What are the responsibilities and job description for the Technical Instructor position at Cognex Corporation?
Job Description
The Company:
Cognex is the global leader in the exciting and growing field of machine vision, with annual revenue approaching $1 Billion. We are a financially strong international company with a culture that maintains the fast-paced, creative environment of a startup. Our employees, proudly called “Cognoids,” take their work seriously but don't take themselves seriously. Our Work Hard, Play Hard, Move Fast culture recognizes our employees for their innovation, perseverance, and hard work in a fun and rewarding environment. We value in-person team collaboration, while offering remote workplace flexibility up to two days a week depending on the role.
This candidate can be remote located in Grand Rapids, Michigan or Indianapolis, Indiana or driving distance to that office!
Job Summary
We are looking for a skilled Technical Trainer to join our team. This role focuses on training delivery, technical expertise, and customer engagement.
Essential Functions
- Deliver advanced technical training sessions to customers and resellers onsite, online, and at Cognex facilities
- Facilitate hands-on lab exercises, providing expert guidance and feedback to ensure participant success
- Develop and customize presentations and training materials that simplify complex engineering topics for diverse audiences
- Manage training logistics, including scheduling, travel arrangements, and coordination with clients or facilities
- Maintain and manage classroom hardware and software for effective training sessions
- Utilize the Learning Management System (LMS) to register students, track progress, and generate completion certificates
- Provide input to improve training content, instructional delivery, and course workflows
- Contribute to content development, including creating videos and tutorials for self-guided learning
- Travel frequently (up to 50% overnight travel) to deliver onsite trainings at customer facilities and regional Cognex offices
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- 3-5 years Engineering industry experience background OR Engineering / related field degree required (e.g., Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science)
- Proficiency with PCs, Microsoft 365 Suite, and advanced networking knowledge
- Exceptional communication and public speaking skills, with the ability to explain complex engineering topics in simple terms
- Knowledge of vision systems, cameras, and optics is highly preferred
- Comfortable applying and teaching advanced scripting, automation logic, and PCI integrations
- Coding background in at least one of these languages C#, C, C , JavaScript, and understanding of scripting for automation customization and integration with factory automation
- Familiarity with Visual Studio .NET (Winform and WPF frameworks) and the ability to develop graphical user interfaces are a plus
- General understanding of how machine learning and artificial intelligence are used for industrial image processing (scene classification and segmentation) is a plus
Minimum Education and Work Experience Required
- 2 years of experience in technical training or a similar customer-facing technical role, with a focus on engineering applications
- Field Service or Technical Support experience installing supporting or configuring complex industrial systems in factory environments is a plus
- Experience in managing schedules and travel independently, with excellent organizational and multitasking abilities
Additional Job Description
Equal Employment Opportunity
Cognex is an equal opportunity employer. Cognex evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, disability/handicap status or any other legally protected characteristic.