Tool Room Manager

Pay reflects based annual pay. Additional bonus incentive available.

Riverfront Machine is seeking an experienced and hands-on Tool Room Manager to lead and oversee tool room operations supporting our metal stamping, CNC machining, and fabrication processes. This role is responsible for the maintenance, repair, modification, and readiness of production tooling, dies, fixtures, and related equipment to ensure safe, efficient, and uninterrupted manufacturing operations.

The ideal candidate is a strong technical leader who leads by example, maintains high standards for safety and quality, and works closely with production, engineering, and maintenance teams to support plant performance and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Tool Room Operations

- Manage day-to-day tool room activities, including scheduling, prioritization, and workload distribution.

- Ensure stamping dies, tooling, fixtures, and gauges are properly maintained, repaired, and production-ready.

- Support tooling needs for CNC machining, press operations, welding, and secondary operations.

- Establish and enforce tool room procedures, standards, and best practices.

Preventive Maintenance & Tooling Reliability

- Develop and maintain preventive maintenance programs for dies, molds, fixtures, and tooling.

- Track tooling history, repairs, and usage to minimize downtime and extend tool life.

- Troubleshoot tooling-related production issues and implement corrective actions.

Leadership & Team Development

- Supervise, train, and mentor tool room employees and apprentices.

- Promote a culture of safety, accountability, craftsmanship, and continuous improvement.

- Coordinate staffing, overtime, and coverage based on production demands.

Production & Cross-Functional Support

- Collaborate with production, engineering, quality, and maintenance teams to support scheduling and part launches.

- Assist with die tryouts, new tool builds, and tooling changes or improvements.

- Provide technical input on tooling design, manufacturability, and cost reduction opportunities.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

- Ensure all tool room activities comply with safety policies, lockout/tagout, and OSHA requirements.

- Maintain tooling quality standards and support root cause analysis for quality or scrap issues.

- Support continuous improvement initiatives such as 5S, lean manufacturing, and standard work.

Inventory & Documentation

- Maintain accurate records of tooling, spare parts, and tool room inventory.

- Work with purchasing and inventory teams to order tooling components and supplies as needed.

- Ensure tools and dies are properly labeled, stored, and controlled.

Qualifications

Required

- 5+ years of experience in a tool room or tooling environment within metal stamping or manufacturing. - 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience preferred.

- Strong knowledge of stamping dies, fixtures, gauges, and related tooling.

- Ability to read and interpret blueprints, schematics, and technical drawings.

- Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and organizational skills.

- Excellent communication skills and the ability to work cross-functionally.

Preferred

- Experience supporting CNC machining, press operations, and fabrication processes.

- Background in preventive maintenance programs for tooling.

- Familiarity with lean manufacturing and continuous improvement practices.

Physical & Work Requirements

- Ability to work in a manufacturing and tool room environment.

- Ability to stand, walk, and work on the shop floor for extended periods.

- Ability to lift, move, and manipulate tooling and components weighing 50+ pounds (with assistance as required).

- Willingness to work extended hours or overtime as needed to support production demands.

Pay Transparency Notice: The pay range listed for this position is a good faith estimate and is based on factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, internal equity, and applicable Illinois law. Actual compensation may vary within the range.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $70,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- 401(k)

- 401(k) matching

- Dental insurance

- Employee assistance program

- Health insurance

- Life insurance

- Paid time off

- Professional development assistance

- Referral program

- Relocation assistance

- Retirement plan

- Tuition reimbursement

- Vision insurance

Education:

- High school or equivalent (Required)

Experience:

- Tooling: 3 years (Required)

- Tooling design: 3 years (Required)

- Manufacturing: 5 years (Required)

- Management: 5 years (Required)

License/Certification:

- Welding Certification (Preferred)

Shift availability:

- Day Shift (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

- Spring Valley, IL (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

- Spring Valley, IL: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Work Location: In person