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Tooling Engineer

Pace Industries · Grafton, WI · Full time

Posted Sep 10, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a tooling problem you solved with 8D, 5-Why, or a fishbone.

What they are checking: Whether they use structured root-cause methods rather than trial and error.

Describe a time you worked with production and quality to get a new die through launch.

What they are checking: Whether they can lead across teams through first-off inspections and start-up.

What would you do

A tool supplier delivers a die late and it fails the first trial. How do you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they manage suppliers firmly while protecting the launch timeline.

About the work

When you review a new part for die castability, what are the first things you look for?

What they are checking: Whether they can spot design features that will cause tooling or quality problems before the die is built.

Walk me through how you would design gating, runners, and overflows for an aluminum HPDC die.

What they are checking: Whether they understand fill patterns and how gating choices drive porosity and cold shuts.

A die keeps soldering in the same spot. How would you approach it?

What they are checking: Whether they can trace soldering to cooling, coating, or design and fix the cause.

How do you plan cooling lines to control heat checking and extend die life?

What they are checking: Whether they understand thermal management as a driver of die life and quality.

What do you put in an RFQ or tooling specification for an outside die builder?

What they are checking: Whether they write clear requirements that prevent costly disputes and delays.

How would you use DOE during a die trial?

What they are checking: Whether they can test variables efficiently instead of changing one thing at a time by feel.

What tooling performance metrics would you track, and what would they tell you?

What they are checking: Whether they monitor die life, downtime, and scrap to plan maintenance and improvements.

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The full job description

As published by Pace Industries.

Join us in becoming the premier die casting manufacturer and engineering solutions supplier worldwide. Position Summary The Tooling Engineer is responsible for the development, engineering, maintenance, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement of high-pressure die casting (HPDC) tooling . This position works closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Quality, Maintenance, Product Engineering, and tooling suppliers to ensure dies and related tooling meet safety, quality, cost, productivity, and launch requirements. Key Responsibilities • Design, develop, and manage HPDC dies and tooling from concept through production. • Review product designs for die castability, manufacturability, and tooling feasibility . • Review and improve die designs, including parting lines, slides, cores, ejectors, cooling, gating, runners, overflows, and venting. • Support die trials, tooling launches, first-off inspections, and production start-ups. • Troubleshoot tooling-related defects such as flash, porosity, cold shuts, soldering, erosion, cracking, and dimensional variation . • Lead tooling improvements using root-cause analysis, 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, and DOE . • Coordinate die repairs, modifications, and improvements with internal toolrooms and external suppliers. • Develop tooling specifications, RFQs, and technical requirements for new projects. • Monitor tooling performance, die life, downtime, repair history, and maintenance costs. • Establish and improve preventive maintenance standards for dies and critical tooling. • Partner with Quality and Manufacturing Engineering to resolve tooling-related quality issues. • Support APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, and new product launches . • Maintain tooling drawings, specifications, revisions, and technical documentation. • Identify opportunities to reduce scrap, cycle time, tooling costs, and downtime while improving OEE and die life. Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Tooling Engineering , or related field; equivalent experience may be considered. • 3+ years of tooling, die casting, manufacturing engineering, or related experience . • Experience with high-pressure aluminum or magnesium die casting preferred. • Strong knowledge of die construction, die materials, cooling, gating, venting, ejection, and die failure mechanisms. • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and GD&T . • Proficiency with CAD software such as NX, Creo, SolidWorks, CATIA, or AutoCAD . • Strong problem-solving, analytical, communication, and project-management skills. • Experience with tooling suppliers and toolroom operations preferred. • Knowledge of casting simulation, vacuum die casting, CNC/EDM processes, and die coatings is a plus. Success Measures • Improved die life and tooling reliability • Reduced tooling downtime and maintenance costs • Reduced scrap and rework • Improved casting quality and dimensional capability • Improved cycle time and OEE • Successful on-time tooling launches Work Environment Regular interaction with the manufacturing floor, toolroom, maintenance, production, and engineering teams. Exposure to heat, noise, moving equipment, molten metal, and machining operations may occur. Compliance with all safety procedures and PPE requirements is required.

Apply at Pace Industries