Tool and Die Maker Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
Tell us the dies, presses and tool room needs behind your Tool and Die Maker search. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
The hiring decision
What makes this hire work on your plant floor?
Tell us the dies, presses and tool room needs behind your Tool and Die Maker search. We find toolmakers who build and repair, not only operate.
Toolmaker, Die Maker and Die Repair Technician can mean different jobs. Some people build progressive dies from scratch. Others spend their day fixing a die that stopped a press. We ask about the last die the person built and the last one they rescued, then match to your actual work.
Progressive dies carry strip through many stations. Transfer dies move parts between stations. We ask the candidate how they set stage timing, pilots and stripper forces, and what failure patterns they see.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Our recruiter conversations establish what the candidate says they personally handled, how they made decisions and why they would consider this opening. The brief identifies candidate-reported information, available supporting evidence and unresolved questions. Your team still assesses technical performance, site-specific safety requirements and the authority the person will need.
Wire EDM, grinding and tryout
A complete toolmaker handles wire EDM, surface grinding and die tryout. We ask which of these the person does alone.
Apprenticeship and NIMS credentials
A completed registered apprenticeship shows breadth and sustained practice. NIMS tool and die credentials show tested skills. Neither replaces a view of the person's actual work. We use them as a starting point, and we say so when a credential is old or narrow.
Safe work around dies
Dies are heavy and presses are unforgiving. We ask about crane use, die blocking and lockout during tryout. A toolmaker who shrugs at these topics is a worry. Good ones talk about it without prompting.
Red flags for a toolmaker
Another sign is a candidate with no stories about a failed die or a broken punch. Real toolmakers remember failures in detail. We ask and report.
Shift, commute and pay screening
Tool room work is often day shift, but emergency repairs can pull people in at odd hours. We confirm on-call tolerance, commute and relocation. We also ask what the person earns now and what a move needs to include, because skilled toolmakers know their value and are rarely forced to move.
Fit versus title
Toolmaker, Die Maker and Tool & Die Technician are used loosely. Some shops give the title to a skilled machinist. Others reserve it for people who completed a full apprenticeship. We ask which tasks the candidate has done alone, then compare to the work in your tool room. A person who calls themselves a die maker but only grinds is a specialist, not a full toolmaker.
Who finishes the tryout
Tryout is where a die proves itself. Some toolmakers hand off a die as soon as it fits. Others stay with it through press runs and adjustments. We ask how many dies the candidate has seen through tryout and what they changed. This detail separates builders from true die makers.
Need a Tool and Die Maker? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
Tool rooms inside stamping plants hold many of the best toolmakers. They keep dies running day to day, which teaches them failure modes. Independent die shops build new tools and favor design thinking. We approach both groups directly and explain which background fits your needs.
Apprenticeship completer cohorts are another source. Newly finished journeymen bring fresh training and energy, though they lack years of tryout. We speak with program contacts and the people themselves, then describe each person's real depth rather than the certificate alone.
Toolmakers are a shrinking group, and the good ones are well known in their region. We rely on referrals from people who have worked beside them and keep conversations private. Many will talk only after we explain the work, the equipment and the tool room culture in detail.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
- Progressive and transfer dies. Specific stories separate experienced people from those who only worked beside the bench.
- Wire EDM, grinding and tryout. Someone who only grinds is valuable but different from one who also runs tryout and tunes the die in the press.
- Red flags for a toolmaker. Be careful with a person who has only ever worked from finished drawings and never tuned a die in a press.
Executive-search discipline, on every assignment
What do you get from the Six-Step Search?
Plant leaders, engineers and skilled technicians receive the same care in defining the work, researching relevant backgrounds and understanding the individual. Pulling a list and sending messages is not the hard part. The value is doing the research and qualification well enough to support a sound hiring decision.
Calibrate the work and the decision
We start with the operating problem, what the hire must improve and the decisions they will own. We agree what experience matters, who supports the role and what you can realistically offer. A maintenance leader inheriting reactive breakdowns needs a different brief from one building a reliability program.
Research relevant plants and people
We research manufacturing environments where people have handled comparable work. Process, equipment and decision authority matter more than a matching title. We look for relevant professionals, including people who are not applying, rather than treating an exported list as a completed search.
Make respectful, targeted contact
We explain why the work may be relevant and invite a conversation without pressure. We agree what information may be shared on a confidential search. Contact is the start of qualification, not evidence that someone wants the job or fits it.
Discuss the work they personally performed
Our conversations separate an individual's decisions and responsibilities from the team's results. We explore judgment under pressure, reasons for considering a move and practical expectations. For technicians, that includes equipment background, shift, commute and the support available. Candidate accounts are identified as such; a conversation is not a technical certification.
Write down fit, gaps and open questions
You receive a written candidate brief connecting the person's background to your operating problem. It explains motivation and practical fit, the gaps we have identified and what remains to assess. We distinguish candidate-reported information from supporting evidence rather than presenting every statement as independently verified.
Stay involved through interviews and offers
We use your interview feedback to clarify gaps and keep both sides informed about the work and expectations. We help address offer questions, counteroffers and practical concerns without promising an acceptance. Your team makes the hiring decision and assesses technical capability and site-specific requirements. A shortlist is an output of this work, not the whole service.
Need a Tool and Die Maker? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Questions about Tool and Die Maker searches
Need a Tool and Die Maker? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Start your Tool and Die Maker search
Which other roles should you consider?
Need a Tool and Die Maker? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Managers, engineers and leadership
Need a Tool and Die Maker? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Pay snapshot
$64,050 annual national median for SOC 51-4111 Tool and Die Makers.
The Tool and Die Maker title maps to the published occupation. The duties align, but BLS combines employers and industries.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a Tool and Die Maker? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What else affects this Tool and Die Maker hire?
Can a machinist become a die maker?
With time and mentoring, yes. We call that a development hire.
Do you fill Die Repair Technician roles?
Yes: Repair needs fast diagnosis, and we screen for it directly. Toolmaker, Die Maker and Die Repair Technician can mean different jobs.
What if our tool room is mostly repair?
We look for people who like quick diagnosis and do not need long build projects to feel useful. We ask each candidate what they enjoy and report the answer.
How is the search fee agreed?
The fee is a percentage of first-year base salary, agreed in writing before we start. There is no upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
What should we discuss first?
Is a Toolmaker the same as a Tool & Die Technician?
Not always: We clarify build, repair and design duties with you and each candidate. Toolmaker, Die Maker and Die Repair Technician can mean different jobs.
Questions before starting a search
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.