Lead Injection Mold Tooling Engineer, Automotive Interiors

Location: Troy, Michigan | Type: Contract | Work Style: Hybrid | Pay Rate: $50.00-$65.00 per hour (based on proven work history)

Travel: Heavy travel may be required (up to 35–40%). You’ll also spend 20–30% of your time on the road supporting plants and suppliers.

A day in this role

You start your morning collaborating with Program Management and Quality to align tryout schedules. By midday, you’re reviewing supplier progress on a new injection mold build, validating timing, cost, and quality against program targets. Afternoon takes you to the tool room—coaching teams through a trial issue—and you close the day documenting engineering changes and preparing for an upcoming PPAP at a corporate manufacturing plant.

What you’ll drive

• Guide sourcing, design, construction, and launch of new tools, fixtures, and equipment for upcoming programs and current product changes.
• Partner with tool-room teams and external vendors to resolve production, tryout, and launch challenges quickly.
• Estimate, schedule, and execute tooling engineering changes and cost-savings initiatives; keep stakeholders aligned on timing and spend.
• Coordinate changes with Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, and Finance to ensure timely tryouts, phase-ins, and production/customer delivery dates.
• Provide technical input to product development and design to ensure manufacturing feasibility.
• Apply appropriate technologies to new and existing processes/tools to meet or surpass customer specifications.
• Continuously track and evaluate emerging tooling technologies.

Launch leadership and supplier management

• Support OEM and corporate product design with manufacturing-focused feedback from an injection molding perspective to embed robust processes into the design.
• Own tool design, construction oversight, budget control, and timing for injection mold builds tied to new program launches.
• Lead cross-functional project teams to meet customer expectations and internal milestones.
• Direct supplier mold-build activities to achieve timing, cost, and quality objectives.
• Champion preproduction sampling and approval workflows to secure on-time PPAP at quoted cycle times and target OEE.
• Negotiate tool and engineering change costs with suppliers and OEM cost analysts.
• Support preproduction machine start-up at corporate manufacturing sites during PPAP.
• Troubleshoot processes and product lines at corporate plants to achieve customer quality standards and profit targets.
• Advance efficiency and quality by implementing improved processes, materials, methods, and facilities.

Physical demands and travel

• Flexibility to work at and travel to corporate plant and supplier locations.
• 20–30% travel supporting position requirements (with periods of heavier travel up to 35–40%).

What you bring

• BS/BA required; MA preferred.
• 5–8 years of experience with injection mold design, construction, or build follow-up for automotive interior trim components (Floor Consoles, Instrument Panels, or Door Panels).
• Hands-on experience launching interior trim programs/components.
• Strong time and project management capabilities; able to juggle multiple priorities.
• Clear written and verbal communication; proficiency in Microsoft Office and general computing.
• Proven issue resolution skills and ability to identify/mitigate risks to program objectives.
• Skilled negotiator; adept at reviewing and setting tool costs with suppliers and OEM cost analysts.
• Comfort operating independently with limited oversight, especially while offsite.
• Effective team player on launch teams; able to work across all organizational levels with accountability and ownership.

Legal

A successful candidate will be subject to a background check and must receive satisfactory results of the same, as a condition of joining the team.

By applying for this role, you confirm that all information submitted is accurate and complete. You further acknowledge that providing false or fraudulent information during the application process is cause for denial of an offer, revocation of any existing offer, or other adverse action, up to and including termination after the start of your commencement of work.

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