Tooling Engineer Recruiters
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Tooling engineers who keep dies, molds and fixtures producing. 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?
Tooling engineers who keep dies, molds and fixtures producing.
Tooling engineering is a shrinking craft with a thin talent pool. Employers need people who understand die design, molds, fixtures and tool maintenance. Retirements make the pool smaller each year.
We match on tooling type: stamping dies, injection molds, casting tools or fixtures. Crossovers are limited.
Before an introduction
What do we check before you interview?
Ask for tool life figures before and after a change, and for a tryout they led: how many hours, how many iterations. Ask for a tool failure and its root cause. Ask which tool shops they trust and why. Ask what maintenance schedule they set.
Qualification in practice
We test tooling types, design software, tryout experience and vendor relationships.
Authority and reporting scope
Clarify whether the engineer designs tools, specifies them for outside shops, or maintains them. Ask who approves tool repair spending and who decides when a mold or die is retired.
Tooling and equipment specifics
Be precise: progressive dies, transfer dies, multi-cavity molds, hot runners, gauges, welding fixtures. Ask for the press tonnage ranges, cavitation and steel types they worked with. Ask how many tools they built or rebuilt in the last year.
Evidence to ask for
Ask for tool life figures before and after a change, and for a tryout they led: how many hours, how many iterations. Ask for a tool failure and its root cause. Ask which tool shops they trust and why. Ask what maintenance schedule they set.
Changeovers and shift reality
Tooling lives and dies on changeover. Ask about quick-change systems, tool storage and the preventive maintenance cycle.
Transferability and hiring mistakes
Transfers between tooling types are narrow. The pool is small and aging, so employers often wait too long and then settle for a designer who has never been to a tryout. If you cannot find a full tooling engineer, consider a strong manufacturing engineer paired with a trusted tool shop.
Outside shops and suppliers
Most tooling is built outside the plant. Ask which shops the candidate has used, how they handled late tools and what they did when a tool failed on first tryout. Relationships with a few reliable shops are a major asset in a tight market.
Maintenance culture
Tool life depends on maintenance discipline. Ask how the candidate set preventive maintenance cycles, who performed repairs and how they tracked shot or hit counts. A plant that runs tools to failure will not benefit from a sophisticated engineer.
Succession in a shrinking craft
Experienced toolmakers are retiring. Ask whether the candidate has trained anyone, how they documented tribal knowledge and whether the plant has an apprentice pipeline. If not, discuss how you will build it.
Compensation and growth
Tooling skill is scarce, so candidates have options. Offer the chance to design new tools, not only repair old ones. Growth paths include tooling manager or engineering manager roles.
Typical backgrounds
Many tooling engineers began as toolmakers and moved into design. Those who did know steel and machining intimately; those who started with a degree often know software better. We screen for whichever your plant lacks.
Mistakes in hiring a tooling engineer
The pool is so thin that employers often lower standards on tryout experience. A tooling engineer who has never taken a tool through tryout will learn on your presses, at your expense. Better to hire a sharp manufacturing engineer and pair them with a veteran than to hire a title. We tell clients when the honest answer is that nobody matching the spec is available.
Tool type and tryout history
Separate progressive die people from injection mold people early. Ask for the last new tool they took through tryout, what adjustments were made at the press, and how many rounds it took before parts met print. Ask for the steels and coatings they have specified and how those held up in a high volume run, including what the maintenance crew found at teardown.
PPAP and tool room leadership
Ask what they contributed to the PPAP package and who in the tool room they directed. Probe how repairs are prioritized when production is waiting, and how tool history is recorded so recurring failures are visible. Ask how they escalate when a die is damaged mid shift, who decides whether to pull it, and how they track shot counts or hits between sharpening.
CAD and CAM capability
Confirm hands-on work in integrated CAD/CAM or machining CAM software. Ask them to explain a toolpath decision, a steel selection, or a gating or die-section choice, and what they would do differently now. Depth shows in the tradeoffs they volunteer. Ask how they validate a toolpath with a probe or a trial cut before cutting hardened steel, and how they hand tool data to the tool room.
Need a Tooling Engineer? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Direct search
Where are qualified people working now?
They work at molders, stampers, machine shops and OEMs, and sometimes tool shops.
Which hiring mistakes should you avoid?
Authority and reporting scope. A tooling engineer without the ability to stop a press for a damaged tool loses the battle every time production is behind. Tooling and equipment specifics. Mold design and die design are close cousins; they are not the same job.
- Authority and reporting scope. A tooling engineer without the ability to stop a press for a damaged tool loses the battle every time production is behind.
- Tooling and equipment specifics. Mold design and die design are close cousins; they are not the same job.
- Changeovers and shift reality. A plant that changes dies several times a day needs different skills from one that runs a mold for weeks.
The search
How the search runs?
Agree the briefWe match on tooling type: stamping dies, injection molds, casting tools or fixtures. Crossovers are limited. Approach relevant peopleThey work at molders, stampers, machine shops and OEMs, and sometimes tool shops. Qualify the work and support the hireWe test tooling types, design software, tryout experience and vendor relationships.
Agree the brief
We match on tooling type: stamping dies, injection molds, casting tools or fixtures. Crossovers are limited.
Approach relevant people
They work at molders, stampers, machine shops and OEMs, and sometimes tool shops.
Qualify the work and support the hire
We test tooling types, design software, tryout experience and vendor relationships.
Need a Tooling Engineer? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Which manufacturing settings need this role?
- Food Manufacturing
- Beverage
- Meat, Poultry & Protein
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
- Packaging
- Plastics & Rubber
- Metals & Fabrication
- Automotive (OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2)
- EV & Battery Manufacturing
- Aerospace & Defense
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing
- Chemicals & Specialty Materials
- Electronics & Electrical Manufacturing
- Semiconductors
- Building Products & Construction Materials
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Energy & Power Equipment
- Paper, Pulp & Forest Products
- Textiles & Nonwovens
What should you know about questions about Tooling Engineer searches?
Need a Tooling Engineer? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about start your Tooling Engineer search?
Need a Tooling Engineer? Tell us the plant and the seat.
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about pay snapshot?
$104,110 annual national median for SOC 17-2141 Mechanical Engineers.
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
May 2025 OEWS, released 2026-05-15. BLS release · Official occupation data
Open the full salary guideNeed a Tooling Engineer? Tell us the plant and the seat.
Get a talent snapshot for this roleHave your job description reviewed
What should you know about open jobs?
What else affects this Tooling Engineer hire?
Is it hard to find tooling talent?
Yes: We start with direct outreach. They work at molders, stampers, machine shops and OEMs, and sometimes tool shops.
Do they relocate?
Sometimes: They work at molders, stampers, machine shops and OEMs, and sometimes tool shops.
What software matters?
We screen to your stack. We test tooling types, design software, tryout experience and vendor relationships.
Can you find tooling managers?
Transfers between tooling types are narrow. They work at molders, stampers, machine shops and OEMs, and sometimes tool shops.
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.
Need a Tooling Engineer? Tell us the plant and the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
Do you recruit mold designers?
Tooling engineering is a shrinking craft with a thin talent pool. They work at molders, stampers, machine shops and OEMs, and sometimes tool shops.
What should you know before sending tooling engineer?
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.