Program Sr. Tooling Engineer

Program Senior Tooling Engineer

Job Summary

The Program Senior Tooling Engineer leads tooling activities for new automotive stamping program launches, engineering changes, and capital tooling investments. This role manages the tooling lifecycle from concept review through design approval, construction, tryout, buyoff, launch, and production handoff while ensuring quality, timing, cost, and performance objectives are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead tooling design reviews and evaluate die concepts for manufacturability, quality, cost, and production feasibility.
• Review die process flow, strip layouts, cam actions, trim concepts, and forming processes.
• Manage tooling suppliers, timing plans, deliverables, and tooling build progress.
• Coordinate tool tryouts, runoff, and buyoff activities.
• Verify tooling performance against dimensional, quality, cycle time, scrap, and throughput targets.
• Lead formability and dimensional evaluations using GD&T, CGA, FLD, strain, and springback analysis.
• Support engineering changes and tooling modifications throughout program life cycles.
• Identify and resolve tooling risks impacting launch readiness.
• Develop tooling standards, best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field preferred.
• 8+ years of tooling engineering experience in automotive stamping manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of sheet metal forming, stamping dies, tool tryout, buyoff, and launch processes.
• Experience managing tool shops and tooling suppliers.
• Proficiency in GD&T, formability analysis, and dimensional validation.
• Strong project management, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with progressive, transfer, and tandem stamping dies.
• Knowledge of automotive OEM launch and tooling requirements.
• Experience supporting programs from RFQ through production launch.
• Ability to travel as required.