Director of Process & Tooling Excellence

Aprios - Diversified Plastics, Inc.; Brooklyn Park (MN); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Aprios Custom MFG in Brooklyn Park, MN, seeks a Director of Tooling & Manufacturing Engineering to lead tooling, engineering, and manufacturing functions. The role blends hands-on mold work with strategic leadership across process optimization, product launches, and vendor collaboration.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years in injection molding environments, strong CAD/DFM knowledge, and a track record of driving efficiency, quality, and cost reductions in a fast-paced custom molding setting.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in injection molding, mold design, toolmaking, or related fields.
• Hands-on tooling operations, mold construction, tool room management, and production support.
• Proven leadership managing engineering teams while remaining hands-on.
• Deep understanding of injection mold design, machining, tooling systems, and manufacturing operations.
• Experience launching new products from RFQ to production.
• Ability to diagnose root-cause tooling issues and implement corrective actions.
• Experience collaborating with mold makers, machinists, process technicians, and customers.
• Knowledge of CAD, tooling standards, mold flow, DFM, and manufacturing best practices.
• Experience with capacity planning, cost estimation, tooling quotations, supplier management, and make-vs-buy decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead Tooling, Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, and Project Management teams while remaining involved in technical operations.
• Serve as senior technical expert for injection molding, tooling, mold design, manufacturability, and process optimization.
• Review mold designs, tooling concepts, engineering changes, and new product launch plans.
• Partner with toolmakers, machinists, mold designers, process technicians, and production leadership.
• Guide customer programs from RFQ through tooling validation, sampling, qualification, and production launch.
• Develop and strengthen internal mold design, tooling, and manufacturing engineering capabilities.
• Evaluate tooling performance and drive improvements in mold reliability and cycle times.
• Work with customers to develop practical and cost-effective manufacturing solutions.
• Lead manufacturing engineering initiatives focused on process improvement, automation, and waste reduction.
• Coach and mentor engineers and tooling teams.
• Drive continuous improvement to improve productivity and profitability.

Skills

Injection molding

Mold design

Tooling engineering

Manufacturing engineering

Leadership

Project management

Root-cause analysis

CAD software

Mold flow

DFM

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

CAD/CAM software

Moldflow

Automation equipment

Job description

Position Overview

Director of Tooling & Manufacturing Engineering

Location: Brooklyn Park, MN

Lead Tooling Excellence. Drive Manufacturing Innovation. Build the Future.

Aprios Custom MFG is seeking a highly experienced, hands-on Director of Tooling & Manufacturing Engineering to lead our tooling, engineering, and manufacturing engineering functions. This role is ideal for a technical leader who thrives on solving complex manufacturing challenges, developing world-class tooling capabilities, and working side-by-side with engineers, toolmakers, and production teams to deliver innovative solutions.

Reporting directly to the CEO, you'll provide leadership across Tooling, Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, and Project Management while remaining actively involved in mold builds, design reviews, new product launches, process improvements, and operational problem-solving.

If you've built molds, led tooling programs, supported injection molding operations, and enjoy rolling up your sleeves to drive results, we'd like to talk with you.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead Tooling, Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, and Project Management teams while maintaining close involvement in technical operations.
• Serve as the company's senior technical expert for injection molding, tooling, mold design, manufacturability, and manufacturing process optimization.
• Review mold designs, tooling concepts, engineering changes, troubleshooting activities, and new product launch plans.
• Partner directly with toolmakers, machinists, mold designers, process technicians, and production leadership to solve tooling and manufacturing challenges.
• Guide customer programs from RFQ and concept development through tooling validation, sampling, qualification, and production launch.
• Develop and strengthen internal mold design, tooling, and manufacturing engineering capabilities.
• Evaluate tooling performance and drive improvements in mold reliability, cycle times, quality, throughput, and preventative maintenance practices.
• Work closely with customers to develop practical and cost-effective manufacturing solutions.
• Lead manufacturing engineering initiatives focused on process improvement, operational efficiency, automation, and waste reduction.
• Coach and mentor engineers, mold designers, tooling personnel, and technical team members while developing future leaders.
• Drive continuous improvement activities that improve productivity, manufacturability, quality, and profitability.

What We're Looking For

Required Experience

• 15+ years of experience in injection molding, mold design, toolmaking, tooling engineering, manufacturing engineering, mold building, or custom manufacturing environments.
• Strong background in hands-on tooling operations, mold construction, tool room management, troubleshooting, repairs, and production support.
• Proven leadership experience managing engineering, tooling, or manufacturing engineering teams while remaining actively engaged in technical work.
• Deep understanding of injection mold design, machining processes, mold maintenance, tooling systems, and manufacturing operations.
• Experience launching new products and managing projects from RFQ through production.
• Ability to diagnose root-cause tooling and manufacturing issues and implement effective corrective actions.
• Experience collaborating with mold makers, machinists, process technicians, quality teams, production teams, and customers.
• Strong working knowledge of CAD systems, tooling standards, mold flow principles, DFM, and manufacturing best practices.
• Experience with capacity planning, cost estimation, tooling quotations, supplier management, and make-versus-buy decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Journeyman Tool & Die, Mold Maker, or equivalent technical training strongly preferred.
• Experience managing internal tool rooms, mold build operations, or tooling departments.
• Knowledge of automation, robotics, CNC machining, advanced manufacturing technologies, and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement experience.
• Experience in custom plastic injection molding environments.

Why This Role Stands Out

This is not a corner-office leadership role removed from day-to-day operations. We're looking for a leader who enjoys being in the tool room, collaborating with engineers, supporting production, reviewing mold designs, mentoring technical teams, and solving the manufacturing challenges that drive customer success.

At Aprios, you'll have the opportunity to shape the future of our tooling and manufacturing engineering capabilities while making a direct impact on company growth, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction. If you're a builder, mentor, problem solver, and manufacturing expert who thrives in a fast-paced custom injection molding environment, we'd love to hear from you.