Tool & Die Lead-Off Shift

The Tool & Die Team Lead provides hands-on technical leadership and daily coordination of Tool & Die activities to ensure safe, efficient, and timely support of stamping operations.

This position leads and prioritizes the activities of Toolmakers and Apprentices during the assigned shift, ensuring die repairs, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, engineering changes, and production support are completed safely, correctly, and within expected timing.

The Team Lead serves as the primary point of coordination between Tooling, Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Engineering during the shift and is expected to demonstrate strong technical knowledge, leadership, accountability, and ownership of Tool Room performance.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Safety Leadership
* Ensure all Tool & Die activities are performed in compliance with plant safety standards, including Lockout/Tagout, PPE, crane operation, forklift/tugger operation, and safe die handling.
* Perform required safety inspections and immediately address or escalate unsafe conditions.
* Reinforce safe work practices and stop work when an unsafe condition exists.
2. Daily Team Leadership
* Coordinate and prioritize daily activities for Toolmakers and Apprentices according to production requirements and Tool Room priorities.
* Assign manpower based on skill level, production urgency, workload, and technical complexity.
* Monitor completion and quality of assigned work.
* Maintain accountability for work assignments throughout the shift.
* Provide clear direction and technical support to team members.
3. Production Support
* Respond quickly to die-related production interruptions and coordinate troubleshooting activities to restore production safely and efficiently.
* Establish priorities based on production impact, safety, quality, and customer requirements.
* Support root-cause identification for recurring die failures and production downtime.
* Escalate critical issues to the Tool & Die Superintendent when additional resources, engineering support, machining, spare parts, or management decisions are required.
* Verify repairs before releasing dies back to production whenever applicable.
4. Die Repair & Troubleshooting
* Provide hands-on technical support for troubleshooting and repair of stamping dies.
* Diagnose issues related to forming, trimming, piercing, cams, punches, dies, sensors, nitrogen systems, wear components, and other die mechanisms.
* Support dimensional, surface-quality, split, wrinkle, burr, and forming-related investigations.
* Ensure repairs follow established Tool & Die standards and best practices.
* Ensure temporary repairs are clearly identified, documented, and followed by a permanent corrective action when required.
5. Preventive Maintenance
* Ensure scheduled die preventive maintenance activities are completed according to established standards and timing.
* Verify PM quality and ensure identified abnormalities are properly corrected or documented for follow-up.
* Support improvement of PM activities based on die history, downtime, wear conditions, and recurring failures.
* Promote proactive maintenance rather than reactive repair.
6. Die Tryout & Process Improvement
* Support die tryouts, engineering changes, new program launches, and process improvements.
* Document findings and required corrective actions from tryouts.
* Assist with die spotting, balancing, forming adjustments, dimensional corrections, and process optimization.
* Work with Engineering, Quality, and Production to achieve required part quality and production capability.
7. Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement
* Participate in root-cause analysis for die crashes, splits, recurring failures, and significant downtime events.
* Support implementation and verification of corrective actions.
* Identify opportunities to improve die reliability, maintainability, repair time, and Tool Room efficiency.
* Utilize manufacturing best practices to improve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and equipment capability.
8. Shift Communication & Documentation
* Maintain accurate documentation of repairs, PM activities, open issues, and pending work.
* Ensure SAP, Captor, and other required systems are accurately updated as applicable.
* Provide a clear shift handover identifying completed work, open repairs, critical dies, production risks, and priorities for the following shift.
* Prepare detailed reports for significant die crashes, tryouts, splits, and recurring failures as required.
9. Training & Team Development
* Support the technical development of Toolmakers and Apprentices through hands-on coaching and training.
* Assist with qualification and skills evaluations.
* Identify skill gaps and communicate training needs to the Tool & Die Supervisor.
* Reinforce standard repair methods and Tool Room best practices.
* Promote teamwork, accountability, discipline, and continuous learning.
10. Leadership Coverage
* Serve as acting Tool & Die Supervisor when required due to vacation, absence, or other operational needs.
* Maintain communication with Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, and management regarding Tool Room priorities and critical production issues.
* Escalate significant Safety, Quality, Delivery, or equipment risks appropriately.
11. Housekeeping & Tool Room Standards
* Maintain Tool Room organization and 5’s standards.
* Ensure tools, equipment, spare components, dies, and work areas are maintained appropriately.
* Identify shortages of critical components, consumables, punches, dies, nitrogen components, or other Tool Room supplies and communicate replenishment requirements.
12. Perform additional Tool & Die duties

* projects, die setting activities, or production-support assignments as required by the Tool & Die Superintendent or management.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

1. Tool & Die Maker Certificate of Completion, equivalent apprenticeship, or demonstrated equivalent Tool & Die experience.
2. Minimum 6 years of related Tool & Die experience preferred.
3. Minimum 4 years of experience in an automotive production stamping environment preferred
   (Cold and hot stamping).
4. Strong hands-on experience with one or more of the following:
   * Transfer dies
   * Progressive dies
   * Blanking dies

* Hot stamping dies (just apply for the HS Lead)
5. Demonstrated experience troubleshooting and repairing stamping dies in a production environment.
6. Experience with engineering changes, die tryout, dimensional correction, and production launch activities preferred.
7. Demonstrated leadership experience preferred.
8. Must be willing to work any shift and overtime as required to support plant operations, production requirements, launches, repairs, and engineering changes.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

1. Strong knowledge of automotive stamping dies and Tool & Die repair practices.
2. Ability to troubleshoot die-related Safety, Quality, and Production issues.
3. Ability to read and interpret CAD data, blueprints, drawings, specifications, and dimensional information (GD&T).
4. Knowledge of forming, trimming, piercing, cams, punches, nitrogen systems, die protection, and other common stamping-die systems / Hot stamping.
5. Strong understanding of safe die handling, Lockout/Tagout, crane safety, and Tool Room safety requirements.
6. Strong problem-solving and root-cause-analysis skills.
7. Ability to prioritize multiple activities in a fast-paced production environment.
8. Strong leadership and team-coordination skills.
9. Ability to coach and develop Toolmakers and Apprentices.
10. Effective written and verbal communication skills.
11. Ability to communicate effectively with Production, Maintenance, Engineering, Quality, suppliers, and management.
12. Strong sense of urgency combined with appropriate technical judgment.
13. Ability to make decisions based on Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost priorities.
14. Working knowledge of Tool Room documentation and manufacturing systems such as SAP, Captor.
15. Demonstrated ownership, accountability, teamwork, and continuous-improvement mindset.
16. Must maintain the required personal precision and hand tools appropriate for the position.

KEY PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
The Tool & Die Leader is expected to contribute directly to:

* Safe execution of all Tool & Die activities.
* Reduction of die-related production downtime.
* Effective response and repair time for production issues.
* Preventive Maintenance completion and effectiveness.
* Reduction of recurring die failures.
* Quality and durability of die repairs.
* Effective shift-to-shift communication.
* Development and technical growth of Toolmakers and Apprentices.
* Tool Room organization and 5’s.
* Achievement of Production, Quality, and Tooling objectives.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSITION

Identify the physical and mental requirements of the position. You may chose from the list below and add any other requirements necessary to perform each of the essential job functions of the position.

1. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus

2. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to handle, manipulate, or feel objects, tools or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, talk and hear

3. Employee must occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds

4. While performing the duties of the job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time

5. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate

6. The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences

7. The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so other will understand

8. The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person