Toolmaker Team Leader - $2,500 Signing Bonus

Clear Destination Inc.; Portland, Northern (TN, KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Clear Destination Inc. is seeking a Tool & Die Team Leader to coordinate daily tooling activities and perform Tool & Die Maker duties as needed.

This leadership role provides technical direction and floor leadership to Tool & Die Makers and apprentices to ensure tooling is safe, reliable, and maintained to meet production requirements. The ideal candidate has five or more years of Tool & Die experience, demonstrates strong problem‑solving and coaching skills, and can collaborate with

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Preferred: Certified Toolmaker or 5+ years Tool & Die experience.
• Apprenticeship Program completion is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate tool room schedule and ensure tooling readiness for production.
• Lead troubleshooting of tooling problems at presses.
• Collaborate with Tooling, Production, Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance to improve tooling reliability.
• Perform Tool & Die Maker duties as needed to support production.
• Maintain organized tool room and die storage; enforce 5S.
• Provide daily direction and coaching to Tool & Die Makers and apprentices.
• Lead continuous improvement focused on tooling reliability, die performance, quality, safety, and cost.

Skills

Tool & Die Maker

Leadership

Troubleshooting

Communication

Coaching/Mentoring

CAD experience

Microsoft Word

Excel

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Certified Toolmaker

Apprenticeship Program completion

Tools

CAD Software

Job description

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Tool & Die Team Leader is a working leader responsible for coordinating day-to-day tooling activities while performing Tool & Die Maker responsibilities as needed. This position provides technical direction and floor leadership to Tool & Die Makers and apprentices to ensure production tooling is safe, reliable, available, and maintained to meet production and customer requirements.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

1. Coordinate the tool room schedule, assign daily priorities, and ensure production tooling and equipment are ready to meet customer requirements.
2. Lead and support troubleshooting of tooling problems at presses, including complex or recurring issues.
3. Work with Tooling, Production, Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance to continuously improve tooling reliability, quality, and production performance.
4. Perform Tool & Die Maker duties and support production equipment as necessary to maintain production.
5. Coordinate supplies, spare parts, and critical tooling components; maintain organized tool room and die storage areas.
6. Ensure safe, clean, and organized work areas and reinforce 5S expectations within the tooling area.
7. Coordinate with outside trades and suppliers as required and communicate status, timing, and needs to the Tooling Manager.
8. Coordinate and support overtime or call-in coverage as required to meet production and tooling needs.
9. Participate in technical and leadership training and support training and development of Tool & Die Makers and apprentices.
10. Lead and support continuous improvement activities focused on tooling reliability, die performance, quality, safety, and cost.
11. Interpret prints for tooling modifications, accuracy, repairs, and improvements; provide technical guidance to the tooling team.
12. Work with Engineers to create or modify prints and documentation to accurately reflect tooling changes.
13. Coordinate and perform preventive maintenance assignments; monitor completion and elevate overdue or high-risk tooling concerns.
14. Provide daily direction, coaching, and technical support to Tool & Die Makers and apprentices; communicate shift priorities and open issues; perform other duties assigned by the next-level leader.

TEAM LEADER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead by example through professionalism, attendance, workmanship, urgency, accountability, and teamwork.
• Provide feedback to the Tooling Manager regarding associate performance, training needs, workload, recurring tooling issues, and department concerns.
• Reinforce NASG policies, safety requirements, Lockout/Tagout, PPE, quality standards, and department expectations.
• Ensure clear shift-to-shift communication of open tooling issues, repair status, parts needs, and production risks.
• Monitor progress of tooling repairs, PM activities, and improvement work; follow through to completion and elevate risks affecting safety, quality, production, or delivery.
• Confirm daily manpower and work assignments and adjust priorities based on production needs, downtime, preventive maintenance, and emergency repairs.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

Education:

• Required - High School Diploma or GED
• Preferred - Certified Toolmaker or 5 years’ experience in Tool and Die field
• Would be nice - Apprenticeship Program completion

Experience and skill requirements:

• Minimum five (5) years Tool & Die Maker experience preferred, with demonstrated proficiency in die repair, troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and tooling modifications.
• Demonstrated leadership, communication, coaching, and problem-solving skills; self-motivated and able to set priorities and meet Tooling Department goals.
• Working computer skills including Microsoft Word and Excel; CAD experience preferred. Previous mentoring, training, team lead, or demonstrated leadership experience preferred.
• Ability to learn and support basic electronics, sensors, mistake-proofing, and die-protection systems; ability to identify recurring failures and support root-cause corrective action.