Sign upLog in
See more jobs
Sterling Engineering, Inc. logo

Tooling Manager

Sterling Engineering, Inc.

  • Bolingbrook, IL
  • 3 days ago
  • $125,000–$150,000 Per Year

Highlights

This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on tooling leader who can combine technical mold/tooling expertise with team leadership and continuous improvement to help advance a growing manufacturing operation. What We’re Looking For Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, Plastics, Polymer Processing, Materials Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience in tooling and mold development.

Numbers & Facts

LocationBolingbrook, IL
IndustryStaffing/Employment Agencies
Salary$125,000–$150,000 Per Year
Company Size500 to 999 employees
Year Founded1969
Websitehttp://www.sterling-engineering.com

Description

Tooling Manager
Location: Bolingbrook, IL
Hire Type: Direct Hire
Salary: $125,000–$150,000 + Bonus

Position Summary
Our client is seeking an experienced Tooling Manager to lead its Tooling Engineering and Toolroom functions in a highly technical manufacturing environment. This role will oversee tooling design, development, maintenance, repair, and continuous improvement while leading a team of engineers and technical staff.

The ideal candidate brings strong experience with mold tooling, tooling engineering, toolroom leadership, 3D design, and manufacturing problem-solving. This position will play a key role in advancing molding processes and improving safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.  This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on tooling leader who can combine technical mold/tooling expertise with team leadership and continuous improvement to help advance a growing manufacturing operation.

What You’ll Do
  • Lead the Tooling Engineering and Toolroom teams, including hiring, training, mentoring, performance management, and employee development.
  • Manage tooling projects supporting mold design, manufacturing equipment, automation, and new product development.
  • Lead new tooling development, tooling improvements, repairs, preventive maintenance, and emergency tooling support.
  • Ensure molds and tooling are designed for manufacturability, performance, reliability, and long-term production use.
  • Partner with NPD and Engineering teams on design for manufacturability (DFM) and new product launches.
  • Maintain tooling documentation, including 3D models, assemblies, drawings, specifications, and revision control.
  • Develop and manage a visual tooling preventive-maintenance scheduling and tracking system.
  • Prioritize tooling maintenance and repair activities based on production requirements.
  • Work with outside tooling vendors on repairs, modifications, and outsourced projects.
  • Lead tooling-related cost reduction, quality improvement, and mistake-proofing initiatives.
  • Drive structured problem solving using root cause analysis, Gage R&R, A/B testing, and statistical analysis.
  • Establish and track department and project KPIs.
  • Manage projects involving scope, schedule, cost, risk, resources, and change management.
  • Support equipment selection, capital expenditures, and installation of new manufacturing equipment.
  • Partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Engineering, and leadership.
  • Develop high-potential employees and build technical capabilities within the tooling organization.
What We’re Looking For
  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, Plastics, Polymer Processing, Materials Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience in tooling and mold development.
  • Previous experience managing Tooling Engineering and/or Toolroom operations.
  • Strong knowledge of mold design, tooling development, maintenance, and repair.
  • Experience using 3D CAD/drafting software.
  • Strong manufacturing troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.
  • Experience leading, mentoring, and developing engineers and technical employees.
  • Ability to manage multiple tooling and engineering projects simultaneously.
  • Strong cross-functional communication and project leadership skills.
Preferred Experience
  • Tooling engineering, design, procurement, and vendor management.
  • Six Sigma, Red X, or similar structured problem-solving methodology.
  • Simulation software and understanding of material flow, cure characteristics, and molding-process simulation.
  • Experience with reaction injection molding (RIM), APG, silicone molding, and/or epoxy molding.
  • Experience driving tooling improvements in a high-volume or technically complex manufacturing environment.
#INC1

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

About Company

Sterling Engineering has been a trusted partner for engineering, project management, and staffing solutions for over five decades. We provide exceptional engineering/technical recruitment and engineering project services to clients nationwide:

 

  • Engineering & Technical Recruitment - With our focus on engineering, technical, and IT, Sterling has the in-depth knowledge, industry expertise, and robust employee pipeline it takes to rapidly find talent for even the most difficult to fill positions. Sterling’s extensive recruitment methodology allows us to engage the most talented employees in the marketplace. We offer exciting work and career-building opportunities for our candidates, along with expert support at every step of the process.

 

  • Engineering Project Services – Our experienced, multi-disciplined team of project managers, engineers, and designers, led by licensed Professional Engineers (PE), provide project management, engineering, design, and Commissioning, Qualification, and Validation (CQV) to manufacturing, OEM, and R&D customers. We work on complex, highly technical projects across a number of industry sectors, and our ability to scale and seamlessly integrate at multiple levels of your organization is what differentiates us.

 

Sterling offers a unique combination of engineering solutions and Best of Staffing level service to help our clients and talent achieve their goals.

Similar Jobs

See more jobs