Tooling Engineer

H9 Talent Solutions; Stockport; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

H9 Talent Solutions is seeking a Tooling Engineer to take ownership of supplier-based production tooling and support new product introductions. You will work with suppliers, engineering, quality and operations to ensure tooling delivers quality, reliability and performance throughout its lifecycle.

This role focuses on tooling validation, ECN/ECR support, and continuous improvement across manufacturing processes. Experience with PPAP and tooling audits would be advantageous.

Qualifications

• Experience in manufacturing or engineering environments managing tooling projects with external suppliers.
• Experience with supplier-based production tooling and tooling lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full lifecycle of supplier-owned production tooling.
• Lead the introduction and validation of new tooling for New Product Introduction projects.
• Collaborate with suppliers to improve tooling performance, reliability and quality.
• Conduct supplier visits, tooling reviews and technical audits.
• Support engineering change activities to keep tooling production-ready.
• Drive root cause analysis and implement permanent corrective actions for tooling issues.
• Monitor tooling performance, cycle times and quality metrics.
• Review tooling costs and support investment decisions through ROI analysis.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Procurement and Supply Chain to deliver robust manufacturing solutions.
• Support supplier development and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Tooling engineering

Supplier management

NPI experience

DFM

DFA

Root cause analysis

Continuous improvement

Tools

CAD software

Job description

Salary: Up to £50,000 with benefits including amazing pension

We're working with a leading international manufacturer that designs and produces highly engineered products for customers across a range of industrial sectors. Due to continued growth and investment, they're looking to appoint an experienced Tooling Engineer to take ownership of supplier-based production tooling and support the successful delivery of new product introductions.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working closely with suppliers, driving continuous improvement and ensuring tooling is optimised throughout its entire lifecycle.

The Role

As Tooling Engineer, you'll be responsible for managing externally held production tooling, ensuring it delivers consistent quality, reliability and performance. Working closely with suppliers, engineering, quality and operations, you'll play a key role in introducing new tooling, supporting engineering changes and improving manufacturing capability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the full lifecycle of supplier-owned production tooling.
• Lead the introduction and validation of new tooling for New Product Introduction (NPI) projects.
• Work closely with suppliers to improve tooling performance, reliability and quality.
• Conduct supplier visits, tooling reviews and technical audits.
• Support engineering change activities (ECNs/ECRs) ensuring tooling remains production-ready.
• Drive root cause analysis and implement permanent corrective actions for tooling-related issues.
• Monitor tooling performance, cycle times and quality metrics.
• Review tooling costs and support investment decisions through ROI analysis.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Procurement and Supply Chain teams to deliver robust manufacturing solutions.
• Support supplier development and continuous improvement initiatives.

About You

You'll have previous experience within a manufacturing or engineering environment and be confident managing tooling projects across external suppliers.

You'll ideally have experience with:

• Tooling Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering.
• Supplier-based production tooling.
• New Product Introduction (NPI).
• Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA).
• Interpreting engineering drawings and CAD models.
• Root Cause Analysis and structured problem solving.
• Supplier management and technical collaboration.
• Continuous Improvement or Lean Manufacturing methodologies.

Experience with PPAP, tooling validation, supplier audits or tooling contracts would be advantageous but isn\'t essential.

If you're an experienced Tooling Engineer looking to take ownership of technically challenging projects within a collaborative and forward-thinking manufacturing business, we'd love to hear from you.