Tooling Engineer

RTCO; Piedmont (SC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

RTCO is seeking a Tooling Engineer / Mold Engineer in the United States to lead blow mold development, manage tooling suppliers, and qualify molds for mass production.

You will collaborate with process engineering and production teams to design, build, validate, and release molds, drive continuous improvement in cycle time and quality, ensure tooling documentation and change control, and support audits and compliance. This role requires global supplier coordination.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Manufacturing Engineering preferred.
• 3+ years in plastic blow molding tooling, preferably extrusion blow molding.
• Strong understanding of blow mold design and tooling qualification.
• Experience with domestic and international mold suppliers.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and CAD models.
• Experience with mold trials, dimensional inspection, and root cause analysis.
• Strong problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Good communication and supplier management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage tooling development projects with mold suppliers from design to production release.
• Review mold designs for EBM tooling requirements including parting line and cooling.
• Support NPI activities: mold trials, sample evaluation, dimensional validation, customer approval.
• Coordinate mold acceptance: tooling inspection, CMM reviews, trial runs, verification.
• Troubleshoot mold-related issues during development and mass production.
• Manage tooling changes, repairs, and improvements throughout the mold life cycle.
• Work with Process Engineers to optimize mold performance and efficiency.
• Maintain mold documentation: specifications, drawings, history, change control.
• Support continuous improvement: tooling cost, quality, cycle time reduction.

Skills

EBM tooling

Tooling development

Supplier management

CAD interpretation

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering

Job description

The Tooling Engineer / Mold Engineer is responsible for managing blow mold development, tooling suppliers, mold qualification, and continuous improvement activities for HDPE extrusion blow molding products. This role works closely with customers, tooling suppliers, process engineering, and production teams to ensure molds are designed, built, validated, and released for mass production.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage tooling development projects with domestic and overseas mold suppliers, from design review through production release.
• Review mold designs and provide technical feedback related to EBM tooling requirements, including parting line, pinch-off design, cooling system, venting, and manufacturability.
• Support new product introduction (NPI) activities, including mold trials, sample evaluation, dimensional validation, and customer approval.
• Coordinate mold acceptance activities, including tooling inspection, CMM reports review, trial runs, and performance verification.
• Troubleshoot mold-related issues during development and mass production, including flash, part defects, cooling issues, and dimensional variation.
• Manage tooling changes, repairs, modifications, and improvement activities throughout the mold life cycle.
• Work closely with Process Engineers to optimize mold performance and improve production efficiency.
• Maintain tooling documentation, including mold specifications, drawings, history records, and change control.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to tooling cost, quality, and cycle time reduction.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in plastic blow molding tooling, preferably extrusion blow molding (EBM).
• Strong understanding of blow mold design, mold manufacturing processes, and tooling qualification.
• Experience working with domestic and international mold suppliers.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and CAD models.
• Experience with mold trials, dimensional inspection, and root cause analysis.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work cross-functionally.
• Good communication skills and ability to manage suppliers and technical discussions.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with HDPE bottle/container manufacturing.
• Knowledge of EBM machines, process parameters, and mold performance optimization.
• Experience supporting consumer, food, supplement, or healthcare packaging products.
• Familiarity with ISO 15378, GMP, or regulated packaging environments is a plus.