Process Specialist-Tooling Engineer

Ford • Sterling Heights, MI

17d • $72,480 - $162,120 • Onsite

About The Position

Ford is hiring a tooling engineer within its gear machining team. The role specializes in cutting tools, inventory management, order tracking, tool testing, CAD drawing management, and cost analysis. The engineer ensures tooling supports precision, efficiency, and quality in gear manufacturing and collaborates with suppliers, engineering, and production teams to troubleshoot issues, improve tooling performance, and drive continuous improvement. Gear manufacturing processes include skiving, hobbing, broaching, grinding, turning, welding, polishing, honing, and drilling.

The position supports machining manufacturing process engineering and applies engineering principles and analytical techniques to establish and continuously improve manufacturing processes and products. It focuses on safety, quality, productivity, process capability, problem solving, audits, ergonomics, corrective actions, and throughput improvement. The role also supports compliance with plant, corporate, governmental, and environmental standards, including ISO 14001.

The role requires a high school diploma and at least one year of engineering, plant manufacturing, or related experience. A bachelor's degree in engineering, Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma experience, and additional problem-solving and manufacturing-methodology experience are preferred. Ford describes its work environment as offering employees choices in career direction and work-life arrangements, alongside a range of benefits.

Requirements

• High school diploma.
• At least 1 year of engineering, plant manufacturing, and/or related experience.
• Experience with machining processes such as broaching, hobbing, grinding, honing, turning, polishing, and automation.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership in ONE FORD behaviors.
• Outstanding interpersonal, team-building, and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering.
• Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma experience.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• 8D and 5Why corrective-action and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of Lean tools including 5S, Kanban, Poka-yoke, and Value Stream Mapping.
• Experience with DMAIC and DMADV (DFSS) project methodologies.
• Experience with TQM and Kaizen methods.
• Experience with FMEA, PPAP, and DOEs.
• Visual Factory Management experience.
• Extensive knowledge and experience with cutting tools, fluids, applications, and processes for prismatic and round-part manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Support manufacturing process engineering activity for machining.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety, quality, and productivity.
• Apply engineering principles and analytical techniques to establish and continuously improve manufacturing processes and products.
• Develop action plans to investigate and prioritize quality concerns and verify corrective actions on internal and supplier processes.
• Lead and conduct process audits to ensure process discipline is consistent with Powertrain guidelines.
• Conduct job ergonomic evaluations and deliver corrective actions as required.
• Create process and instruction sheets supporting quality methods and processes.
• Deliver capable processes and tools for machining.
• Lead resolution of assembly-related concerns.
• Lead variability-reduction and lean-manufacturing initiatives and best practices.
• Ensure compliance with plant, corporate, governmental, and environmental standards.
• Support ISO 14001 compliance and internal ISO auditing as required.
• Identify throughput constraints and drive root-cause improvements.
• Manage cutting tools, inventory, order tracking, tool testing, CAD drawing management, and cost analysis.
• Collaborate with suppliers, engineering, and production teams to troubleshoot issues and improve tooling performance.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage.
• Flexible family care, parental leave, new-parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized backup childcare.
• Family-building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments.
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members, and management leases.
• Tuition assistance.
• Employee resource groups.
• Paid time off for individual and team community service.
• Paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED