Tooling Lead

JOB TITLE: Tooling Lead REPORTS TO: Tooling Supervisor DEPARTMENT: Engineering LOCATION: Charlotte, NC PAY RANGE: $34.00 USD – $40.00 USD Hourly (will be based on experience, skills, and qualifications) PAY/WAGE TYPE: Hourly| Non-Exempt WORK HOURS: Full-time | Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM or 10:00 AM–6:00 PM (based on business needs). Occasional overtime, including weekends, may be required. **JOB SUMMARY** The Tooling Lead is responsible for overseeing daily toolmaking activities, including tooling setup, maintenance, repair, and changeovers, to ensure reliable, efficient, and safe manufacturing operations at Plaskolite. This role provides technical leadership and guidance to the tooling team, ensuring dies, and related tooling are manufactured, maintained, and repaired according to established quality and performance standards. The Tooling Lead works closely with Production, Maintenance, and Engineering teams to coordinate tooling readiness, troubleshoots tooling-related issues, and support continuous improvement initiatives. This position plays a key role in maximizing equipment uptime, minimizing lead time for new tooling and product launches, ensuring consistent product quality, and promoting safe and efficient manufacturing practices and promoting Plaskolite’s **“One Plaskolite”** culture of collaboration, integrity, and operational excellence. This position requires attention to detail, the ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, and a strong commitment to safety, teamwork, and quality—reflecting Plaskolite’s core values of **Integrity and Improvement.** **ESSENTIAL TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES** - Manufacture plastic extrusion dies, tooling, jigs, and gauges from start to finish to support production requirements. - Prepare raw stock and tooling blanks, including cutting, squaring, roughing, and finishing materials for machining operations. - Operate manual machine shop equipment including mills, lathes, grinders, and drill presses. - Program, set up, and operate 3-axis CNC milling machines for precision machining of tooling components. - Program, set up, and operate Wire EDM equipment, including 4-axis cutting operations. - Independently create CNC and EDM programs using CAM software. - Utilize CAD/CAM tools to support tooling design modifications, machining programs, and manufacturing processes. - Tool design at this level is limited to fixtures and work holding for parts being machined; participate in design discussions and shadow Sr. Tooling Lead and engineering on broader die design work. - Interpret detailed engineering drawings, models, and technical specifications to ensure accurate tooling fabrication. - Inspect machined components using precision measurement instruments to maintain tight tolerance and quality standards. - Assemble, fit, and finish tooling components to production-ready condition. - Work directly with extrusion production lines to understand tooling functionality and process requirements. - Assist in troubleshooting performance issues during extrusion runs and implement corrective actions. - Modify or adjust tooling to improve material flow, dimensional accuracy, and product quality during fabrication and after production feedback. - Support continuous improvement initiatives to increase tooling life, reduce downtime, and improve workflow efficiency. - Support capital projects, including installation, setup, and validation of new dies and tooling systems. - Assist in the implementation of preventive maintenance programs for machine shop equipment. - Support the maintenance department by manufacturing components related to extrusion equipment and tooling systems. - Maintain clean, organized, and safe work areas in compliance with 5S principles and company safety policies. - Ensure compliance with all safety standards, machine operation procedures, and quality requirements. - Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently while collaborating w…