Lead Die Repair Technician

POSITION SUMMARY

The Lead Die Repair Technician is responsible for leading daily die repair and tooling maintenance activities while serving as the primary technical resource for die repair technicians and tool room personnel. This position performs advanced troubleshooting, repair, modification, and preventative maintenance of aluminum die casting dies while coordinating workload priorities to support production requirements.

The Lead Die Repair Technician works closely with Production, Process Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, and Tooling teams to improve die performance, reduce downtime, extend die life, and support continuous improvement initiatives. This position provides technical leadership, training, and guidance while ensuring tooling repairs are completed safely, efficiently, and to established standards.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serve as the lead technical resource for die repair operations.
• Assign and prioritize daily die repair activities based on production needs.
• Provide training, coaching, and mentoring to Die Repair Technicians and apprentices.
• Support the development of standard repair procedures and best practices.
• Assist management with workload planning and staffing priorities.
• Perform advanced maintenance, repair, refurbishment, and troubleshooting of aluminum die casting dies and tooling.
• Diagnose tooling issues including flash, solder, porosity, dimensional variation, thermal cracking, and premature wear.
• Disassemble, inspect, repair, modify, and reassemble dies according to specifications.
• Perform precision fitting, spotting, grinding, polishing, welding, and bench work.
• Conduct root cause analysis of recurring tooling failures and implement corrective actions.
• Support emergency tooling repairs to minimize production downtime.
• Verify tooling dimensions and tolerances using precision measuring instruments.
• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.
• Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Heavy Manufacturing Environment. MKC houses different machinery, equipment, processes, and chemicals which produce potential hazards in the work environment such as: ergonomic, chemical, machine point of operation, and powered industrial vehicle traffic. These hazards are controlled through means of engineering controls, such as machine guarding, and administrative controls, such as safety policies and programs. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to noisy. In certain areas of the facility, employees are required to wear Personal Protective Equipment such as Hearing Protection, Safety Glasses, Safety Toe Shoes, and hand protection.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and listen; and use hands to manipulate objects or controls. The employee is regularly required to stand, stoop, bend, or reach above the shoulders. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 70 pounds. Must be able to regularly walk throughout all the manufacturing facilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Appropriate education and/or experience may be substituted on an equivalent basis.

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Journeyman Tool & Die Maker certification strongly preferred.
• Technical training, apprenticeship, or vocational education in Tool & Die, Machining, Welding, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of die repair, tool and die, mold repair, or machining experience.
• Minimum 2 years of experience serving in a lead, trainer, or senior technician capacity preferred.
• Aluminum die casting tooling experience strongly preferred.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

• Ability to read, write, and understand English.
• Proficient written and verbal communication skills.

JOB SKILLS

• Advanced understanding of aluminum die casting tooling and repair methods.
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, tooling prints, and specifications.
• Experience with welding, spotting, grinding, machining, and precision measurement techniques.
• Ability to obtain MKC forklift, crane, and rigging certifications.
• Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, and team-building capabilities.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENT

• Less than 5%