Join our team! Lavelle Industries, a leading rubber and plastics manufacturer, is seeking a Tooling Manager to join the team. The Tooling Manager will be responsible for managing all aspects of Lavelle’s plastic tooling, including mold design, development, vendor management, and project management. This position will support all of Lavelle’s facilities and will primarily work out of the Whitewater & Burlington locations. The ideal candidate has experience leading and working collaboratively with cross-functional teams and outside tooling vendors.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Lead complex plastic injection mold design projects for proprietary products and customer-specified products.

· Collaborate with and manage outside tooling vendors to develop & maintain both new and existing molds, including: design input, pricing, effective communication, and project management.

· Understand all phases of mold development: material selection, design standards, auxiliary equipment needs, compatibility with injection molding presses and requirements for safe installation and use.

· Responsible for tooling vendor evaluation and selection.

· Mentor others in the proper care, cleaning, and preventative maintenance of complex molds.

· Collaborate cross-functionally with R & D, Sales, Engineering and Operations to implement new production processes from a tooling perspective.

· Research and recommend new tooling design techniques and methods to achieve company objectives.

· Collaborate with Engineering to implement and install both new and serviced tools.

· Must be goal-oriented and possess excellent planning and project management skills.

· Respond decisively to tooling design issues, whether internally or externally identified, and implement appropriate and effective countermeasures.

· Primarily supports projects in our Whitewater, WI facility, Burlington, WI facility and Monterrey, Mexico facility. Some travel required to visit vendors (mostly local) and our plant in Monterrey.

REQUIREMENTS:

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications for this position:

· Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree; or extensive related work experience

· 5+ years’ experience in plastic injection tooling (design, development, maintenance).

· Collaborative vendor management

· Experience developing and managing engineering staff in a cross-functional environment.

· Experienced with 3D modeling, preferably using Solidworks is a plus.

· Proven project driven results, focused on process improvement resulting in improved quality, delivery, and cost.

· Experience managing a high-performance team

· Experience with rubber mold design is a plus

EMPLOYEE PERKS:

· Over 100-year-old, thriving, woman-owned and family-owned business in a very stable industry and US manufacturer

· Competitive benefits package, 401k match and bonus profit-sharing, paid holidays and vacation time off.

· Free on-site health clinic that offers in-person and virtual appointments

· Feedback-oriented culture with strong focus on growth: Annual employee professional development process, Korky University training classes, weekly mentoring sessions, and defined path for career advancement

If you’re looking for an opportunity to make an impact in a thriving company that values innovation, quality, customer satisfaction, and career growth, we’d love to hear from you!