesense’s facilities are safe, functional, and well-maintained. This individual owns the day-to-day management of the physical workplace, manufacturing floor environment, and building systems, serving as the primary steward of our offices, production spaces, and infrastructure.
This role is accountable for facility operations, maintenance and repair of office and manufacturing equipment, and the implementation of security and safety standards. The Facilities Manager partners closely with Operations, HR, IT, and external vendors to ensure our workspaces enable productivity, protect our people, and meet regulatory and safety requirements.
This position is ideal for someone who is detail-oriented, mechanically inclined, and proactive, someone who takes pride in creating an environment where employees can do their best work safely and efficiently.
Key Responsibilities:
Facility Management
- Own the daily operation of all office, warehouse, and manufacturing spaces.
- Ensure facilities are clean, organized, and operationally ready at all times.
- Manage building systems including HVAC, lighting, plumbing, electrical, and structural needs.
- Coordinate with landlords, property managers, and service providers.
- Oversee space planning, office layouts, and facility changes or expansions.
- Maintain accurate records of facility assets, layouts, and infrastructure.
Maintenance & Repair
- Perform or coordinate routine and preventative maintenance across the office and manufacturing floor.
- Maintain and repair equipment used in production areas in coordination with Operations.
- Respond promptly to facility issues such as power, HVAC, plumbing, or equipment failures.
- Establish and manage preventative maintenance schedules for all critical systems and equipment.
- Coordinate with external contractors for specialized repairs or projects.
- Maintain tools, spare parts, and supplies needed for repairs and upkeep.
Security & Safety
- Own building access control, alarms, cameras, and physical security systems.
- Ensure all facilities meet safety, fire, and regulatory standards.
- Conduct regular safety inspections and risk assessments.
- Maintain emergency preparedness plans, evacuation routes, and safety signage.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for safety incidents and facility-related emergencies.
- Partner with HR and Operations on workplace safety programs and compliance efforts.
- Support audits and inspections related to safety, insurance, or regulatory bodies.
Vendor & Project Management
- Source, manage, and evaluate vendors for maintenance, cleaning, security, and facility services.
- Obtain quotes, manage budgets, and oversee vendor performance.
- Lead facility improvement projects including renovations, relocations, and upgrades.
- Track timelines, costs, and outcomes of facility-related initiatives.
General Facilities Support
- Support employee onboarding by ensuring workspaces are prepared and functional.
- Assist with furniture moves, equipment setups, and internal relocations.
- Maintain documentation for facility procedures, safety protocols, and vendor contacts.
- Support cross-functional operational initiatives as assigned by the Director of Operations.
Qualifications:
- 3+ years of experience in facilities management, building maintenance, or a similar operational role.
- Strong working knowledge of building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, basic construction).
- Experience supporting manufacturing or industrial environments preferred.
- Working knowledge of workplace safety standards and regulatory compliance.
- Ability to perform hands-on maintenance and coordinate external contractors.
- Highly organized with strong problem-solving and prioritization skills.
- Comfortable operating independently and making real-time decisions.
- Strong communication skills and service-oriented mindset.
- High school diploma required; technical certification or trade background a plus.
Reporting To: Director of Operations
Location: Hillside, IL
About the Role:
The Manager, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) is a strategic, cross-functional leader responsible for aligning demand, supply, and inventory across Cognesense’s operating companies. This role owns the end-to-end planning engine—overseeing Buyers and Planners while driving disciplined execution across inventory management and fulfillment models including MTO (Make-to-Order), ATO (Assemble-to-Order), ETO (Engineer-to-Order), and MTS (Make-to-Stock).
This position ensures the business has the right materials, in the right place, at the right time—balancing service levels, lead times, and working capital. The S&OP Manager partners closely with Sales, Operations, Engineering, and Finance to translate commercial demand into executable production and procurement plans.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in complex, multi-SKU manufacturing environments and brings both analytical rigor and operational leadership to drive predictability, efficiency, and growth.
Key Responsibilities:
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
- Own and lead the S&OP process, aligning demand forecasts with supply, capacity, and inventory strategies.
- Translate sales demand into executable production and procurement plans.
- Partner with Sales and Operations to identify risks, constraints, and trade-offs.
- Establish cadence for forecasting, planning reviews, and cross-functional alignment.
- Drive data integrity and planning discipline across systems and teams.
Buying & Procurement Oversight
- Lead and develop the Buying team.
- Establish sourcing strategies aligned with demand plans and inventory targets.
- Ensure timely procurement of materials to support production and customer commitments.
