Extrusion Die & Tooling Designer

Job

Oldcastle, a CRH company, is reinventing what's possible in building solutions. We are the leading provider of innovative outdoor living products and utility infrastructure solutions for the water, energy, and communications markets throughout North America. We're a trusted and strategic partner to engineers, contractors, distributors, specifiers, retailers, and homeowners alike as the manufacturer of precast concrete, polymer concrete, and plastic infrastructure products.

Our portfolio of brands includes Oldcastle APG, Oldcastle Infrastructure, Belgard® hardscape, Echelon® Masonry, RDI® railing, Catalyst™ Fence Solutions, Sakrete® packaged concrete, Amerimix® mortar, Pebble Technology International® pool finishes, and Techniseal® sands and sealant technologies.

We are seeking a skilled Extrusion Die & Tooling Designer to design, develop, and continuously improve the extrusion dies, calibrators, and downstream tooling used to manufacture our PVC vinyl fence & railing profiles. This role will own tooling design from concept through commissioning, translating product drawings into robust, manufacturable tooling that runs at target rates, holds tight dimensional tolerances, and delivers a consistent surface finish.

This position is onsite and can be based out of our Bulls Gap, TN, Dover, DE or Brooksville FL vinyl fence manufacturing facilities.

• Design profile extrusion dies, including flow channels, land lengths, and die plates, for rigid PVC fence posts, rails, pickets, caps, and accessory profiles.
• Design calibrators/sizers, vacuum tanks, cooling fixtures, puller pads, and cutter/punch tooling to match profile geometry and line speed.
• Design co-extrusion and capstock feed systems to achieve uniform cap layer thickness and weatherable surfaces.
• Apply flow balancing, drawdown, swell, and shrinkage allowances to hit nominal dimensions and wall thickness with minimal tuning.

• Translate product drawings and customer requirements into complete die and calibration tooling packages.
• Review new profile designs for manufacturability and recommend geometry changes to improve extrudability, rate, and cost.
• Lead tooling trials and commissioning of new dies with Die Tuners and Production, documenting results and design iterations.

• Die Tunning
• Analyze tooling-related defects (dimensional drift, warp, bow, die lines, gloss variation, wall thickness variation) and implement design corrections.
• Drive improvements in line speed, scrap rate, changeover time, and tooling life through design upgrades and standardization.
• Evaluate die steels, coatings, and surface treatments to improve durability and surface finish.

• Manage external die shops and toolmakers: prepare RFQs, review quotes, approve designs, track lead times, and inspect incoming tooling.
• Provide machining guidance to the in-house toolroom for modifications, rework, and repairs (CNC, EDM, polishing).

• Maintain 3D models, 2D drawings, bills of material, and revision control for all dies and tooling.
• Develop tooling standards, design guidelines, and setup sheets in partnership with Die Tuners and Process Engineering.
• Support quality and compliance requirements, including ASTM F964 and customer specifications for PVC fence profiles.

• Ensure tooling designs incorporate safe handling, lifting, and changeover practices.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Maintenance, Quality, and Product Development teams to ensure tooling supports business goals.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Plastics, or…