Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Tooling Shift Leader for a direct hire opportunity in Buffalo, NY. This hands-on leadership role supports advanced injection molding operations by leading tooling technicians, maintaining injection molds, reducing downtime, and ensuring tooling systems meet production and quality standards.

This is an excellent opportunity for a tooling professional who enjoys both technical problem-solving and team leadership. The environment is fast-paced, collaborative, and focused on safety, quality, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. Candidates can expect supportive leadership, opportunities to mentor others, and a clear path for growth within Maintenance, Tooling, and Operations.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead, coach, and mentor Tooling Technicians in mold maintenance, troubleshooting, safe work practices, and continuous improvement.
- Perform injection mold troubleshooting, repair, preventative maintenance, mold changes, inspections, and tooling readiness activities.
- Coordinate tooling technician workloads, preventative maintenance schedules, spare tooling inventory, and tooling documentation.
- Respond quickly to mold-related production issues to minimize downtime, maintain cavitation, and support product quality standards.
- Support tooling repairs, root cause analysis, corrective actions, mold shop activities, and new product launch readiness.
- Ensure compliance with safety, Lockout/Tagout, quality, food safety, environmental, ISO, SQF, GMP, and internal procedures.

Compensation and Benefits

- Pay Rate: $35.00 per hour.
- Job Type: Direct hire.
- Work Location: Onsite in Buffalo, NY 14225.
- Full-time onsite position.
- Leadership opportunity within a growing manufacturing organization.
- Career growth opportunities within Maintenance, Tooling, and Operations.

Required Qualifications and Skills

- Lead tooling operations and mentor tooling technicians in a manufacturing environment.
- Perform injection mold troubleshooting, repair, preventative maintenance, and mold readiness activities.
- Coordinate tooling maintenance schedules, documentation, inventory, and downtime reduction efforts.
- Support safety, quality, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives.

- 3-5 years of experience in mold troubleshooting, repair, and preventative maintenance.
- Experience working with injection molds and injection molding processes.
- Strong knowledge of injection mold maintenance, tooling integrity, mold cavitation, and production support.
- Ability to set and pull molds from injection molding machines safely and efficiently.
- Experience with blueprint reading, hydraulics, pneumatics, mechanical systems, precision measurement tools, and preventative maintenance practices.
- Basic computer skills and ability to work with maintenance records, work orders, downtime logs, and tooling history files.
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, organizational, and time-management skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to collaborate across departments.
- Commitment to safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Technical College Diploma in a related field preferred.
- Industrial Trade License or equivalent technical certification preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience leading or mentoring technicians in a manufacturing environment.
- Hot runner system troubleshooting and repair experience.
- Experience with close-tolerance mold maintenance.
- Injection molding process troubleshooting experience.
- Experience using computerized maintenance management systems, including CMMS.
- Experience working within ISO, SQF, GMP, or similar quality and food safety environments.
- Machine shop equipment operation experience.
- Metal fabrication, basic rigging, geometry, trigonometry, or basic welding skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

The Know Your Rights poster is available here:
https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf

The pay transparency policy is available here:
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf

For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

AppleOne participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program.
https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf

We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.