- Manage supplier performance, lead times, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Optimize purchasing practices to balance cost, service level, and working capital.
Planning & Scheduling
- Lead and develop the Planning team.
- Own master production scheduling across MTO, ATO, ETO, and MTS workflows.
- Ensure production plans are realistic, achievable, and aligned with capacity.
- Drive continuous improvement in planning accuracy and execution.
- Establish planning standards, workflows, and performance metrics.
Inventory Management
- Own enterprise-wide inventory strategy and performance.
- Implement and maintain ABC classification frameworks.
- Define stocking policies by product family and fulfillment model.
- Balance service levels with inventory turns and cash efficiency.
- Monitor and act on excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory.
- Drive root-cause analysis for shortages, stockouts, and overstocks.
Fulfillment Models & Operational Alignment
- Define and govern planning rules across MTO, ATO, ETO, and MTS environments.
- Ensure each product family follows the correct planning and fulfillment strategy.
- Partner with Engineering and Operations on ETO workflows and constraints.
- Align inventory positioning with customer expectations and lead-time commitments.
- Drive standardization and scalability across operating units.
Performance Management & Continuous Improvement
- Establish KPIs for forecast accuracy, service level, inventory turns, and plan adherence.
- Use data to identify gaps and drive corrective action.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives across planning and procurement.
- Support system improvements in ERP and planning tools.
- Build a culture of accountability, clarity, and execution discipline.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience in supply chain, planning, or operations leadership.
- Proven experience leading Buyers and Planners in a manufacturing environment.
- Strong working knowledge of MTO, ATO, ETO, and MTS operating models.
- Deep understanding of inventory management principles, including ABC classification.
- Experience building and running S&OP processes in multi-SKU, multi-site environments.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into action.
- Excellent cross-functional leadership and communication skills.
- Comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments.
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or a related field preferred (or equivalent experience).
If you are interested in applying, please email pshah@cognesense.com with a copy of your resume and confirming your interest for the role.
Location: Varec, Inc, Peachtree Corners, GA, US
Role Summary:
The Senior Database & Application Administrator is a critical technical leader responsible for the end-to-end administration, stability, security, and performance of enterprise application environments supporting mission-critical operations. This role serves as the primary technical owner across Windows-based application infrastructure and distributed database platforms, while coordinating closely with enterprise teams (SQL, RHEL, Security, Networking, and PMO).
The position requires deep technical expertise across application hosting, distributed systems (Cassandra), and enterprise change governance, with a strong emphasis on security compliance, system reliability, and cross-functional execution.
Key Responsibilities:
Enterprise Application & Infrastructure Ownership
- Serve as the sole technical owner for Staging, Production, and COOP environments within an on-premise OT Hyper-V infrastructure (20+ Windows servers)
- Administer and maintain Windows-based web and application servers, including:
- IIS, OPC, SSRS, FCEE
- Manage:
- Server provisioning, networking, and infrastructure requests (PPSM, FCR, F5, RWP)
- Service accounts and system maintenance activities
- Oversee application installation, configuration, and lifecycle management
- Manage critical system interfaces (FDS-AV, ELM log consumption, edge device integrations)
Database & Platform Administration
- Act as primary technical owner for the Apache Cassandra platform across all environments:
- Manage a large-scale distributed environment (~112+ nodes, expanding with growth)
- Perform:
- Cassandra configuration, maintenance, and troubleshooting (via SSH on hardened RHEL systems)
- Capacity planning (storage-to-node scaling, performance optimization)
- Coordinate with:
- SQL Server team for database updates, deployments (scripts, DACPACs), and ad hoc requests
- RHEL team for server provisioning, configuration execution, and infrastructure support
Security & Compliance
- Partner with enterprise security teams to ensure compliance and operational integrity
- Lead:
- STIG/SRG hardening for IIS, .NET, and Cassandra environments
- Annual compliance refresh activities
- Manage:
- SSL certificate lifecycle (IIS, OPC, Cassandra via Java Keytool)
- Security tool exclusions and vulnerability remediation
- Annual Webscan processes
- Conduct final technical security reviews prior to deployment into customer environments
Change Management & Governance
- Serve as a technical gatekeeper for all environment changes
- Collaborate with PMO to manage change lifecycle through ServiceNow (SNOW)
- Responsibilities include:
- Reviewing architecture and configuration changes
- Defining testing requirements and validation processes
- Approving or rejecting changes based on enterprise compliance standards
- Recommending compliant alternative solutions when needed
- Ensure all changes are validated, documented, and aligned with enterprise standards prior to implementation.
