Mold Maker / Toolmaker
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Employment Type: Full-Time
Relocation Assistance: Available
Shift: Flexibility to support day or night shift
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Mold Maker / Toolmaker to support a rapidly expanding, high-precision injection molding operation within a regulated manufacturing environment. This individual will be responsible for troubleshooting, repairing, maintaining, and performing preventive maintenance on complex injection molds and tooling systems.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on toolroom professional who can independently diagnose tooling issues, complete precision repairs, and help ensure molds remain production-ready as the facility continues to scale. This is not a process engineering or machine-operator position; it requires deep, practical expertise in mold construction, maintenance, and repair.
Key Responsibilities
- Troubleshoot, diagnose, repair, and maintain injection molds and associated tooling.
- Disassemble, inspect, clean, repair, and reassemble molds as part of scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.
- Perform preventive maintenance to improve tool reliability, performance, and longevity.
- Troubleshoot complex mold issues involving hot-runner and servo-driven systems.
- Support hot-runner platforms and components from manufacturers such as Männer, Ewikon, Mold-Masters, and DME.
- Manufacture, modify, or repair precision mold components using CNC and conventional machining equipment.
- Work within extremely tight dimensional tolerances, generally ranging from approximately 0.001 to 0.005 mm.
- Read and interpret engineering drawings, blueprints, tooling documentation, and dimensional specifications.
- Inspect completed work and verify measurements against applicable drawings and documentation.
- Collaborate with Quality Control, Engineering, Maintenance, and Production teams to resolve tooling-related issues.
- Identify recurring mold failures and recommend corrective or preventive improvements.
- Maintain accurate records of repairs, modifications, preventive maintenance, and replacement components.
- Support spare-parts planning and ensure critical mold components remain available.
- Follow all applicable safety, quality, documentation, and regulatory requirements.
- Provide technical guidance and knowledge-sharing to less-experienced toolroom personnel when needed.
Required Qualifications
- Significant hands-on experience as a Mold Maker, Toolmaker, Journeyman Toolmaker, or similar tooling professional.
- Strong experience troubleshooting, repairing, and maintaining injection molds.
- Demonstrated ability to independently diagnose complex mechanical and tooling problems.
- Experience working with hot-runner systems and precision mold components.
- Ability to read and interpret detailed engineering drawings and tooling specifications.
- Strong understanding of dimensional tolerances, precision measurement, and inspection techniques.
- Experience using CNC and conventional machining equipment.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth manufacturing environment.
- Flexibility to support either day or night-shift operations based on business needs.
Preferred Qualifications
- Journeyman Toolmaker license, completed apprenticeship, technical diploma, trade-school certification, or associate degree in a related discipline.
- Ten or more years of direct mold-making or toolmaking experience.
- Experience with Männer, Ewikon, Mold-Masters, DME, or comparable hot-runner and mold-component systems.
- CNC programming experience.
- Experience in medical-device, automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, or another highly regulated and precision-driven manufacturing environment.
- Experience supporting high-volume injection molding operations.
- German-style toolmaking training, apprenticeship, or equivalent advanced technical expertise.
- Experience collaborating with Quality Control teams on precision measurement and inspection activities.
Manufacturing Environment
The facility is undergoing significant growth and investment. The operation currently supports approximately 40 injection molding machines, with an additional 11 machines expected in the near term and another 15 planned by year-end.
The tooling operation currently manages approximately 60 tools, while the broader manufacturing site is projected to grow to approximately 98 injection molding machines by the end of 2027. This role will be instrumental in supporting that expansion by maintaining tooling reliability, minimizing downtime, and helping build a world-class toolroom operation.
Ideal Candidate Profile
The strongest candidate will be a highly experienced, hands-on mold maker who takes pride in precision craftsmanship and can work through complex tooling challenges with minimal supervision. This individual should be comfortable operating in a regulated environment where accuracy, documentation, equipment reliability, and product quality are critical.
Pay: $70,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
