Industrial Design Engineer

Socket.dev; Pleasant Valley Township (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

LeClaire Manufacturing is seeking a hands-on Design Engineer – Tooling & Manufacturing to design and improve tooling for our aluminum foundry and machining operations in Bettendorf, IA. You will create 3D models, drawings, and production tooling while working with cross-functional teams on launches and improvements.

Qualified candidates will have strong 3D CAD skills and experience with tooling design for manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Strong 3D CAD and mechanical design experience.
• Experience designing tooling, fixtures, patterns, or molds for manufacturing.
• Ability to read engineering drawings and work with GD&T and tolerances.
• Practical understanding of manufacturing processes.
• Strong problem-solving and floor-visibility.
• Willing to spend time on the shop floor.

Responsibilities

• Design and modify permanent molds, foundry patterns, machining fixtures, and production tooling.
• Create 3D models, detailed drawings, and manufacturing documentation.
• Take projects from concept and customer data through tooling development and production launch.
• Work with foundry, machining, quality, and production teams to ensure designs work in reality.
• Troubleshoot tooling, casting, machining, and dimensional issues.
• Improve existing tooling for quality, repeatability, productivity, and tool life.
• Incorporate drafting, shrinkage, tolerances, and fixture requirements into designs.
• Participate in design reviews and work with suppliers.
• Support new product launches, continuous improvement, and cost-reduction projects.

Skills

3D CAD

Mechanical design

Engineering drawings

Manufacturing floor

Problem solving

Education

Relevant tooling design experience

Tools

MAGMASOFT

Job description

Design Engineer – Tooling & Manufacturing

Permanent Mold | Foundry Tooling | Machining Fixtures

If you’re a Design Engineer who likes seeing your work go from a CAD model to actual tooling on the manufacturing floor, this may be the role for you.

LeClaire Manufacturing is looking for a hands-on Design Engineer – Tooling & Manufacturing to support our aluminum foundry and machining operations in Bettendorf, Iowa. You’ll design and improve the tooling that makes production happen—from permanent molds and foundry patterns to machining fixtures and production tooling.

We’re especially interested in candidates who have worked with permanent mold tooling, foundry patterns, machining fixtures, or similar manufacturing tooling. Experience with MAGMASOFT/MAGMA casting simulation is a definite bonus.

What You'll Do

• Design and modify permanent molds, foundry patterns, machining fixtures, and production tooling
• Create 3D models, detailed drawings, and manufacturing documentation
• Take projects from concept and customer data through tooling development and production launch
• Work directly with foundry, machining, quality, and production teams to make sure designs work in the real world—not just on the screen
• Troubleshoot tooling, casting, machining, and dimensional issues
• Improve existing tooling for better quality, repeatability, productivity, and tool life
• Incorporate manufacturing considerations such as draft, shrinkage, machining stock, parting lines, tolerances, and fixture requirements into designs
• Participate in design reviews and work with internal teams and outside tooling suppliers
• Support new product launches, continuous improvement, and cost-reduction projects

What We're Looking For

• Strong 3D CAD and mechanical design skills
• Experience designing tooling, fixtures, patterns, molds, or similar equipment for a manufacturing environment
• Ability to read and develop engineering drawings and work with GD&T and dimensional tolerances
• Practical understanding of how parts and tooling are manufactured
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot alongside production personnel
• Someone who is comfortable getting out from behind the desk and spending time on the manufacturing floor

Experience That Will Get Our Attention

Experience in any of these areas is especially valuable:

• Permanent mold tooling
• Foundry pattern and tooling design
• Machining fixture design
• Aluminum casting
• CNC machining and manufacturing processes
• Tooling development and troubleshooting
• MAGMASOFT/MAGMA casting simulation

Education & Experience

Strong, directly relevant experience designing manufacturing tooling, molds, patterns, or fixtures will be given significant consideration in place of formal education.

For this role, we're looking for the right combination of design ability, manufacturing knowledge, and practical experience. Candidates who have developed strong tooling expertise through years of hands‑on experience are encouraged to apply.

Why LeClaire Manufacturing?

At LeClaire, our engineers aren't disconnected from production. You'll have the opportunity to design it, see it built, watch it run, and improve it.

We're an established aluminum casting and machining manufacturer in Bettendorf, Iowa, serving customers with complex, highly engineered products. This role offers the opportunity to work closely with experienced manufacturing professionals and make a visible impact on how our products are produced.

If you're a practical, hands‑on designer who enjoys solving manufacturing problems and seeing your designs come to life on the shop floor, we'd like to talk with you.