Lead Tooling Engineer

Jean Simpson Personnel Services•Shreveport, LA

9h•$100,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Lead Tooling Engineer to lead and manage all aspects of our tooling and engineering operations. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for overseeing tooling projects from concept through production while providing technical direction to the tool and die team. The successful candidate will manage engineering priorities, collaborate across multiple departments, and serve as the primary technical authority for tooling design, fabrication, maintenance, and continuous improvement. This position requires a strong combination of leadership, project management, CAD design expertise, and manufacturing knowledge to ensure tooling supports safe, efficient, and high-quality production.

Requirements

Previous experience in mold design is required.
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field is required (equivalent hands-on experience may be considered).
Minimum of five (5) years of experience designing tooling for metal forming, forging, stamping, or heavy manufacturing is required.
Strong proficiency with Autodesk Inventor or other 3D parametric CAD software is required.
Extensive knowledge of tool steels, heat treatment processes, and hardness specifications for hot-work applications.
Strong understanding of GD&T and the ability to produce complete manufacturing drawings.
Experience reverse engineering tooling from drawings, physical parts, and digital scans.
Ability to manage multiple engineering projects while leading technical teams.
Strong project management, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate across multiple departments.
Ability to work independently while providing technical leadership.
Willingness to spend significant time on the manufacturing floor in a hot, physically demanding environment.
Exceptional attention to detail is required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with pipe fittings, pressure vessels, forging, or hot-forming operations.
Familiarity with ASME B16.9, MSS-SP75, ASME B16.28, ASTM A234, ASTM A403, or similar industry standards.
Experience with forming simulation or finite element analysis (FEA).
Experience using 3D scanning or photogrammetry for reverse engineering.
CAM programming experience, including G-code, Mastercam, Fusion 360, or similar software.
Experience with PDM or PLM engineering documentation systems.
Previous involvement with equipment commissioning, installation, or manufacturing process improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead and supervise the Tool & Die team, assigning priorities and managing tooling projects from concept through production.
Design dies, punches, mandrels, fixtures, gauges, inspection tooling, and other production tooling using Autodesk Inventor or similar 3D CAD software.
Support new product development, custom projects, and large-diameter tooling requirements.
Reverse engineer existing tooling using paper drawings, physical components, 3D scanning, and photogrammetry.
Produce detailed manufacturing drawings with complete GD&T for internal fabrication and outside vendors.
Specify appropriate tool steels, heat treatment processes, and surface treatments for hot-forming applications.
Troubleshoot tooling issues, including wear, cracking, dimensional variation, and forming defects, while implementing long-term corrective solutions.
Work closely with production personnel to optimize tooling performance, changeover times, and product quality.
Evaluate tooling feasibility for custom projects and assist with press tonnage calculations and forming recommendations.
Design machine guarding, safety improvements, and ergonomic tooling solutions.
Manage outside vendors for tooling fabrication, heat treatment, repairs, and quality acceptance.
Lead root cause analysis investigations related to tooling, production, and quality issues.
Support evaluation, specification, installation, and commissioning of capital equipment.
Develop and maintain tooling asset databases, lifecycle tracking, maintenance history, and replacement forecasts.
Support forming simulation, finite element analysis (FEA), and CAM programming when applicable.
Maintain tooling documentation, revision control, engineering drawings, and digital libraries.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, tooling life, quality, and manufacturing efficiency.
Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Quality, Maintenance, and Purchasing to support operational goals.
Support ISO 9001 documentation, tooling standards, and engineering change management.
Perform additional duties as assigned.