Plastics Project Engineer

OK International, a Dover Company; Cypress (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

OK International, a Dover Company, is seeking a Senior Plastics Project Engineer to drive long-term supplier development and tooling lifecycle management for critical injection-molded components. You will lead tool-qualification projects from concept to production, aligning supplier capabilities with cost-saving goals while improving governance and quality across the supply chain.

The role focuses on complex tooling and automation projects, cross-functional leadership, and strategic partnerships

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in injection molding process, tooling development, project management and cost savings strategies in a lean manufacturing environment.
• Direct involvement in qualifying tooling during the molding processes.
• Experience working with multi-cavity hot runner/cold runner tooling operating in 100 - 400 ton plastic injection molding machines.

Responsibilities

• Architect Multi-Year Strategies: Define and execute a 3 year plastics tooling roadmap to ensure long-term global supply chain resilience, capability scaling, and technological optimization.
• Lead CapEx Lifecycle: Formulate comprehensive capital expenditure (CapEx) justifications, financial ROI models, and business cases to secure senior management approval for critical tooling and equipment investments.
• Drive Cost Optimization: Program-manage strategic cost-saving initiatives, process standardizations, and best practices across the global supplier network to achieve multi-year productivity and margin targets.
• Orchestrate Tooling Transfers: Lead end-to-end project management for complex product line relocations, tool transfers, and equipment deployments across internal and external manufacturing sites.
• Govern NPI Pipelines: Direct the qualification lifecycle for strategic new suppliers and advanced alternate materials, aligning milestones with long-term product launch schedules.
• Standardize Supplier Governance: Design and implement unified supplier inspection frameworks and quality alignment methodologies between strategic partners and internal quality systems.
• Cultivate Strategic Partnerships: Establish and scale high-level alliances with key global injection molding suppliers to embed a shared culture of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Enforce Ecosystem Quality: Oversee systemic supplier risk mitigation, leading high-impact root cause analyses and corrective action frameworks for Tier-1 injection molding issues.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Skills

Injection molding

Tooling development

Project management

Cost savings

Lean manufacturing

Education

BA/BS in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical or Industrial Engineering

Job description

Job Summary

Senior Plastics Project Engineer drives long-term supplier development, Tool life-cycle management, and risk mitigation strategies for critical plastic injection molded components. This role leads complex tool-qualification projects from concept to production, aligning supplier capabilities with organizational growth and cost-saving initiatives. By establishing governance standards and optimizing tooling portfolios, the engineer guides cross-functional teams and external partners to ensure total supply chain resilience, robust quality systems, and seamless new product introductions

Job Summary

Senior Plastics Project Engineer drives long-term supplier development, Tool life-cycle management, and risk mitigation strategies for critical plastic injection molded components. This role leads complex tool-qualification projects from concept to production, aligning supplier capabilities with organizational growth and cost-saving initiatives. By establishing governance standards and optimizing tooling portfolios, the engineer guides cross-functional teams and external partners to ensure total supply chain resilience, robust quality systems, and seamless new product introductions

Job Duties

Strategic Leadership & CapEx Management

• Architect Multi-Year Strategies: Define and execute a 3 year plastics tooling roadmap to ensure long-term global supply chain resilience, capability scaling, and technological optimization.
• Lead CapEx Lifecycle: Formulate comprehensive capital expenditure (CapEx) justifications, financial ROI models, and business cases to secure senior management approval for critical tooling and equipment investments.
• Drive Cost Optimization: Program-manage strategic cost-saving initiatives, process standardizations, and best practices across the global supplier network to achieve multi-year productivity and margin targets.

Tooling Project Management & Execution

• Orchestrate Tooling Transfers: Lead end-to-end project management for complex product line relocations, tool transfers, and equipment deployments across internal and external manufacturing sites.
• Govern NPI Pipelines: Direct the qualification lifecycle for strategic new suppliers and advanced alternate materials, aligning milestones with long-term product launch schedules.
• Standardize Supplier Governance: Design and implement unified supplier inspection frameworks and quality alignment methodologies between strategic partners and internal quality systems.

Supplier Development & Advanced Engineering

• Cultivate Strategic Partnerships: Establish and scale high-level alliances with key global injection molding suppliers to embed a shared culture of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Enforce Ecosystem Quality: Oversee systemic supplier risk mitigation, leading high-impact root cause analyses and corrective action frameworks for Tier-1 injection molding issues.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Work Experience Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in injection molding process, tooling development, project management and cost savings strategies in a lean manufacturing environment.
• Direct involvement in qualifying tooling during the molding processes
• Experience working with multi-cavity hot runner/cold runner tooling operating in 100 - 400 ton plastic injection molding machines.

Skills Required

Education Requirements

• BA/BS in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical or Industrial Engineering