Tool Room Manager

Job Description

Posted Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 7:00 AM

Termax is a dynamic manufacturing and engineering company specializing in metal, plastic and rubber fastening systems. Our 250,000 square foot facility in Lake Zurich, IL, provides manufacturing, engineering and in-house tooling capabilities that world-class organizations rely on to support their operations.

Job Description Summary

Responsibility for the overall management of the tool room for the organization including the development, performance and maintenance of the tool room and stock control to produce an efficient system and delivery solution, maximizing performance, and minimizing costs against pre-agreed targets and controls.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Plan, direct, and coordinate manufacturing processes tooling, construction and processing parameters, optimization of the Tool Room department.
• Labor efficiency is accurately calculated and monitored.
• Effectively tracks and evaluates tooling costs and time spent.
• Maintain and improve mechanisms for running the tool room, including surveying, and measuring the stock levels and delivery, process, outcomes, and expenditures.
• Utilize agreed systems to manage the tool room and stock control functions, analysis, and documenting.
• Schedule the tooling workload and personnel to meet production demands.
• Recommend, implement, and determine the effectiveness of changes regarding tooling related issues.
• Recommend and provide rationalization for capital purchases of tool room equipment/tools/dies/molds.
• Recommend department changes in staffing as required.
• Assign work as new products are introduced during the Product Proposal phase. Monitor and analyze work assignment/projects for scheduling and ship dates.
• Monitor performance, develop performance objective and conduct year end performance reviews.
• Summarize product start up issues found during new product introduction phase, including resolution of problem or issue buyoff and risk assessment.
• Enforce adherence to the Control Plans.
• Manage any Containment and Certification activity.
• Lead the 5-S initiative in department.
• Must be Lean systems knowledgeable Experienced in implementing 5S.
• Insure 100% on-time delivery to the next operation. Insure timely communication of any supply issues.
• PM Managed on Dies, Tools, and Tool Room Equipment.
• Follow ISO/IATF, safety, and environmental procedures as well as department and corporate policies and procedures.
• Assist Line Manager in achieving maximum customer satisfaction in accordance with organization plans.

Authority

• Stop production if quality and safety are not to standards.
• Delegate authority and responsibility to team with supervision, accountability, and review

Job Knowledge;

Skills and Abilities

• Journeyman status as a Tool & Die Maker or bachelor’s degree in engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent preferred.
• 8 plus years of experience in Tool & Die preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a leadership role.
• Experience in automotive manufacturing.
• Advanced equipment troubleshooting skills.
• Knowledge of Stamping, Assembly & Welding, Cutting, Forming, Grinding, Tool Sharpening, Milling, Tool Steel Composition, Hardness Testing, Blueprint Reading, Tool & Die Build/Repair and Tooling Selection
• Thorough technical knowledge of concepts, practices, and procedures of injection molding machine including mold die changes, machine set-up, and quality related troubleshooting, preferred.
• CAD/CAM knowledge strongly preferred.
• Understanding of inventory control practices.
• Knowledge of ISO and TS16949 standards and systems.
• Intermediate Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SAP skills.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Alertness, creativity, judgment, initiative, speaking ability, mathematical ability, problem solving.

Abilities

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
• Ability to coach and counsel employees.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks effectively.
• Mu…