Cross-Functional Technical Leadership
- Act as the primary technical liaison for enterprise operations and PMO
- Provide:
- Environment status updates, risk assessments, and technical guidance
- Infrastructure and capacity planning input
- Coordinate across multiple enterprise teams:
- Security, Networking, Firewalls, WAN, F5/WAF, Active Directory, SQL, Unix/RHEL, CERT
- Drive execution by:
- Identifying appropriate stakeholders
- Communicating requirements
- Ensuring successful implementation and validation of solutions
- Support internal teams (Engineering, QA, Development, Deployment) with enterprise requirements and execution alignment.
Additional Systems & Application Support
- Administer and maintain a custom ColdFusion 21 application:
- Azure Gov cloud hosted (Windows + SQL backend)
- Includes development, maintenance, and security responsibilities
- Provide backend administration for company website infrastructure:
- WAMP stack hosting WordPress (Production & Staging)
- Manage Git-based deployments and coordination with external developers
Qualifications Required:
- 7+ years of experience in enterprise systems administration, database administration, or infrastructure engineering.
- Must have minimum security + certification with CE.
- Strong expertise in:
- Windows Server environments and IIS administration
- Distributed database systems (preferably Apache Cassandra)
- Linux/RHEL environments (command line, SSH-based management)
- Experience working in highly regulated or secure environments (e.g., STIG/SRG compliance)
- Proven experience managing:
- Enterprise change control processes (ServiceNow or equivalent)
- Cross-functional technical coordination across siloed teams
- Strong understanding of:
- Networking, firewalls, load balancing (F5/WAF)
- SSL/TLS certificate management
- Enterprise application integrations
Preferred:
- Experience with OT (Operational Technology) environments
- Familiarity with:
- Hyper-V virtualization
- Azure Gov cloud environments
- ColdFusion and WordPress administration
- Exposure to federal or defense-related environments (e.g., DLA)
Core Competencies:
- Ownership mindset – operates as the accountable technical owner across environments
- Systems thinking – understands dependencies across infrastructure, applications, and security
- Execution excellence – drives outcomes across complex, cross-functional environments
- Risk management – proactively identifies and mitigates technical and security risks
- Communication – effectively translates technical requirements across teams
Reporting To: Director of Operations
Location: Hillside, IL
About the Role:
The Supplier Quality Engineer is responsible for developing and executing supplier quality strategies that ensure the delivery of high-quality materials, components, and services. This role manages supplier qualification, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement initiatives. The Supplier Quality Engineer collaborates with cross-functional teams to resolve quality issues, supports new product introductions, and drives compliance with regulatory and sustainability requirements.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and implement supplier quality initiatives aligned with business objectives and growth plans.
- Identify, evaluate, and qualify suppliers to ensure they meet quality, reliability, and compliance standards.
- Lead supplier audits, manage corrective action processes, and monitor supplier performance.
- Collaborate with Engineering, Sourcing, and Operations teams to support new product introductions and resolve supplier-related quality issues.
- Analyze quality data, conduct root cause analyses, and identify opportunities for defect reduction and value creation.
- Maintain accurate supplier quality documentation, including audit reports, scorecards, and compliance records.
- Drive supplier development, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Support sustainability and regulatory compliance efforts within the supply base.
- Facilitate cross-functional communication and training on supplier quality policies and best practices.
- Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, and operational excellence.
- Work with Sourcing on rating, qualifying, and disqualifying suppliers.
- Support the improvement of supplier on-time delivery and supplier reject rate metrics.
- Reduce costs by minimizing supplier-caused scrap and rework.
- Manage the First Article Inspection (FAI) process for new parts and new suppliers, ensuring all dimensions, material certifications, and "Critical to Quality" (CTQ) characteristics align with engineering drawings.
- Serve as a liaison between the Quality and Engineering departments and suppliers.
- Advocate on suppliers' behalf when engineering specifications are unreasonable, incomplete, inconsistent, or unclear.
- Work with suppliers to identify cost-reduction opportunities.
- Partner with suppliers to implement Lean manufacturing principles and Six Sigma tools to improve yields and reduce variability in supplied components.
- Work closely with Engineering during the Design for Manufacturability (DFM) phase to ensure suppliers can meet proposed tolerances and specifications.
Experience & Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field required.
- 5+ years of experience in supplier quality engineering, quality assurance, or supply chain management within a manufacturing environment.
- Production/manufacturing experience is required.
- Low-volume, high-mix manufacturing experience is preferred.
- Experience with ISO 9001 standards is a plus.
- Demonstrated success in supplier qualification, audit management, and quality improvement initiatives.
