Plastics Engineer Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Tool Design Engineer

Job Description

The Tool Design Engineer designs and develops tooling for plastic injection molding with a strong focus on design for manufacturing and assembly using 3D CAD software. This role collaborates closely with new product development, research and development, and manufacturing teams to support new products, engineering changes, and product revisions that impact tooling. The engineer maintains comprehensive tooling documentation and develops tooling design guidelines for new product lines, contributing directly to high-impact applications in critical industries such as power generation and advanced technologies.

Responsibilities

• Design tooling for plastic injection molding using 3D CAD software, ensuring robust, efficient, and manufacturable solutions.
• Apply design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) principles to optimize tooling and part designs for production.
• Collaborate closely with new product development, research and development, and manufacturing departments to align tooling designs with product and process requirements.
• Support engineering changes and product revisions that impact tooling by updating designs, documentation, and specifications as needed.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date tooling documentation, including drawings, specifications, and maintenance records, to support manufacturing and maintenance teams.
• Develop and implement tooling design guidelines for new product lines to ensure consistency, quality, and efficiency across projects.
• Utilize knowledge of injection molding processes and plastic material behavior to troubleshoot and refine tooling designs.
• Use mold flow analysis tools to evaluate and optimize tooling performance, part quality, and cycle times.
• Incorporate GD&T and engineering drawing standards into all tooling designs and documentation.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to support high-volume production environments and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to projects involving automation and secondary operations such as assembly and welding, ensuring tooling compatibility and efficiency.
• Support global tooling sourcing and supplier-related activities by applying understanding of tooling requirements and standards.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of experience in tooling design for plastic injection molding or an equivalent tooling design role.
• Proficiency in 3D CAD software for tooling and component design.
• Strong understanding of injection molding processes and plastic material behavior.
• Experience applying design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) principles.
• Experience using mold flow analysis tools to evaluate and optimize tooling and part designs.
• Knowledge of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) and engineering drawing standards.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with new product development, research and development, and manufacturing teams.
• Ability to create and maintain detailed tooling documentation, including drawings, specifications, and maintenance records.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working in high-volume production environments.
• Experience with automation and secondary operations such as assembly and welding.
• Experience in supplier management and global tooling sourcing.
• Certification in plastics engineering or tooling design.
• Interest in working on future-focused projects with research and development and product development teams.
• Motivation to grow into new functions across engineering and potentially into leadership roles.
• Ability to adapt to a growing organization with expanding facilities and potential acquisitions.

Work Environment

The role follows a Monday through Friday schedule, typically from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Tool Design Engineer spends most of the time on the factory floor, with some work performed in an office setting. The facility produces thermoset materials and high-pressure laminates, with the raw laminate material manufactured in-house. Other groups within the factory produce tubes, shapes, and rods from these thermoset materials, supplying them as raw materials to fabricators. Those fabricators use the materials to develop parts for original equipment manufacturers in sectors such as power generation, electrical transformers, and related applications. The organization operates in a dynamic and growing industry, with strong ties to power generation and demand driven by emerging technologies, including applications related to data centers and advanced electronics. The environment offers significant opportunities for professional growth, cross-functional moves, and involvement in future-oriented projects as the company invests to support ongoing industry expansion.

This is a Permanent position based out of Postville, IA.

The pay range for this position is $90000.00 - $120000.00/yr.

- Competitive salary and bonus opportunities - Health, dental, and vision insurance - Retirement plan (e.g., 401k with match) - Paid time off and holidays - Professional development and training opportunities

This is a fully onsite position in Postville,IA.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 31, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.