Director, Advanced Tooling, Advanced Manufacturing & Automation

CSP Composite; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k with company match

Life insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

CSP Composite in Auburn Hills, MI, seeks a senior leader to own enterprise tooling and automation standards across sites. You will drive design, development, and governance of advanced tooling, automation, and controls, partnering with product development, facilities, asset management, and finance.

The role requires 10+ years in tooling/automation with 5+ years in leadership, plus experience delivering SOPs, ROI analyses, and supplier programs to improve cost, quality, and delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or Electrical Engineering.
• 10+ years in tooling design, automation, or industrial engineering.
• 5+ years in a leadership role leading tooling and automation programs.
• Experience with composite tooling preferred.
• Experience developing enterprise standards, SOPs, and governance.
• Experience with ROI analysis and capital budgets.
• Experience with controls platforms like Allen-Bradley/Rockwell or Siemens.

Responsibilities

• Own enterprise standards framework for Advanced Tooling and Automation.
• Develop SOPs for core department functions.
• Lead tooling design, development, and validation.
• Oversee tooling readiness for new programs.
• Drive automation development end-to-end.
• Manage budgets for tooling and equipment.
• Define and monitor department KPIs.
• Lead team leadership and personnel development.

Skills

Tooling design

Automation

Leadership

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Allen-Bradley/Rockwell

Siemens

Job description

CSP is the industry leader in the formulation and molding of lightweight, advanced composite components for the transportation industries. As an innovative, full-service Tier One supplier, we offer an entrepreneurial environment where you’re only limited by your own imagination. In addition to our team-focused environment, we provide industry-leading benefits, called BENEfits4U. Our comprehensive offering includes: affordable medical, dental, and vision care; flexible spending accounts; life insurance; 401k with company match and much, much more.

Job Description

1. Department Standards & Governance

• Establish and own the enterprise-wide standards framework for the Advanced Tooling and Automation department, including equipment standards, design standards, build standards, and maintenance standards.

• Develop, document, and enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all core department functions, including:

• Tooling quote scope-of-work development
• Tooling lineup planning and structuring
• Cost breakdown methodology and templates
• Vendor selection and evaluation criteria
• Tooling and equipment acceptance/runoff criteria
• Create and maintain a performance governance model — defining how standards are audited, how compliance is measured, and how deviations are escalated and corrected.
• Serve as the final authority on tooling and equipment standards across all sites, ensuring consistency, cost control, and quality.

2. Tooling Quoting & Cost Standards

• Define the standard format and process for tooling quote scope of work, ensuring quotes are complete, comparable across suppliers, and aligned to program requirements.
• Establish standardized tooling lineup structures (e.g., mold sets, fixtures, secondary equipment, automation cells) for consistent program planning.
• Develop standardized cost breakdown structures (material, labor, engineering, controls, freight, contingency, etc.) to improve quote accuracy, cost transparency, and negotiation leverage.
• Own the RFQ process for tooling and capital equipment, ensuring apples-to-apples supplier comparisons.

3. Advanced Tooling Design & Development

• Lead design, development, and validation of advanced tooling for composite molds, secondary equipment, and automation systems.
• Oversee tooling readiness for new program launches, ensuring durability, repeatability, and on-time delivery.
• Drive innovation into the tooling portfolio — evaluating new materials, processes, and design methodologies (e.g., additive manufacturing, simulation-driven design, modular/reconfigurable tooling) to improve cost, speed, and performance.

4. Advanced Manufacturing & Automation Development

• Develop and implement advanced manufacturing technologies, including automation, robotics, predictive maintenance, and Industry 4.0 tools.
• Lead automation development end-to-end: concept, business case, design, integration, validation, and scale-up to full production.
• Validate new processes and automated systems through pilot lines, ensuring scalability and reliability prior to full deployment.
• Identify and prioritize automation opportunities based on labor efficiency, ergonomics, throughput, and ROI.

5. Controls Standardization

• Establish enterprise-wide controls standards (PLC platforms, HMI design, safety architecture, network/communication protocols, naming conventions, documentation standards) to ensure consistency, maintainability, and reduced spare-parts complexity across sites.
• Partner with controls engineering and IT/OT teams to ensure new automation and tooling projects comply with controls standards from concept through commissioning.
• Drive standardization of controls documentation, change management, and cybersecurity practices across all automated systems.

6. Supplier & Vendor Management

• Partner with suppliers to deliver best-in-class tooling and automation solutions within budget and timing requirements.
• Develop and administer a formal vendor evaluation program — scoring suppliers on quality, cost, delivery, engineering capability, and responsiveness — to guide sourcing decisions and build a preferred supplier base.
• Lead supplier performance reviews and drive corrective action when standards are not met.

7. Continuous Improvement & Manufacturing Standards

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on throughput, scrap reduction, labor efficiency, and ergonomics.
• Define and deploy enterprise standards for manufacturing layouts, material flow, ergonomics, and process optimization.
• Benchmark industry trends and emerging technologies to keep the enterprise at the forefront of composite manufacturing and automation.

8. Cross-Functional Partnership

• Work closely with Product Development, Facilities, and Asset Management to align tooling and equipment strategy with long-term business objectives.
• Partner with Finance to validate ROI and payback for capital equipment, tooling, and process investments.
• Collaborate with Quality to ensure advanced manufacturing processes meet customer standards and regulatory requirements.

9. Financial & Program Management

• Manage budgets for tooling, equipment, and process engineering, including capital expenditures (CapEx).
• Track project spend against budget and forecast, and report variances to leadership.

10. Performance Metrics & Reporting

• Define and monitor department and program KPIs, including:
• Tooling readiness (on-time, first-pass acceptance)
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
• Scrap and quality escape reduction
• ROI on capital projects
• Vendor performance scores
• Controls standardization compliance
• Report regularly to executive leadership on program readiness, risks, and performance against standards.

11. Team Leadership & Personnel Management

• Build, lead, and develop the Advanced Tooling and Automation team, setting clear expectations and standards for individual performance.
• Conduct structured personnel evaluations, including performance reviews, development planning, and succession planning for key roles.
• Coach and mentor engineers and program leads to build technical depth in tooling, automation, and controls.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement within the department.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, or Electrical Engineering required; or equivalent work experience.
• Experience
• 10+ years of progressive experience in tooling design, advanced manufacturing, automation, or industrial engineering, including 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record of leading tooling and automation programs from concept through production launch.
• Experience with composite manufacturing tooling strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing standards, SOPs, and governance frameworks at an enterprise or multi-site level.
• Experience managing capital budgets and evaluating ROI on equipment/automation investments.
• Experience with controls platforms (e.g., Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, Siemens) and Industry 4.0/data integration tools preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong technical knowledge of tooling design, robotics, automation integration, and controls architecture.
• Skilled in supplier negotiation, vendor management, and cost analysis.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and organizational development skills.
• Excellent communication skills, with ability to present to executive leadership.
• Strategic thinker with hands-on execution capability.

If you enjoy innovation, and an opportunity to learn and contribute to a growing organization, CSP is the place for you!