The Tool Design Team Lead is responsible for technical leadership and execution of special tooling design, development, and production support within an aerospace manufacturing environment. This role emphasizes hands-on tooling ownership, ensuring tools meet design intent, production rate requirements, and quality system standards. The position leads a team of tooling engineers while driving manufacturability, tool performance, and continuous improvement across the tooling lifecycle.

• Lead design, development, validation, and implementation of aerospace tooling including assembly jigs, fixtures, molds, and production support equipment.
• Ensure all tooling meets design intent, GD&T requirements, and production readiness prior to release.
• Oversee tooling lifecycle including fabrication, first article validation (FAI), configuration control, and maintenance/repair.
• Enforce compliance with AS9100 quality standards, internal procedures, and tooling certification requirements.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for tooling-related nonconformances.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations to ensure tooling supports rate production and process capability.
• Support robust bid proposals pre LG3 and creation of the bid response requirements up to LG7 including all Non-Recurring Costs (NRC) and Recurring Costs (RC) estimates.
• Drive continuous improvement using SPC, Lean principles, and design standardization.
• Review and approve tooling designs, change orders, and engineering releases.
• Manage tooling cost estimates, supplier engagements, and fabrication oversight.
• Define tooling work scopes and manage external suppliers where applicable.
• Establish and improve tooling standards, best practices, and engineering processes.
• Provide day-to-day leadership to a team of tooling engineers including task assignment, technical guidance, and performance feedback.
• Directly leads a team of tooling/design engineers (typically 4–10 engineers).
• Responsible for task prioritization, workload balancing, and technical oversight.
• Provides input to hiring, performance evaluations, and employee development.
• Operates within a matrixed organization, influencing cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority.
• Acts as primary technical authority for tooling decisions within assigned programs or value streams.