Tool & Fixture Manager

Develop and execute the company's weld fixture and tooling strategy.Establish long-term plans to improve fixture quality, lead time, cost, and standardization.Develop fixture design philosophies and best practices to support manufacturing excellence.Create and maintain standardized fixture specifications, requirements, and acceptance criteria.Drive continuous improvement in tooling processes across the organization.Program Management
Manage the development and implementation of 50-200 weld fixtures and tooling projects annually.Lead tooling activities from concept through production readiness.Establish project timelines, milestones, and readiness reviews.Ensure tooling availability aligns with prototype, pilot, and production schedules.Identify and mitigate tooling-related launch risks.Supplier Development & Strategic Sourcing
Identify, qualify, and develop domestic and international tooling suppliers.Establish strategic supplier partnerships that support quality, responsiveness, and cost objectives.Manage RFQ activities, supplier selection, contract negotiations, and commercial agreements.Develop supplier performance scorecards and improvement plans.Evaluate supplier capacity and capabilities to support future growth.Design & Engineering Collaboration
Partner closely with Product Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to define fixture requirements.Ensure fixtures support safety, ergonomics, quality, manufacturability, and productivity objectives.Participate in design reviews and Design for Manufacturability (DFM) activities.Promote fixture standardization and reuse across product families when appropriate.Support implementation of new manufacturing technologies and tooling innovations.Quality & Launch Readiness
Establish tooling validation and approval processes.Coordinate fixture try-outs, runoffs, and production readiness reviews.Develop acceptance criteria and quality standards for tooling suppliers.Resolve tooling-related quality issues through structured corrective action processes.Ensure tooling supports product quality and customer requirements.Operational Excellence
Lead initiatives to reduce tooling lead times, improve launch performance, and lower total tooling costs.Drive process improvements through standard work, metrics, and best practices.Establish tooling performance dashboards and KPI reporting.Create a culture of continuous improvement within tooling development and sourcing activities.Identify opportunities for automation, digital tools, and technology advancements.Leadership Responsibilities
Provide leadership for tooling-related activities across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality.Influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.Facilitate decision-making and issue resolution during project execution.Build strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.Promote accountability for timelines, quality, and results.Cost
Tooling cost versus budgetAnnual cost reduction initiativesTooling ROI and productivity improvementsQuality
First-pass tooling acceptance rateTooling-related production disruptionsTooling corrective actionsSupplier quality performanceDesign reuse opportunities implementedLead time reduction achievementsQualifications
Experience
Required
Project management within a manufacturing environment5-8 years:
Manufacturing experienceEqual Opportunity EmployerThis employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
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