Tooling Supply Chain Engineer

Overview

A Tooling Supply Chain Engineer (TSCE) manages and optimizes the endtoend supply chain processes for toolingsuch as molds, dies, fixtures, jigs, automation tools, and specialized manufacturing tools/ Machine. They serve as the technical and commercial bridge between suppliers, manufacturing, engineering, and procurement to ensure tooling is delivered on time, meets specifications, and supports production readiness.

Key Responsibilities

1. Tooling Procurement & Supplier Management

• Source, evaluate, and onboard tooling suppliers based on capability, cost, quality, and timeline.
• Prepare RFQs (Request for Quotation) and conduct cost analysis for tooling investments.
• Negotiate pricing, lead time, capacity, and long-term supply agreements.
• Monitor supplier performance using KPIs (OTD, quality, cost adherence).

2. Project & Program Management

• Manage tooling development from concept to production release.
• Collaborate with design, manufacturing, and quality teams to translate product requirements into tooling specifications.
• Track tooling milestones, approve design reviews, and ensure Documents readiness.
• Drive project schedules to avoid production delays and bottlenecks.

3. Technical Tooling Expertise

• Review tooling designs for manufacturability and cost optimization.
• Validate tooling material selection, tolerances, and manufacturing processes.
• Support tool trials, sampling, and debugging activities.
• Troubleshoot tooling-related production issues with suppliers and internal teams.

4. Supply Chain Optimization

• Predict tooling capacity needs, risk areas, and bottlenecks.
• Implement strategies for cost reduction, supplier consolidation, and cycle time reduction.
• Support long-term planning for NPI (New Product Introduction) and mass production scaling.

5. Quality & Compliance

• Ensure supplier compliance with quality systems (ISO, AS9100).
• Oversee dimensional inspections, tool certifications, and quality approval documents.
• Drive root cause analysis (5 Why, Ishikawa) and corrective actions (8D) for tooling defects.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with:

• Design Engineering

• Manufacturing Engineering

• Production Planning

• Procurement & Finance

• Supplier Quality Engineering

Skills & Competencies

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of tooling (molds, dies, jigs, fixtures, etc.)
• Manufacturing processes: Bending process, Welding , stamping, machining, CNC, etc.
• Understanding of CATIA, Solid works, GD&T, tolerances, DFM / DFA principles.
• Cost modeling for tooling and manufacturing processes.

Supply Chain & Project Skills

• Supplier negotiation and vendor development.
• Program management & timeline tracking.
• Risk management and mitigation planning.
• ERP / MRP systems experience (SAP)

Soft Skills

• Excellent communication & supplier relationship management.
• Problem-solving and data-driven decision-making.

Strong organization and multitasking abilities.