Internal - Lead Tooling Technician (Lead Die Maker) - Night Shift - Die Shop
Continental · Sumter, SC
- Level
- Technician
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- 14 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A technician-level manufacturing role at Continental (automotive) in Sumter, SC. High school diploma or equivalent.
- Tools it names
- Tooling
- Day to day
- relocation help
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Technician roles in the US: typical posted base $60k–$91k.
Median of the low and high ends of 52 live postings that list pay, out of 947 manufacturing technician openings in the US, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
South Carolina plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 23 other live manufacturing postings in South Carolina.
- Experience asked
- Not stated
Similar roles usually ask 3+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Team leadership 50%
- Lean 29%
- ✓ Tooling 25%
- Union environment 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Continental
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Continental in Sumter
2 other open roles at this site.
- Maintenance Manager · Reliability · Manager
- Internal - Process Engineer - Final Finish · Process
Full description from ContinentalAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
What you bring to the role
- ◆High school diploma or equivalent
- ◆Two or more years of die shop department experience at Continental Tire, Sumter Plant
- ◆Must be willing to work selected shift for this position
- ◆This role is an internal only position, external applicants will not be considered for this role
- ◆Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas now or in the future for this job posting
- ◆No relocation assistance is offered for this position
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Your tasks
Serves as the primary coordinator for die shop activities, trials, and cross-functional collaboration while driving safety, performance, tooling improvements, and team development. Acts as a liaison between management and employees, ensuring operational effectiveness, compliance, and continuous improvement.
How you will make an impact
- •Serve as the primary contact for sequencing and Product Industrialization (PI) in coordinating trials and experiments.
- •Manage procurement activities for the die shop, including orders and shopping carts.
- •Partner with mixing and other departments to improve compound performance and tooling design.
- •Oversee and report on die shop operations, activities, and KPI performance.
- •Act as the liaison between hourly employees and management, escalating unresolved issues as needed.
- •Lead, mentor, coach, and help train die makers to build a capable, self-directed workforce.
- •Promote, monitor, and enforce safety, quality, environmental, ISO, and company policy compliance.
- •Support problem-solving initiatives using established methodologies (CBS, 5 Why, 4D) and participate in related meetings.
- •Coordinate attendance, vacation communication, and workforce needs with management.
- •Demonstrate strong multi-tasking, flexibility, and leadership to meet departmental objectives and drive continuous improvement.
- •Be self-managed, detail-oriented, and capable of performing under pressure.
- •Follow all plant, ESH, CBS, quality, and department processes and procedures.
- •Other duties as assigned.
NOTE: May not be inclusive of all work required and may be updated as needed.