Also called: Tooling Design Engineer
Designs the giant jigs and fixtures that hold airplane and rocket parts while they are built.
You model a 60-foot assembly jig that holds a fuselage section within a hair's width, and work with machinists to build it. If a tool is off, every part built on it is off too, so precision is everything.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in mechanical engineering or experience as a toolmaker.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering Technology.
Growing much faster than average (about 9% over 10 years). Mechanical engineers overall.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI and generative CAD speed fixture design; fit checks on the floor and solving build problems stay human.
Classes: CAD class, Physics, Shop or machining class, Geometry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2141.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.