Aerospace Tooling Manager

Job Title: Aerospace Tooling Manager

Job ID: 41173

Job Location: Redmond WA

Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days – totaling 80 hours worked – and have every other Friday off

Job Description:

We are seeking an experienced and skilled Manager, Tooling Engineering with a background in tooling design, fabrication, and manufacturing support. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading a team of tooling engineers to develop, implement, and optimize tooling solutions that ensure the highest quality and efficiency in production. This position requires a proactive and hands-on leadership approach, working collaboratively with cross-functional teams and suppliers to address and resolve issues, drive continuous improvements, and uphold our stringent quality standards.

This role requires complete ownership of the tooling engineering function from concept to production support. We're looking for someone who is highly invested in the tooling solutions their team develops and genuinely enjoys getting hands-on with tooling design and implementation. The ideal candidate thrives on the shop floor, takes personal ownership of their team's tooling deliverables, and finds satisfaction in directly engaging with the hardware, production teams, and suppliers to solve real-world manufacturing challenges. You must deeply understand not just how to design and build tooling, but the products being manufactured – their design intent, functionality, and critical features – to effectively translate production requirements into successful tooling solutions.

• The ideal candidate will possess strong technical expertise, proven leadership capabilities, and a high level of self-motivation.

Essential Functions

• Lead and develop a team of tooling engineers, providing technical guidance, mentorship, and performance management


• Read and interpret engineering drawings and manufacturing requirements to guide tooling strategy and design that produces conforming hardware


• Take full ownership of tooling engineering deliverables, serving as the primary technical authority from initial concept through production implementation


• Develop a comprehensive understanding of product design, functionality, and manufacturing requirements to ensure tooling solutions support product performance and quality objectives


• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including design engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality, production, and suppliers to ensure successful program execution


• Oversee the development of clear, comprehensive tooling documentation including design specifications, assembly instructions, and maintenance procedures. Ensure documentation effectively bridges engineering intent with shop floor execution


• Manage tooling budgets, schedules, and resource allocation to meet program commitments


• Establish and maintain tooling standards, best practices, and design guidelines


• Participate in and lead continuous improvement initiatives and contribute to the development of organizational best practices


• Provide design for manufacturability feedback with emphasis on tooling requirements and constraints


• Design and implement process improvements to enhance tooling effectiveness, productivity, quality, and cost-efficiency


• Manage relationships with external tooling suppliers and vendors


• Ensure compliance with safety regulations and quality standards for all tooling operations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field


• Graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field


• Manufacturing Engineering and/or tooling engineering experience


• Previous experience managing a tooling engineering or manufacturing discipline group or team


• ASME Y14.5 GD&T certification or equivalent advanced training

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in the State of Washington is $116,500 - $216,500. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

“L3Harris announced on January 5th, that AE Industrial Partners (“AE Industrial”) has agreed to acquire a controlling interest in L3Harris’ Space Propulsion and Power Systems business. This position has been identified as one that will transition to the new standalone company upon closing of the transaction. Until that time, L3Harris will continue its hiring activity within this business.”

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