Automotive Tooling Program Manager — Launch & Ramp

Standex International Corporation; Maumee (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Standex International Corporation – Maumee, OH is seeking a Program/Project Manager to lead Soft Trim tooling programs from award through production readiness. You will coordinate engineering, tooling, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customers to ensure on-time, on-budget program delivery and successful tool startup.

The ideal candidate combines strong project management skills with hands-on tooling expertise in automotive soft trim, thermoforming, vacuum forming, IMG/IMGL, and related

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline is required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in automotive tooling, manufacturing engineering, program management, or launch support.
• Experience supporting tooling programs through validation, launch, and production startup.
• Strong customer-facing communication and project coordination experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead assigned Soft Trim tooling programs from customer award through production launch and post-launch stabilization.
• Develop, maintain, and communicate detailed project timing plans, milestones, launch schedules, and risk assessments.
• Serve as the primary customer contact for program-related activities, status updates, timing concerns, and issue escalation.
• Coordinate program reviews, internal status meetings, customer update meetings, and cross-functional launch readiness reviews.
• Track program deliverables, engineering changes, open issues, approvals, and timing risks to ensure proactive resolution.
• Support adherence to customer APQP, PPAP, and launch requirements, as applicable.
• Drive accountability for program timing, customer commitments, budget awareness, and project deliverables.
• Manage incoming Soft Trim tooling work for the Maumee facility, including tooling design review, build coordination, validation, and readiness activities.
• Review engineering specifications, CAD data, tooling concepts, customer requirements, and technical risk items.
• Support tool buy-off activities, tryouts, dimensional reviews, capability studies, and customer acceptance requirements.
• Coordinate corrective actions associated with tooling concerns, design issues, manufacturability risks, and launch-related problems.
• Ensure tooling is properly evaluated, documented, and ready prior to customer and production launch milestones.
• Identify opportunities for tooling improvements, cost reduction, process efficiency, and long-term reliability.
• Maintain strong working relationships with customers, suppliers, and strategic partners throughout the program lifecycle.
• Communicate program status, risks, timing concerns, technical updates, and open issues in a professional and timely manner.
• Coordinate supplier activities for outsourced tooling, components, engineering support, and launch-related requirements.
• Support customer visits, audits, technical reviews, launch reviews, and issue-resolution meetings.
• Balance customer expectations with internal operational capabilities, timing, quality, safety, and cost objectives.
• Collaborate with engineering, tooling, CNC operations, quality, manufacturing, supply chain, purchasing, program management, sales, and plant operations.
• Facilitate problem-solving activities using root cause analysis and corrective action methodologies.
• Ensure clear communication of priorities, risks, constraints, and required deliverables across all affected functions.
• Support internal alignment between Maumee tooling activities
• Identify opportunities to improve launch execution, tooling performance, customer communication, and internal program management processes.
• Maintain lessons-learned documentation and apply learning to future tooling and launch programs.
• Support standardization of best practices across tooling, engineering, and launch activities.
• Contribute to operational excellence, cost-reduction, quality improvement, and productivity initiatives.

Skills

Project management

Customer-facing communication

Cross-functional leadership

Manufacturing engineering

Tooling program management

Risk assessment

APQP/PPAP

DFMEA

GD&T

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering or related technical discipline

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

ERP systems

Job description

Standex International Corporation – Maumee, OH is seeking a Program/Project Manager to lead Soft Trim tooling programs from award through production readiness. You will coordinate engineering, tooling, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customers to ensure on-time, on-budget program delivery and successful tool startup.

The ideal candidate combines strong project management skills with hands-on tooling expertise in automotive soft trim, thermoforming, vacuum forming, IMG/IMGL, and related