Title: Manufacturing Tooling Engineer II/III
Location: Merritt Island, FL
Max Pay: $73.23
Contract: 6 Months
Job Summary
We are seeking a Manufacturing Tooling Engineer to design, develop, and support production tooling solutions that enable efficient manufacturing and assembly operations. The ideal candidate will leverage engineering expertise, CAD-based design tools, and manufacturing knowledge to create tooling that improves safety, quality, productivity, and reliability. This role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams and ownership of tooling projects from concept through implementation.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and release CAD models and engineering drawings for manufacturing tooling, fixtures, and support equipment in compliance with industry drafting and GD&T standards.
- Create tooling solutions for assembly fixtures, handling equipment, test fixtures, structural weldments, custom machinery, and other manufacturing applications.
- Manage tooling projects throughout the full lifecycle, including concept development, design, procurement, fabrication, testing, installation, and deployment.
- Coordinate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to support fabrication, inspection, and commissioning activities.
- Establish project priorities and ensure timely execution of tooling and manufacturing support initiatives.
- Investigate tooling issues, support repair and rework efforts, and implement corrective actions to improve performance and reliability.
- Conduct root cause analysis on manufacturing and tooling-related nonconformances.
- Develop material handling, packaging, and transportation solutions to protect products and components throughout manufacturing operations.
- Collaborate with Manufacturing, Design, Quality, and Operations teams to optimize safety, cost, manufacturability, quality, and production efficiency.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on cycle time reduction, productivity enhancement, and process standardization.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Experience in tooling design, fabrication, procurement, and manufacturing support environments.
- Proficiency with CAD software for 3D modeling, engineering drawings, and design documentation.
- Strong understanding of mechanical design principles, manufacturing processes, and GD&T practices.
- Ability to develop free-body diagrams, identify load cases, and perform engineering calculations to validate designs.
- Experience working in a manufacturing, production, or industrial engineering environment.
- Strong problem-solving, communication, and project management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Aerospace, or related Engineering discipline.
- Experience with Product Data Management (PDM) systems and engineering change control processes.
- Knowledge of tolerance analysis, stack-up studies, and design for manufacturability (DFM) principles.
- Understanding of machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, assembly, inspection, and material handling processes.
- Experience performing engineering analysis, including FEA and structural evaluations.
- Familiarity with design for assembly (DFA) methodologies and transitioning products from development into production.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated success collaborating in cross-functional engineering and production teams.
Key Skills
- Tooling Design
- Mechanical Design
- CAD Modeling & Drafting
- GD&T
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Fixture Design
- Root Cause Analysis
- FEA / Structural Analysis
- DFM & DFA
- Project Management
- Vendor Management
- Product Lifecycle Management (PLM/PDM)
- Continuous Improvement
- Process Optimization
- Manufacturing Operations
Screening Questions
- Describe a tooling solution that you personally designed and released into production.
- How did you gather and define design requirements for the tool?
- What design constraints did you consider, such as cost, schedule, manufacturability, or fabrication limitations?
- Describe an engineering analysis you performed to validate a tooling design.
- What methods did you use for analysis (hand calculations, FEA, load calculations, etc.)?
- How did you identify and evaluate critical load cases?
- How did you verify that the final tooling solution met all requirements?
- What trade-offs or requirement negotiations were necessary during the design process?
- How did you collaborate with manufacturing, quality, and production teams throughout the project?
- Describe a tooling issue or nonconformance you resolved and the corrective actions implemented.
