Tooling Lead

About the role

The Tooling Lead oversees daily toolmaking activities, including setup, maintenance, repair, and changeovers, to ensure reliable, efficient, and safe manufacturing operations at Plaskolite.

Responsibilities

• Manufacture plastic extrusion dies, tooling, jigs, and gauges from start to finish to support production requirements.
• Prepare raw stock and tooling blanks, including cutting, squaring, roughing, and finishing materials for machining operations.
• Operate manual machine shop equipment including mills, lathes, grinders, and drill presses.
• Program, set up, and operate 3-axis CNC milling machines for precision machining of tooling components.
• Program, set up, and operate Wire EDM equipment, including 4-axis cutting operations.
• Independently create CNC and EDM programs using CAM software.
• Utilize CAD/CAM tools to support tooling design modifications, machining programs, and manufacturing processes.
• Tool design at this level is limited to fixtures and work holding for parts being machined; participate in design discussions and shadow Sr. Tooling Lead and engineering on broader die design work.
• Interpret detailed engineering drawings, models, and technical specifications to ensure accurate tooling fabrication.
• Inspect machined components using precision measurement instruments to maintain tight tolerance and quality standards.
• Assemble, fit, and finish tooling components to production-ready condition.
• Work directly with extrusion production lines to understand tooling functionality and process requirements.
• Assist in troubleshooting performance issues during extrusion runs and implement corrective actions.
• Modify or adjust tooling to improve material flow, dimensional accuracy, and product quality during fabrication and after production feedback.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to increase tooling life, reduce downtime, and improve workflow efficiency.
• Support capital projects, including installation, setup, and validation of new dies and tooling systems.
• Absorb and apply technical knowledge in toolmaking, machining, and extrusion tooling fabrication.
• Identify tooling and manufacturing process issues and find effective solutions with limited guidance.
• Evaluate procedures and actively seek ways to improve quality.
• Spot opportunities to improve tooling, processes, and shop practices and act on them without prompting.
• Work as a productive member of the tooling, production, engineering, and maintenance teams.
• Owning tooling outcomes, documentation accuracy, and follow-through on assigned work.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5-7 years of progressive experience in tooling, die/mold maintenance, machining, or a related manufacturing role; experience in a plastics or extrusion manufacturing environment preferred.
• Technical certificate, vocational training, or coursework in tooling, machining, maintenance, manufacturing technology, or a related field.