00 - Estimator & Operations Specialist / Operations Manager

Estimator & Operations Specialist / Operations Manager

Help build the toolroom of the future. Turn customer RFQs into accurate, competitive quotes, keep every job moving from order to on-time delivery, and help grow a modern, AI-enabled precision shop alongside the owner.

About Pinewood Tool

Pinewood Tool is a precision machine shop serving manufacturers that demand exceptional quality, responsive service, and tight tolerances. We make precision tooling, wear and perishable tooling, and critical machined components using CNC milling, turning, grinding, and EDM.

We are a high-mix, low-volume shop under new ownership, and we are building the toolroom of the future: a growing company that pairs skilled craftsmanship with modern tools and gets better every week. We run on a modern ERP and are putting AI to work across quoting, purchasing, and operations.

The Role

You will own quoting and coordinate the flow of work through the business — from RFQ to quote, purchasing, scheduling, and shipment — and help us keep improving how it all runs. You report directly to the owner and are part of the management team that sets Pinewood Tool's direction.

This is a hands-on operational role with many hats. One hour you are working through a quote, the next you are solving a supplier delay or checking on a job out on the floor. You will work hand in hand with our Toolroom Supervisor, who leads the shop floor, to keep work flowing and every job on track.

We want someone who does not wait to be told — who spots what could work better, brings ideas, and sees improvements through.

What You'll Do

Quote new and repeat work

• Use our ERP and AI tools to prepare accurate quotes quickly: read the print, plan the process, source material and outside processing, and estimate hours with input from our toolmakers.
• Compare estimates against actual job results so every quote gets sharper.

Coordinate day-to-day operations

• Coordinate the schedule together with the Toolroom Supervisor, bring in customer priorities, and keep jobs on track to their due dates.
• Coordinate outside processing such as heat treat and coating, and manage shipping and receiving.
• Support quality: customer requirements, material certifications, and resolving issues with the team.

Manage purchasing and suppliers

• Buy material, tooling, and supplies, and build strong relationships with suppliers and outside processors.
• Negotiate price, lead time, and terms, and track supplier delivery and quality.

Support customer relationships

• Earn customer trust through accurate quotes, reliable delivery dates, and clear, timely communication.
• Work alongside the owner to build customer relationships and grow sales with existing and new customers.

Improve processes, systems, and AI workflows

• Find bottlenecks and waste, propose fixes, and lead improvement projects to completion.
• Keep our ERP data clean so job costs, labor hours, and part history are accurate and trusted.
• Help shape the AI-assisted workflows we use every day — you will improve how these tools work, not just use them.

Drive decisions with data

• Track key metrics such as on-time delivery, quote win rate and accuracy, job profitability, and capacity.
• Turn the numbers into action, and bring ideas on pricing, capacity, systems, and growth as part of the management team.

What You Bring

• 7+ years in a machine shop or precision manufacturing (10+ years for the Operations Manager level), with responsibility in estimating, operations, production planning, purchasing, or manufacturing engineering.
• A hands-on machining background — ideally as a toolmaker, tool and die maker, or CNC machinist — and the drive to take on a front-office leadership role.
• Strong understanding of prints, GD&T, and how machining processes, heat treat, and finishing drive cost and lead time.
• Data-driven: advanced Excel, comfort with ERP data, and turning analysis into decisions.
• Real curiosity about ERP systems and AI tools, and the habit of finding faster, smarter ways to work.
• Strong written and verbal communication with customers, suppliers, and the shop team.
• Organized and able to juggle many priorities while closing the loop on each.

Nice to Have

• Experience leading operations, projects, or teams.
• Experience in a high-mix, low-volume job shop or toolroom.
• Experience with a manufacturing ERP such as Fulcrum, ProShop, E2/Shoptech, or JobBOSS.
• Experience with AI tools such as Claude or ChatGPT, or with building automations and workflows.
• Lean or continuous improvement experience, and reporting tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Technical college training or an apprenticeship in toolmaking or machining, or a degree in manufacturing, mechanical, or industrial engineering or technology — or equivalent experience.

Level and Growth

We are open to hiring at two levels, with title and pay matched to the experience you bring:

• Estimator & Operations Specialist (7+ years): an experienced estimator or planner ready to take on more, with a clear path to Operations Manager.
• Operations Manager (10+ years): ready to take on the full role from day one.

Why Pinewood Tool

• Real influence. You join the management team. Good ideas get heard and put into action quickly — no layers of bureaucracy.
• A modern shop in a traditional trade. Work with tools most machine shops have not touched yet, and help shape what an AI-enabled precision shop looks like.
• An entrepreneurial venture. We are growing and we move fast. You help build the company, not just fill a seat, and your role grows as the business grows.

Benefits

• 401(k), performance-based bonus, health and dental insurance, paid time off, training and development, company gatherings, and food and snacks.
• How to Apply Send us your resume and a few lines about a quote, process, or problem you are proud of improving.
• Pinewood Tool is an equal opportunity employer.