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Senior Tooling Engineer - Seats Production

CrossFire Group
  • Warsaw, IN
  • $114,000–$172,000 Per Year
  • Quick Apply
30+ days ago

Job Description

Senior Tooling Engineer – Seats Production

Position Summary
The Senior Tooling Engineer – Seats Production is responsible for the design, development, sourcing, validation, and launch support of production tooling used in automotive seat manufacturing operations. This role plays a critical part in supporting new product launches, process improvements, and capacity expansion initiatives by ensuring tooling solutions meet requirements for safety, quality, cost, ergonomics, and production efficiency.
Working cross-functionally with manufacturing, quality, product engineering, automation, and external suppliers, the Senior Tooling Engineer delivers robust, production-ready tooling and fixtures while driving continuous improvement throughout the tooling lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Tool Design & Development
  • Design and develop jigs, fixtures, gauges, and production tooling for seat manufacturing processes.
  • Ensure tooling designs meet product specifications, dimensional tolerances, and quality standards.
  • Collaborate with product and process engineering teams to support Design for Manufacturability (DFM) initiatives.
  • Evaluate tooling concepts and recommend solutions that improve manufacturability, efficiency, and reliability.
Tool Procurement & Supplier Management
  • Develop tooling specifications and manage requests for quotation (RFQs).
  • Identify, evaluate, and select tooling suppliers based on quality, cost, technical capability, and delivery performance.
  • Coordinate tool fabrication activities and monitor supplier progress to ensure program timing requirements are met.
  • Support supplier issue resolution and continuous improvement initiatives.
Tool Validation & Production Readiness
  • Plan and execute tooling trials and validation activities.
  • Verify tooling performance against design and production requirements.
  • Perform dimensional reviews and ensure compliance with engineering specifications.
  • Approve tooling for production use following successful validation and sign-off processes.
Maintenance & Troubleshooting
  • Develop and maintain preventive maintenance plans for production tooling.
  • Troubleshoot tooling-related issues impacting safety, quality, or productivity.
  • Implement corrective actions and drive root-cause analysis activities.
  • Manage tool life tracking and replacement planning to maintain operational efficiency.
Cost & Process Optimization
  • Analyze tooling expenditures and identify opportunities for cost reduction.
  • Optimize tooling designs to improve durability, reduce cycle times, and minimize downtime.
  • Support Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Drive process enhancements focused on quality, throughput, and operational performance.
New Program Launch Support
  • Participate in cross-functional program launch activities and readiness reviews.
  • Ensure tooling availability and readiness for prototype, pilot, and production builds.
  • Coordinate tooling modifications resulting from engineering changes.
  • Provide technical support during launch, ramp-up, and production stabilization activities.
Required Qualifications

Education & Experience
  • Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field with 12+ years of manufacturing experience; OR
  • Master's degree with 8+ years of relevant manufacturing experience; OR
  • Ph.D. with 5+ years of relevant manufacturing experience; OR
  • Equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Experience supporting automotive manufacturing environments.
  • Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma methodologies, and ERP systems.
  • Experience supporting Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing operations.
  • Automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier experience preferred.
Technical Skills
  • Strong expertise in production tooling, fixtures, gauges, and manufacturing processes.
  • Knowledge of automotive seating systems, trim operations, and interior component manufacturing preferred.
  • Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and manufacturing specifications.
  • Experience leading tooling validation and launch activities.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and production planning tools.
Leadership Competencies
  • Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects and influence stakeholders.
  • Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills.
  • Excellent communication, project management, and organizational abilities.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Work Environment
  • Manufacturing plant environment with regular exposure to industrial equipment and machinery.
  • Exposure to noise, moving equipment, and standard manufacturing conditions.
  • Occasional travel to supplier locations and manufacturing facilities may be required.
  • Flexibility to support off-shift, weekend, or launch activities as business needs dictate.

Target Base Salary Range:
 $114,000 – $172,000 annually

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Numbers & Facts

LocationWarsaw, IN
Salary$114,000–$172,000 Per Year

Skills

  • Analysis Skillsunmatched
  • Automationunmatched
  • Automotive Industryunmatched
  • Automotive Manufacturingunmatched
  • Communication Skillsunmatched
  • Continuous Improvementunmatched
  • Corrective Actionunmatched
  • Cost Controlunmatched
  • Cross-Functionalunmatched
  • ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)unmatched
  • Engineering Drawingunmatched
  • Ergonomicsunmatched
  • Expense Analysisunmatched
  • Functional Programming Languagesunmatched
  • Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancingunmatched
  • Identify Issuesunmatched
  • Industrial Engineeringunmatched
  • Just in Time (JIT)unmatched
  • Leadershipunmatched
  • Lean Manufacturingunmatched
  • Lean Six Sigmaunmatched
  • Machine Toolunmatched
  • Maintain Complianceunmatched
  • Manufacturingunmatched
  • Manufacturing Designunmatched
  • Manufacturing Engineeringunmatched
  • Manufacturing Operationsunmatched
  • Manufacturing Requirementsunmatched
  • Manufacturing/Industrial Processesunmatched
  • Mechanical Engineeringunmatched
  • Microsoft Officeunmatched
  • Multitaskingunmatched
  • OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)unmatched
  • Operational Strategyunmatched
  • Operations Planningunmatched
  • Organizational Skillsunmatched
  • Preventative Maintenanceunmatched
  • Problem Solving Skillsunmatched
  • Process Engineeringunmatched
  • Process Improvementunmatched
  • Procurement Managementunmatched
  • Product Designunmatched
  • Product Engineeringunmatched
  • Product Supportunmatched
  • Product/Service Launchunmatched
  • Production Planningunmatched
  • Production Supportunmatched
  • Project/Program Managementunmatched
  • Prototypingunmatched
  • Quality Engineeringunmatched
  • Quality Metricsunmatched
  • Request for Proposals (RFP)unmatched
  • Root Cause Analysisunmatched
  • Safety Trainingunmatched
  • Safety/Work Safetyunmatched
  • System Operationsunmatched
  • Technical Deliveryunmatched
  • Technical Supportunmatched
  • Tolerance Analysisunmatched
  • Tool and Die Manufacturingunmatched
  • Vendor/Supplier Managementunmatched
  • Vendor/Supplier Selectionunmatched
  • Willing to Travelunmatched

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