Plastics Project Engineer

The Plastics Project Engineer drives long-term supplier development, supplier selection, tool lifecycle management, and risk mitigation strategies for

critical plastic injection molded components. This role leads complex tool-qualification projects from concept to production, aligning global supplier

capabilities with organizational growth and cost-saving initiatives. By establishing governance standards, conducting supplier audits, and optimizing

tooling portfolios, the engineer guides cross-functional teams and external partners to ensure total supply chain resilience, robust quality systems, and

seamless new product introductions.

Strategic Leadership, Supplier Selection & CapEx Management

• Architect Multi-Year Strategies: Define and execute a 3-year plastics tooling roadmap to ensure long-term global supply chain resilience, capability scaling, and technological optimization.
• Lead Supplier Selection & Audits: Spearhead the selection of strategic new suppliers, manage RFQ evaluations, and perform regular technical supplier audits to ensure adherence to quality and operational standards.
• Lead CapEx Lifecycle: Formulate comprehensive capital expenditure (CapEx) justifications, financial ROI models, and business cases to secure senior management approval for critical tooling and equipment investments.
• Drive Cost Optimization: Program-manage strategic cost-saving initiatives, process standardizations, and best practices across the global supplier network to achieve multi-year productivity and margin targets.
• Supplier Plastics Long-Term Strategy: Develop and maintain plastic supplier qualification processes, including periodic audits to monitor process capabilities.
• Drive Executive Alignment: Communicate directly with the leadership team to present action plans and drive strategic program execution.

Tooling Project Management & Execution

• Orchestrate Tooling Transfers: Lead end-to-end project management for complex product line relocations, tool transfers, and equipment deployments across internal and external manufacturing sites.
• Govern NPI Pipelines: Direct the qualification lifecycle for strategic new suppliers and advanced alternate materials, aligning milestones with long-term product launch schedules.
• Standardize Supplier Governance: Design and implement unified supplier inspection frameworks and quality alignment methodologies between strategic partners and internal quality systems.

Supplier Development & Advanced Engineering

• Cultivate Strategic Partnerships: Establish and scale high-level alliances with key global injection molding suppliers to embed a shared culture of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Quality & Compliance: Oversee systemic supplier risk mitigation, program management for plastic suppliers, and high-impact root cause analyses or corrective action frameworks for Tier-1 injection molding issues.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• 5+ years of experience in injection molding process, tooling development, project management and cost savings strategies in a lean manufacturing environment.
• Direct involvement in qualifying tooling during the molding processes
• Experience working with multi-cavity hot runner/cold runner tooling operating in 100 - 400 ton plastic injection molding machines.

• BA/BS in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical or Industrial Engineering