Toolroom Manager

Tool Room Manager

The Tool Room Manager is responsible for leading all tool room operations within a plastic injection molding manufacturing environment. This role oversees mold maintenance, tooling repairs, preventive maintenance programs, machining operations, and tool room personnel to ensure production efficiency, quality, safety, and on-time delivery. The ideal candidate is a highly hands-on leader with strong technical expertise in plastic injection molds, tooling processes, machining, and continuous improvement. This individual is expected to work closely with the team on the production floor and actively participate in troubleshooting and tooling repairs when needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage daily operations of the tool room supporting plastic injection molding production.
• Serve as a hands-on leader actively involved in mold troubleshooting, repairs, and process improvement activities.
• Lead and develop toolmakers, machinists, apprentices, and maintenance personnel.
• Oversee mold troubleshooting, repair, preventive maintenance, and refurbishment activities.
• Coordinate tooling priorities to minimize downtime and support production schedules.
• Support new mold sampling, mold qualification, and production launches.
• Work closely with engineering, production, quality, and maintenance teams to resolve tooling and process issues.
• Ensure molds meet dimensional, quality, and production performance requirements.
• Monitor tooling inventory, spare components, and outside vendor services.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on downtime reduction, mold performance, scrap reduction, and efficiency improvements.
• Manage tool room budgets, tooling costs, and capital equipment recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with all safety policies, PPE requirements, and housekeeping standards.
• Maintain accurate tooling documentation, maintenance records, and PM schedules.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective actions related to tooling failures or production defects.
• Evaluate and recommend tooling design improvements for manufacturability and reliability.
• Coordinate external mold shops and tooling suppliers as needed.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; technical degree or apprenticeship preferred.
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in plastic injection molding tooling or tool room operations.
• 3+ years of leadership or supervisory experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of plastic injection molds, mold maintenance, hot runner systems, and tooling repair.
• Experience with CNC machining, EDM, grinding, polishing, and mold fitting.
• Ability to read and interpret blueprints, tooling drawings, and CAD models.
• Knowledge of mold troubleshooting related to flash, shorts, warp, sinks, and dimensional issues.
• Experience with preventive maintenance systems and tooling lifecycle management.
• Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and maintenance management systems.
• Excellent communication, organization, and leadership skills.
• Familiarity with mold flow analysis and tooling validation processes.
• Experience in automotive, medical, consumer products, or high-volume plastics manufacturing preferred
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, 5S, and continuous improvement methodologies preferred
• Familiarity with mold flow analysis and tooling validation processes.
• Journeyman Tool & Die certification preferred.