Job Description

The Tooling Specialist is responsible for improving cost visibility and performance across all tooling used in stave mills and cooperages. This role works closely with plant maintenance, engineering, and procurement teams to document tooling specifications, benchmark tool life and cost, and identify opportunities to reduce spend and improve uptime. This is a strategic, technical sourcing role that does not involve issuing POs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Map all tooling types, vendors, and specifications used across company manufacturing locations.
• Benchmark tooling usage and performance metrics across facilities (e.g., cost-per-cut, breakage rate).
• Identify opportunities for vendor consolidation, tooling redesign, or shared inventory strategies.
• Support trials of alternative tooling or supplier options and document outcomes.
• Partner with plant teams to track inventory, lead times, and cost variations.
• Develop tooling cost dashboards and reports to support decision-making and strategic reviews.
• Coordinate with the Procurement Analyst to include tooling in spend and cost reduction reports.

Qualifications:

• 3+ years' experience in a manufacturing environment with exposure to tooling, maintenance, or sourcing.
• Strong technical aptitude: ability to read specifications and engage with maintenance teams.
• Organized, self-directed, and capable of managing cross-site collaboration.
• Skilled in Excel and capable of building simple cost analysis tools.
• Willingness to travel with overnight stays required to visit internal manufacturing sites across the company

Employee Benefits

Independent Stave Company offers competitive compensation and benefits to employees at each of our facilities. Domestic benefits include:

• Competitive Pay & Bonuses; Semi-Monthly
• Medical Insurance (Deductible: $750 for single, $1500 for family)
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-Term Disability
• Long-Term Disability
• Paid Vacation
• Continuing Education
• 401(k)- 50% match of eligible contribution

*Some benefits are only available for full-time employees or after designated waiting periods.

We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform substance abuse testing and background verification checks as permitted by state law.

Independent Stave Company is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.