Tooling Manager

The HC Companies; Middlefield (CT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Growscape is seeking an experienced Tooling Engineering Manager to lead the design, development, maintenance, and performance of injection molding and thermoforming tooling in a high‑volume plastics environment. This role combines technical ownership with on‑site leadership of tool rooms and external shop partners.

You will drive tooling strategy, uptime, cost control, continuous improvement, and ensure safety, documentation, and compliance while supporting production, quality, and business

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Plastics Engineering or equivalent.
• 7+ years of tooling experience with injection molding and thermoforming in production settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead on-site tooling maintenance, tool build, and tooling engineering teams.
• Provide technical leadership for the design and engineering of injection molding and thermoforming tooling.
• Oversee tooling maintenance programs including preventative, corrective, and emergency repairs.
• Manage relationships with external tool shops and equipment suppliers through project lifecycles.
• Drive continuous improvement, tooling standardization, and cost control across tooling activities.
• Ensure tooling safety, documentation, validation, and production release.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Details

Level: Experienced

Job Location: OH Middlefield - Middlefield, OH 44062

Position Type: Full Time

Position Summary

Growscape is seeking an experienced Tooling Engineering Manager to lead the design, development, maintenance, and performance of injection molding and thermoforming tooling used in high-volume plastic manufacturing. This role holds both technical ownership and managerial accountability for tooling systems, on-site tooling teams, engineering resources, and external tool shop partners. The Tooling Engineering Manager is expected to maintain a strong hands-on presence on the shop floor while driving tooling strategy, team performance, cost control, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• People Leadership & Management

  Lead, coach, and develop on-site tooling maintenance, tool build, and tooling engineering teams, including mold makers, tooling technicians, and tooling/engineering staff.

  Provide functional leadership and direction to tooling-related engineering resources supporting injection molding and thermoforming operations.

  Establish clear expectations, priorities, and performance standards for tooling and engineering teams aligned with production, quality, and business objectives.

  Assign work, set schedules, and balance resources across tooling maintenance, engineering support, and new tool development activities.

  Support hiring, onboarding, training, and ongoing skills development for tooling and engineering personnel.

  Drive accountability for safety, workmanship, documentation, and adherence to engineering and tooling standards.

• Tooling Engineering & Technical Oversight

  Provide technical leadership for the design and engineering of injection molding and thermoforming tools, including mold layouts, cooling strategies, venting, gating, and trim solutions.

  Ensure tooling designs support part quality, dimensional stability, cycle time targets, uptime, and long-term tool life.

  Review and approve part and tooling designs for manufacturability (DFM/DFA) prior to release.

  Serve as the senior technical escalation point for complex tooling, quality, or processing challenges.

• Hands-On Shop Floor & Tooling Maintenance Management

  Maintain a regular, hands-on presence on the manufacturing floor to assess tooling condition, performance, and production readiness.

  Oversee mold and thermoform tool maintenance programs, including preventative, corrective, and emergency repair activities.

  Prioritize tooling maintenance and repair work based on downtime risk, quality impact, and production schedules.

  Partner with operations and maintenance leadership to rapidly resolve tooling-related downtime and defects.

  Ensure tools are safe, documented, validated, and capable prior to production release.

• Supplier & Tool Build Management

  Manage relationships with external tool shops and equipment suppliers.

  Lead tooling projects from concept and sourcing through build, tryout (T0, T1), qualification, and production release.

  Conduct design reviews, tool buy-offs, and capability assessments.

  Control tooling budgets, quotes, timing, and scope changes to meet cost and launch targets.

• Continuous Improvement & Strategy

  Develop and execute tooling and tooling-engineering strategies to improve uptime, reduce maintenance cost, and increase manufacturing efficiency.

  Analyze tooling performance metrics to drive root cause corrective actions and long-term improvements.

  Lead standardization efforts across tooling designs, components, spare parts, engineering practices, and maintenance procedures.

  Support capital planning and long-term tooling roadmaps aligned with business growth.

• Documentation & Compliance

  Ensure tooling and engineering specifications, build standards, maintenance procedures, and validation documentation are established and maintained.

  Ensure compliance with internal engineering standards, safety requirements, and customer or regulatory expectations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience with injection molding and/or thermoforming tooling in a production manufacturing environment.