Tooling and Fixture Engineer

Description

At Premier Marine, we believe that people come first, and as a valued Tooling & Fixture Engineer you will play a crucial role in our family-owned business. Guided by our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Attitude, and Collaboration, you’ll join a dedicated team where your contributions matter. Here, you’ll work on building the world’s best pontoons in a supportive environment that focuses on your personal and professional development. We're committed to ensuring you thrive, so together, we can leave a wake that changes lives on and off the water.

Position Summary 

The Tooling & Fixture Engineer is responsible for the lifecycle ownership, maintenance, continuous improvement, and standardization of production tooling used throughout manufacturing. This includes drill fixtures, assembly fixtures, inspection fixtures, check gauges, designated weld fixtures, templates, and other production tooling critical to safety, quality, delivery, and productivity. 

Reporting through the Continuous Improvement team, this position serves as the primary owner of production tooling after product launch, ensuring tooling remains capable, repeatable, and production-ready throughout its lifecycle. This role partners closely with Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, New Product Development (NPD), Quality, and Maintenance to continuously improve production tooling and eliminate variation, waste, and inefficiencies from manufacturing processes. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Production Tooling Ownership 

1. Serve as the primary owner of production tooling following product launch.  
2. Manage the complete lifecycle of drill fixtures, assembly fixtures, inspection fixtures, check gauges, designated weld fixtures, templates, and other production tooling.  
3. Establish and maintain a standardized lifecycle management process for production tooling, including ownership, preventive maintenance, capability reviews, engineering revisions, and retirement.  
4. Develop and maintain an organized inventory and documentation system for production tooling.  
5. Ensure production tooling remains safe, capable, repeatable, and aligned with manufacturing requirements.  

Continuous Improvement 

1. Continuously evaluate production tooling to improve safety, ergonomics, quality, repeatability, productivity, and operator experience.  
2. Identify and eliminate tooling-related quality issues including dimensional variation, cosmetic damage, tolerance concerns, and assembly inconsistencies.  
3. Redesign or modify fixtures based on production feedback, quality trends, and operational performance.  
4. Lead tooling improvement projects that reduce waste, improve efficiency, and support operational excellence.  
5. Support Kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives through tooling improvements and innovative manufacturing solutions.  

New Product Launch Support 

1. Partner with New Product Development and Manufacturing Engineering during new product launches to ensure production tooling is successfully transitioned into manufacturing.  
2. Evaluate launch tooling following SOP and implement improvements required for long-term production stability.  
3. Convert temporary launch fixtures into robust production-ready tooling.  
4. Ensure tooling evolves alongside engineering changes and manufacturing process improvements.  

Preventive Maintenance & Tooling Reliability 

1. Develop and implement preventive maintenance standards for production tooling.  
2. Establish routine inspection schedules for fixtures, locating surfaces, clamps, bushings, wear components, and critical tooling features.  
3. Coordinate tooling repairs and refurbishment before production performance is impacted.  
4. Develop replacement criteria for tooling wear components and critical fixture elements.  

Production Support 

1. Respond to tooling issues impacting safety, quality, productivity, or delivery.  
2. Prioritize tooling improvement activities based on business impact.  
3. Work directly with operators, supervisors, quality technicians, manufacturing engineers, and maintenance personnel to resolve tooling concerns.  
4. Participate in root cause investigations where tooling contributes to defects, variation, or production inefficiencies.  

Documentation & Standardization 

1. Maintain fixture drawings, engineering revisions, and supporting documentation.  
2. Develop standard work for tooling maintenance, inspection, and operation.  
3. Establish standardized tooling design principles across manufacturing.  
4. Ensure tooling modifications are documented and communicated through appropriate engineering change processes.  

Proactive Tooling Management 

1. Conduct routine production tooling audits to proactively identify deterioration, wear, operator workarounds, quality risks, ergonomic concerns, and opportunities for improvement.  
2. Develop strong partnerships with production teams to identify tooling issues before they impact manufacturing performance.  
3. Promote a culture of continuous improvement by treating production tooling as a strategic manufacturing asset.  

Requirements

Qualifications 

Required 

1. Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Technology, Engineering Technology, or related technical field; equivalent manufacturing experience may be considered.  
2. Three (3) or more years of experience supporting manufacturing tooling, fixtures, or production equipment.  
3. Strong mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting skills.  
4. Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and GD&T.  
5. Experience with CAD software (SolidWorks preferred).  
6. Knowledge of machining, fabrication, welding, and manufacturing processes.  
7. Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills.  

Preferred 

1. Experience designing production fixtures or manufacturing tooling.  
2. Experience supporting high-volume manufacturing operations.  
3. Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, and Six Sigma methodologies.  
4. Experience with inspection fixtures and measurement systems.  
5. Experience leading cross-functional manufacturing improvement projects.  

Core Competencies 

1. Mechanical aptitude  
2. Root cause analysis  
3. Continuous improvement mindset  
4. Critical thinking and problem solving  
5. Project management  
6. Collaboration and relationship building  
7. Initiative and ownership  
8. Attention to detail  
9. Organizational skills  
10. Effective communication  

Working Relationships 

This position works closely with: 

1. Continuous Improvement  
2. Operations  
3. Production Supervisors  
4. Manufacturing Engineering  
5. New Product Development  
6. Quality  
7. Maintenance  
8. Production Team Members  

Success Measures 

1. Reduction in tooling-related quality defects.  
2. Reduction in cosmetic damage caused by fixtures.  
3. Improvement in first-pass yield.  
4. Reduction in dimensional variation attributable to tooling.  
5. Preventive maintenance completion rate.  
6. Tooling uptime and availability.  
7. Time to resolve tooling-related production issues.  
8. Number and impact of tooling improvement projects completed.  
9. Successful transition of launch tooling into stable production tooling.  
10. Positive feedback from production teams regarding tooling performance.  

Physical Requirements 

1. Ability to work in both office and manufacturing environments.  
2. Ability to stand and walk for extended periods throughout the production facility.  
3. Ability to lift up to 40 pounds occasionally.  
4. Ability to inspect equipment at floor level and elevated workstations.  
5. Ability to safely work around manufacturing equipment while following all company safety requirements. 

Premier Marine offers a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support employees’ health, well-being, and growth. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; life and disability insurance; 401(k) retirement savings; paid time off; paid holidays; volunteer PTO; and access to an Employee Assistance Program. Additional programs such as a referral bonus, leadership development opportunities, and participation in the Employee Boat Club are also available.

*The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at-will" employment relationship. Premier Marine, LLC retains the discretion to add duties or change the duties of this position at any time.