Hire Tooling Engineers

Time to shortlist is typically 2 weeks from scoping call. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 3–5 weeks. Seats requiring composite cure-tooling depth, large-scale assembly-jig history, a specific CAD platform, or relocation to a remote launch or munitions site can run a week or two longer.

Most US Tooling Engineers at aerospace and defense manufacturers land between $90K and $125K base at the Engineer-to-Senior level depending on metro and product complexity. Lead and Principal Tooling Engineers with composite cure-tooling, launch-vehicle structures or rate-activation history typically run $125K–$160K, with tooling engineering managers above that. These are market bands; we confirm live market bands during scoping. See our manufacturing engineer salary guide for the adjacent seat.

A Manufacturing Engineer owns the process — routing, work instructions, line design, process capability. The Tooling Engineer owns the physical tools the process runs on: jigs, fixtures, layup tools and gauges, from design through tryout and buyoff. At smaller plants one engineer carries both; at rate programs the tooling seat is its own discipline with its own tool room and budget.

A Manufacturing Automation Engineer integrates robot cells, PLCs and vision into the line; a Robotics Engineer goes deeper on the robot itself. The Tooling Engineer designs the fixtures and end-of-arm tooling those cells hold the part with. The seats overlap on automated drilling, fastening and layup, and we scope which one owns the fixture interface.

An Industrial Engineer owns takt, layout, capacity and labor standards. The Tooling Engineer takes the takt and cure-cycle numbers and turns them into tool quantities, modular fixturing and a rate-tooling plan with a budget. On line-activation programs the two share the tooling schedule.

We match the platform your engineering data lives in — NX, CATIA V5 or 3DEXPERIENCE, SolidWorks or Creo — because cross-training on a live rate program is slow. Formal ASME Y14.5 certification is a plus, not a gate; we verify GD&T fluency on real tool drawings and stack-ups. Where the site is ITAR-controlled we confirm US-person status before introduction.

Yes. Every Tooling Engineer placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in writing at engagement start.

Yes. Multi-hire builds (a tooling engineering manager plus assembly, composite, machining-fixture and gauge engineers for a new airframe, munitions or launch-vehicle line) route through embedded recruiting or RPO. Confidential leadership seats route through executive search.