Press Tooling Assistant Dept Leader

Integrated Talent Strategies; Bowling Green (KY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Integrated Talent Strategies seeks a Press Tooling Assistant Department Leader to support leadership and execution of press tooling operations focused on metal stamping and tooling performance.

The role partners with manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, and production teams to ensure tooling reliability, quality, and continuous improvement, requiring hands-on tooling knowledge and strong leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical/industrial engineering or closely related technical discipline.
• Experience with metal tooling within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, and production teams.

Responsibilities

• Support leadership and daily operations of the press tooling department, aligning with production, quality, safety goals.
• Provide technical guidance on metal stamping dies, press tooling, maintenance, and tooling performance.
• Partner with manufacturing teams to troubleshoot tooling issues, minimize downtime, and improve efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on tooling reliability, productivity, and cost reduction.
• Support preventive and predictive tooling maintenance strategies.
• Evaluate tooling performance and identify opportunities to improve die life and processes.
• Collaborate on tooling launches, modifications, and process improvements.
• Assist with developing departmental goals, metrics, and improvement strategies.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and technical development to department personnel.
• Ensure tooling processes comply with safety, quality, and manufacturing standards.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Job description

Position Summary

The Press Tooling Assistant Department Leader is responsible for supporting the leadership, development, and execution of press tooling operations, with a strong emphasis on metal stamping and tooling performance. This individual will work closely with manufacturing, engineering, maintenance, and production teams to ensure tooling reliability, operational efficiency, quality, and continuous improvement. The successful candidate will bring a strong technical foundation in engineering, hands-on knowledge of metal tooling, and experience within a manufacturing environment. Experience in heavy stamping operations is strongly preferred. This role requires a leader who can provide technical direction, drive process improvements, troubleshoot complex tooling challenges, and support the overall performance and development of the press tooling department.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the leadership and daily operations of the press tooling department, ensuring alignment with production, quality, safety, and operational objectives.


• Provide technical guidance and direction related to metal stamping dies, press tooling, tooling maintenance, and overall tooling performance.


• Partner with manufacturing and production teams to troubleshoot tooling-related issues, minimize downtime, and improve production efficiency.


• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on tooling reliability, productivity, cost reduction, and process optimization.


• Support the development and implementation of preventive and predictive tooling maintenance strategies.


• Evaluate tooling performance and identify opportunities to improve die life, reliability, and manufacturing processes.


• Collaborate with engineering, maintenance, quality, and operations teams on new tooling launches, modifications, and process improvements.


• Assist with developing departmental goals, performance metrics, and improvement strategies.


• Provide leadership, coaching, and technical development to department personnel.


• Ensure tooling processes and departmental activities comply with established safety, quality, and manufacturing standards.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a closely related technical discipline.


• Demonstrated experience working with metal tooling within a manufacturing environment.


• Strong understanding of metal stamping tooling, die construction, tooling performance, and troubleshooting.


• Experience identifying and resolving complex tooling and manufacturing issues.


• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills.


• Ability to collaborate effectively across engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, and production teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within a heavy metal stamping manufacturing environment.


• Previous experience in a supervisory, team leadership, or departmental leadership capacity.


• Experience supporting large-tonnage stamping operations and complex metal stamping dies.


• Knowledge of tooling maintenance strategies, die improvements, and continuous improvement methodologies.


• Experience with manufacturing process optimization and operational efficiency initiatives.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a technically strong manufacturing professional with a background in metal tooling and a solid understanding of press stamping operations. They should possess the ability to lead through technical expertise, build strong cross-functional relationships, and drive improvements in tooling performance and manufacturing efficiency. Candidates with heavy stamping experience and a proven ability to lead or influence tooling teams will be particularly attractive for this opportunity.