Purpose of Role
The Tooling Manager is responsible for leading all tooling operations in a plastic injection molding facility to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient mold maintenance, repair, and performance. This role oversees a team of mold technicians, drives preventive and predictive maintenance programs, and provides technical leadership to minimize downtime, improve tooling reliability, and support production goals. The position also manages inventory, supplier relationships, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring compliance with OEM standards and operational best practices.
Areas of Accountabilities
Safety & Operational Leadership
- Ensure all plant tooling operations are conducted in a safe and controlled environment.
- Lead a team of mold technicians by setting and communicating clear expectations, managing performance, and providing the training and resources needed to safely and effectively perform their roles.
- Guide and develop direct reports to achieve plant objectives and personal development goals while exemplifying human centered leadership.
Tooling Maintenance & Reliability
- Effectively manage and prioritize tooling repair and maintenance activities for the entire mold inventory.
- Coordinate preventive maintenance (PM) efforts with other departments to ensure mold quality and production readiness.
- Develop and implement preventive and predictive maintenance programs, mold part safety stock inventories, and other reliability initiatives to improve efficiency and mold change effectiveness.
- Ensure appropriate inventory levels for standard replacement parts are maintained.
Technical Support & Continuous Improvement
- Provide technical support for troubleshooting, problem-solving, and tooling repair activities to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime.
- Apply effective problem-solving methodologies to identify and resolve root causes of major injection mold failures and recurring issues.
- Interpret specifications, blueprints, and technical documentation to ensure OEM standards, mold tolerances, troubleshooting accuracy, and component improvement opportunities are understood and applied.
Supplier & Cross-Functional Coordination
- Develop and manage supplier relationships.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support tooling performance, maintenance scheduling, and operational goals.
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
- 4 year degree in a technical field or equivalent experience
- Strong mechanical aptitude and work knowledge of electrical, hydraulic and mechanical systems
- 3+ years of direct management experience preferred
- 5+ years of injection molding experience preferred
- Strong Computer/Microsoft Office skills; be able to efficiently work with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and working knowledge of CMMS systems, preferably JD Edwards
