Tooling Engineer

Job Summary

The Mid-Level Tooling Design Engineer designs, validates, and structurally analyzes specialized manufacturing tooling, assembly fixturing, high-pressure test fixtures, and test stands for commercial aircraft, spacecraft, and missile systems. This role performs comprehensive mechanical stress calculations to determine the exact Factor of Safety for all hardware, ensuring structural integrity, mitigation of shop-floor hazards through ergonomic and mistake-proofed designs, and strict compliance with defense and aerospace industry standards.

Job Responsibilities

• Assembly Fixture Development: Partner directly with Manufacturing Engineers to co-develop, refine, and deliver high-precision assembly fixturing that optimizes ergonomic safety, assembly sequencing, and shop floor throughput.
• Tooling & Test Stand Design: Design complex assembly jigs, weld fixtures, composite molds, high-pressure fluid/gas test fixtures, and structural test stands using SolidWorks.
• Stress Analysis & Safety Factors: Perform rigorous manual hand calculations to establish design safety margins, specifically evaluating hoop stress for pressurized components, thread shear/tensile strengths for fasteners, and overall Factor of Safety for critical load-bearing and test hardware.
• Team Collaboration: Collaborate with Test Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing teams to co-develop functional testing environments, instrumentation brackets, and automated test cells.
• GD&T & Blueprints: Create detailed 2D manufacturing drawings applying precise Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5 for high-precision components.
• Lifecycle Management: Manage engineering design data, configurations, revisions, and release workflows utilizing the Enovia PDM/PLM system.
• Shop Support: Maintain direct communication with the internal model shop and external machine shops to coordinate fabrication, clarify drawing intent, resolve technical non-conformances, and support first-article inspection of new tools.

Qualifications

• Basic (Required) Qualifications: Bachelors degree in a technical field from an accredited institution with 2 years of engineering or tooling design experience OR Associates with 3 years of direct tooling design or engineering experience is required. Minimum 2 years experience in computer aided design (CAD).
• Preferred Qualifications: 2 years of mechanical design experience, specializing in manufacturing tooling, assembly fixtures, high-pressure fluid systems, or structural test fixtures. Proven expertise in performing hand calculations (including hoop stress, thin/thick-walled cylinder equations, and bolted joint/thread shear calculations) to determine structural margins. Advanced proficiency in SolidWorks (3D modeling, large assemblies, weldments) alongside hands-on experience using calculation tools like Excel for engineering documentation. Strong understanding of manufacturing processes (machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication), high-pressure plumbing, aerospace materials, and defense standards (e.g., AS9100).

Qualifications

• Basic (Required) Qualifications: Bachelors degree in a technical field from an accredited institution with 2 years of engineering or tooling design experience OR Associates with 3 years of direct tooling design or engineering experience is required. Minimum 2 years experience in computer aided design (CAD).
• Preferred Qualifications: 2 years of mechanical design experience, specializing in manufacturing tooling, assembly fixtures, high-pressure fluid systems, or structural test fixtures. Proven expertise in performing hand calculations (including hoop stress, thin/thick-walled cylinder equations, and bolted joint/thread shear calculations) to determine structural margins. Advanced proficiency in SolidWorks (3D modeling, large assemblies, weldments) alongside hands-on experience using calculation tools like Excel for engineering documentation. Strong understanding of manufacturing processes (machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication), high-pressure plumbing, aerospace materials, and defense standards (e.g., AS9100).

No relocation is offered for this position. All candidates must currently reside within 50 miles of Orchard Park, NY to be considered. Active-Duty Military Service member candidates are exempt from the geographical area limitation.

Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.

This position requires access to export-controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must be a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.