What are the responsibilities and job description for the Tooling Engineer position at Petersen Inc.?
Core Responsibilities
- Design tooling, fixtures, and workholding solutions
- Develop SolidWorks models and detailed fabrication drawings
- Ensure tooling designs are manufacturable, accessible, and cost-effective
- Define and standardize tooling and component selection
- Develop and maintain tooling systems and standards (including tooling data structure and best practices)
- Collaborate with machinists and CNC programmers during setup and production
- Improve setup time, repeatability, and overall manufacturing efficiency
- Drive reduction of waste in machining processes (setup time, motion, overprocessing, rework)
- Develop standardized tooling and fixturing solutions to improve consistency and flow
- Support setup reduction efforts (e.g., SMED principles)
- Identify and implement improvements that increase throughput and reduce variability
- Participate in root cause analysis and corrective actions related to tooling and fixturing
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement through hands-on engagement in the shop
- Spend regular, consistent time in the machine shop supporting builds and machining operations
- Work directly with machinists during setup, prove-out, and troubleshooting
- Observe real-world performance of tooling and refine designs accordingly
- Act as a hands-on engineering resource to ensure practical, executable solutions
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 4-7 years of experience in tooling, fixturing, or manufacturing engineering
- Proficiency in SolidWorks
- Strong understanding of machining and fabrication processes
- Experience designing tooling and supporting machining operations
- Ability and willingness to work directly in a shop environment on a regular basis
- Hands-on machining or fabrication experience
- Experience with CNC processes and work holding strategies
- Familiarity with tooling systems and data management (e.g., TDM concepts)
- Experience applying Lean manufacturing principles (standard work, SMED, continuous improvement)
- Experience improving setup time, cycle time, and process repeatability
- Tooling and fixtures are reliable, repeatable, and easy to use
- Standardized tooling approaches reduce variability across jobs
- Measurable reductions in setup time and process waste
- Strong alignment between engineering and shop execution
- High credibility with machinists and manufacturing teams