- Strong knowledge of quality systems, supplier qualification, and performance tracking methods.
- Excellent analytical, communication, and project management skills.
- Proficiency with ERP systems, Microsoft Office, and quality analytics tools.
- Self-motivated with a high level of follow-through and accountability.
- Experience with AS400 or similar ERP systems is a plus.
- Familiarity with machining, metal fabrication, and MR
Reporting To: Director of Operations
Location: Hillside, IL
About the Role:
The Strategic Sourcing Manager is responsible for developing and executing sourcing strategies that drive cost savings, supplier quality, and supply chain resilience. This role manages supplier relationships, negotiates contracts, and collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure the timely and cost-effective procurement of materials, components, and services. The ideal candidate has strong analytical and negotiation skills, experience in manufacturing sourcing, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and implement strategic sourcing initiatives aligned with business objectives and growth plans.
- Identify, evaluate, and qualify suppliers to ensure quality, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
- Lead contract negotiations, manage supplier agreements, and monitor supplier performance.
- Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, and Operations teams to support new product introductions and resolve supply chain issues.
- Analyze market trends, conduct cost analyses, and identify opportunities for cost reduction and value creation.
- Maintain accurate sourcing documentation, including contracts, supplier scorecards, and compliance records.
- Drive supplier development, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Support sustainability and regulatory compliance efforts within the supply base.
- Facilitate cross-functional communication and training on sourcing policies and best practices.
- Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, and operational excellence.
Experience & Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field required.
- 5+ years of experience in strategic sourcing, procurement, or supply chain management within a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated success in supplier negotiations, contract management, and cost reduction initiatives.
- Strong knowledge of sourcing processes, supplier qualification, and performance tracking methods.
- Excellent analytical, communication, and project management skills.
- Proficiency with ERP systems, Microsoft Office, and sourcing analytics tools.
- Self-motivated with a high level of follow-through and accountability.
- Experience with AS400 or similar ERP systems is a plus.
- Familiarity with machining, metal fabrication, and MRO items preferred.
Reporting To: Mechanical Engineering Manager
Location: Hillside, IL
Scope:
As a senior mechanical design engineer, you will play a pivotal role in creating and maintaining mechanical designs while utilizing best practices and processes.
This role requires mechanical technical experience in 3D modeling and simulation analysis, materials expertise, instrumentation mechanical design and cross-functional collaboration with quality and manufacturing teams. You will also be paramount in setting standards, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring product reliability, safety, and compliance in mission-critical environments.
Responsibilities:
Mechanical Engineering
- Take full, hands-on responsibility for the design, development, and optimization of mechanical products for Varec’s and S&J’s industrial instrumentation systems.
- Work within our standards such as New Product Development processes and design and safety standards.
- Collaborate with manufacturing and quality teams to ensure a seamless production launch.
- Contribute to peer mechanical reviews, design reviews, documentation, and best practices.
Qualifications:
- The Quality Manager must hold a bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
- Production/Manufacturing experience required.
- Ideal candidate would have a minimum of 3 years of experience leading quality function in a production environment.
- Must have a minimum of 5 years of experience being a key member of a quality department, preferably as a Quality Engineer.
- Solid understanding of ISO 9001:2015 standards.
- Experience hosting ISO external audits.
- Experience conducting internal audits, issuing nonconformities (findings), and leading teams to resolution.
- Experience writing procedures and work instructions.
- Proven record of successfully conducting the Root Cause analysis and implementing corrective actions.
- Skilled at training co-workers on quality control methodologies.
- Working knowledge of statistical process control (SPC) and ability to apply SPC techniques in manufacturing environment.
- Understanding of hazardous location product certification, such as ATEX/Ex/IECEx is a plus.
- Lean Six Sigma certification is a plus.
Experience & Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering.
- 10+ years of experience in mechanical design.
- Strong familiarity with industrial standards, safety certifications, and compliance (e.g., IEC, ATEX, FM, UL).
- 5+ Years Experience with Autodesk Inventor.
- Deep knowledge in mechanical casting and machining process on carbon steel.
- Statistical analysis, tolerance stack up, material strength and durability.
- Materials specialist: carbon steel, aluminum, ceramics and plastics.
- Sensor Deep Knowledge: Sensor technology expert in high precision sensing.
- Ansys mechanical package experience a plus.
- Excellent problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.
- Knowledge and experience in staged gate processes for new product development.
Highly Preferred Skills:
- Ansys mechanical stress and strain analysis, combustion modeling and analysis.
