Toolmaker Team Leader - 1st Shift

North American Stamping•Portland, TN

About The Position

The Tool & Die Team Leader is a working leader who coordinates day-to-day tooling activities and performs Tool & Die Maker duties as needed. The role provides technical direction and floor leadership to Tool & Die Makers and apprentices to help ensure production tooling is safe, reliable, available, and maintained to meet production and customer requirements. The Team Leader coordinates tool room schedules and priorities, supports tooling troubleshooting and preventive maintenance, oversees repair and improvement work, and works with Production, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, outside trades, and suppliers. The position also supports team training, shift communication, 5S, safety, and continuous improvement, and communicates department status and risks to the Tooling Manager.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
Minimum five years of Tool & Die Maker experience is preferred, with demonstrated proficiency in die repair, troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and tooling modifications.
Demonstrated leadership, communication, coaching, and problem-solving skills.
Self-motivated, with the ability to set priorities and meet Tooling Department goals.
Working computer skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
Ability to learn and support basic electronics, sensors, mistake-proofing, and die-protection systems.
Ability to identify recurring failures and support root-cause corrective action.

Nice To Haves

Certified Toolmaker or five years of experience in the Tool and Die field preferred.
Completion of an apprenticeship program would be nice.
CAD experience preferred.
Previous mentoring, training, team lead, or demonstrated leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the tool room schedule, assign daily priorities, and ensure production tooling and equipment are ready to meet customer requirements.
Lead and support troubleshooting of tooling problems at presses, including complex or recurring issues.
Work with Tooling, Production, Engineering, Quality, and Maintenance to improve tooling reliability, quality, and production performance.
Perform Tool & Die Maker duties and support production equipment as necessary to maintain production.
Coordinate supplies, spare parts, and critical tooling components; maintain organized tool room and die storage areas.
Ensure safe, clean, and organized work areas and reinforce 5S expectations in the tooling area.
Coordinate with outside trades and suppliers as needed and communicate status, timing, and needs to the Tooling Manager.
Coordinate and support overtime or call-in coverage as required to meet production and tooling needs.
Participate in technical and leadership training and support training and development of Tool & Die Makers and apprentices.
Lead and support continuous improvement activities focused on tooling reliability, die performance, quality, safety, and cost.
Interpret prints for tooling modifications, accuracy, repairs, and improvements, and provide technical guidance to the tooling team.
Work with Engineers to create or modify prints and documentation to reflect tooling changes accurately.
Coordinate and perform preventive maintenance assignments; monitor completion and escalate overdue or high-risk tooling concerns.
Provide daily direction, coaching, and technical support to Tool & Die Makers and apprentices; communicate shift priorities and open issues; perform other duties assigned by the next-level leader.
Lead by example through professionalism, attendance, workmanship, urgency, accountability, and teamwork.
Provide feedback to the Tooling Manager regarding associate performance, training needs, workload, recurring tooling issues, and department concerns.
Reinforce company policies, safety requirements, Lockout/Tagout, PPE, quality standards, and department expectations.
Ensure clear shift-to-shift communication of open tooling issues, repair status, parts needs, and production risks.
Monitor progress of tooling repairs, preventive maintenance, and improvement work; follow through to completion and escalate risks affecting safety, quality, production, or delivery.
Confirm daily manpower and work assignments and adjust priorities based on production needs, downtime, preventive maintenance, and emergency repairs.