Tooling Apprentice

Location: US - California - Vista

Watkins Wellness is hiring a Tooling Technician to join our Vista Tooling team!

DISCOVER

If you enjoy building things with your hands, working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, and turning ideas into precision tooling, this role could be a great fit.

As a Tooling Technician, you'll help create and maintain the molds, patterns, fixtures, and tooling used throughout our manufacturing operations. You'll work in a hands-on composite shop environment where craftsmanship, dimensional accuracy, and problem-solving are valued every day.

This role offers the opportunity to expand your technical skills while working alongside experienced tooling professionals. You'll contribute to the fabrication of tooling components, support quality and safety objectives, and help ensure tools are built to specification and ready for production.

The ideal candidate is comfortable working in full PPE, enjoys learning new skills, and can translate drawings and concepts into accurate molds, patterns, and tooling with precision and attention to detail.

YOUR RIPPLE EFFECT

Do you enjoy building and creating with your hands? Fabricate, modify, repair, and maintain molds, patterns, fixtures, tooling, and related equipment used in manufacturing operations.

Can you visualize designs in three dimensions and bring them to life? Create tooling components that meet dimensional requirements, maintain angular and perpendicular relationships, and support precision manufacturing processes.

Do you have experience shaping, bodywork, or fabricating physical components? Apply hands-on craftsmanship and fabrication techniques to produce and repair tooling and mold surfaces.

Are you comfortable working in a composite shop environment? Support tooling activities involving hand lay-up processes, fiberglass materials, resins, molds, and pattern construction while following established work instructions.

Do you like solving problems and improving processes? Participate in troubleshooting, continuous improvement initiatives, and day-to-day problem-solving activities that enhance tooling performance.

Can you interpret technical information and execute with accuracy? Read and apply drawings, specifications, work instructions, and measurement requirements to ensure quality results.

Do you take pride in quality and safety? Maintain housekeeping, quality, and safety standards while working in a manufacturing environment that requires PPE and adherence to established procedures.

Do you enjoy sharing knowledge and helping others grow? Support skill development within the team by demonstrating techniques, sharing best practices, and assisting less experienced team members when appropriate.

WHAT YOU BRING

High school diploma or GED required.

Manufacturing, fabrication, tooling, machining, or production experience.

Strong hands-on mechanical aptitude and experience working with hand tools and shop equipment.

Ability to read and interpret drawings, specifications, and work instructions.

Experience with shaping, bodywork, fabrication, pattern-making, or similar craft-based work preferred.

Understanding of dimensional tolerances, measurements, layout, squareness, and angular relationships.

Ability to visualize and work with three-dimensional forms and structures.

Strong problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills.

Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment while maintaining attention to detail.

Willingness to learn new skills and continue technical development.

Ability to obtain forklift certification.

Comfortable working in a composite shop environment with PPE requirements, hearing protection, and respirator compliance as required.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

At Watkins Wellness, we believe that everyone should ‘Feel good. Live well’. We offer employees the opportunity to join a dynamic, growing industry leader with an outstanding and well-deserved reputation for leadership and commitment to our employees, customers and community. Our employees are eligible to receive exceptional health and wellness benefits, paid time off, company bonus, profit sharing, 401k match, education assistance, and much more. We are proud of the people we are and the products we make — products that make a difference to the health and well-being of others.

We look for candidates that exhibit The Watkins Way (always Ethical, endeavors to be Visible, embraces Inclusion, welcomes Diverse backgrounds and perspectives, Accommodating, believes in Work-Life Balance, puts Safety First, Accountable, values Relationships, Passionate, Team Player, and Goal Driven).

The employee must frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision and depth perception. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Hiring Range: $16.90 - $23.26

Many factors affect actual compensation including but not limited to experience, education, skills, and geographic location

Company: Watkins Wellness

Shift 1 (United States of America)Full time

Watkins (the “Company”) is an equal opportunity employer and we strive to employ the most qualified individuals for every position. The Company makes employment decisions only based on merit. It is the Company’s policy to prohibit discrimination in any employment opportunity (including but not limited to recruitment, employment, promotion, salary increases, benefits, termination and all other terms and conditions of employment) based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expr