- Metal, ceramic and plastic materials specialist.
- Deep knowledge in sensing technologies and application (Radar, force, pressure, temperature, humidity, gas analysis).
- 3D Modeling in Autodesk Inventor utilizing design drawing standards.
Location: Varec, Inc, Peachtree Corners, GA, US
About the Role:
Varec, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cognesense, is seeking a Test Engineering & Release Manager to join our team. This role provides leadership and coordination across Test Engineering and Documentation, ensuring high-quality, reliable product delivery.
Varec specializes in integrated hardware and software solutions for the oil, gas, and defense markets. For more information, visit www.varec.com.
This role is an integral part of Varec’s Agile Software Development organization and participates throughout the product lifecycle — from concept and design through development, testing, release, and post-production support. The role combines hands-on quality engineering expertise with people leadership and strategic ownership of release quality, driving an automation-first mindset and predictable delivery.
This position is based in Atlanta, GA and requires in-office presence on a hybrid schedule.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and coordinate Test Engineering, DevOps collaboration, and Documentation efforts across release cycles.
- Act as a player–coach, contributing hands-on to test automation and complex quality initiatives when needed.
- Define and drive quality strategy, including automation-first and shift-left testing practices.
- Ensure release readiness through test planning, defect management, regression execution, and performance validation.
- Define, track, and report Quality KPIs and metrics to leadership.
- Collaborate closely with Software Engineering, Product Management, Hardware, Systems Integration, and Helpdesk teams.
- Partner with Documentation to support user-facing materials such as release notes, user guides, online help, templates, and quick reference guides.
- Support and influence CI/CD pipelines, environment readiness, and deployment practices.
- Manage day-to-day staff responsibilities including 1:1s, coaching, performance management, time approvals, and resource allocation.
- Contribute to budget planning and ensure fiscal alignment with departmental goals.
- Provide estimates and input throughout the product lifecycle from design through release preparation.
- Troubleshoot complex issues across software, interfaces, integrations, and test environments.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT, or a related field with 12+ years of relevant experience.
- Proven experience leading software quality and release activities, including manual, automated, and performance testing.
- Hands-on experience designing, building, and maintaining automated test frameworks and scripts, with the ability to contribute directly when needed.
- Experience with automation frameworks and shift-left testing methodologies.
- Experience reporting and using Quality KPIs to drive improvement.
- Experience working within Agile software development teams and ceremonies.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills.
- Experience managing test environments (physical and virtual).
- Proficiency working in CI/CD environments.
- Experience working in a .NET / C#-based enterprise application environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with SCADA systems, liquid management, accounting systems, and/or hardware interfaces.
- Familiarity with Jira workflows and task management.
- Exposure to diverse system architectures, including distributed and on-prem deployments.
- Experience with performance testing tools and methodologies.
- Working knowledge of Selenium/Playwright UI automation, C#, Java, SQL Server, Cucumber reporting and related test frameworks.
- Familiarity with Windows services, WCF, IIS, and Windows-based enterprise systems
- Experience with AWS infrastructure and test execution in AWS-hosted systems.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted test automation to streamline test creation and execution.
Location: Cognesense, Hillside, IL, US
About the Role:
We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Test Engineer to support validation and verification of embedded hardware and firmware for industrial measurement and control systems. Our products operate in oil & gas, wastewater, hazardous environments, and clean industrial applications where reliability and compliance are critical.
Key Responsibilities:
- Understand product requirements and develop comprehensive test plans and test procedures.
- Execute verification and validation testing for embedded hardware and firmware systems.
- Design, develop, and maintain advanced test environments including temperature cycle and thermal stress testing, EMI/EMC compliance testing, and environmental and reliability testing.
- Validate industrial communication protocols including MODBUS (RTU & TCP/IP), Ethernet-to-MODBUS gateways, and RS485 communication.
- Design and build custom test fixtures and automation setups.
- Perform system-level validation of radar, level measurement, temperature, density, BSW, and detection systems.
- Support hazardous location certifications including FM Approvals, UL, and ATEX requirements.
- Analyze test data, document results, and generate formal validation reports.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, firmware, mechanical, manufacturing, and regulatory teams.
- Participate in design reviews and contribute to continuous product improvement.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- 3–5+ years of experience testing embedded hardware and firmware.
- Proven ability to write structured test plans, procedures, and reports.
- Hands-on experience with temperature cycling, EMI/EMC testing, and industrial communication protocols.
- Knowledge of hazardous-area standards and industrial instrumentation preferred.
- Strong teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Experience in oil & gas or wastewater industries is a plus.