Lead day-to-day operations and business planning for three shops: Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop, including cutting, forming, welding, machining, assembly, coating, and woodworking.
Manage Shop Leads and all shop personnel, including hiring, staffing, performance management, coaching, succession planning, and attendance.
Own labor, material, scrap/rework costs, operating budgets, cost variance, and corrective actions across all three shops.
Develop manpower and capacity plans based on backlog, production demand, skills, and production schedules, including weekend Fab Shop coverage.
Lead daily production huddles and weekly performance reviews; resolve manpower, material, equipment, quality, and scheduling issues.
Coordinate closely with Engineering, Purchasing, Shipping, Production Scheduling, Sales/Estimating, Finance, and HR to maintain production flow and customer delivery schedules.
Monitor Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) performance and drive corrective actions.
Own first-pass yield, scrap/rework, nonconformance resolution, and quality improvement across all three shops.
Ensure compliance with drawings, work instructions, Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), welding certifications, inspection plans, and approved process parameters.
Lead safety programs, audits, toolbox talks, incident/near-miss investigations, PPE enforcement, OSHA compliance, and required employee safety training.
Maintain preventive maintenance schedules for equipment across all three shops.
Drive labor efficiency, attendance, productivity, and daily output against production plans.
Utilize ERP/MRP data, including Fulcrum, to identify recurring production issues, lost time, and schedule delays.
Implement and sustain 5S, Lean Manufacturing, Standard Work, Kaizen, and structured problem-solving using A3/PDCA methodologies.
Identify equipment, tooling, facility, and capital investment needs and develop business justifications.
Partner with Sales/Estimating and Finance to ensure quoted costs and margins accurately reflect operating requirements.
Report quarterly and annual Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People results to the Director of Operations and Engineering.
**Qualifications:
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5+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, preferably in metal fabrication/welding with experience in powder coating, woodworking, millwork, or another secondary finishing process.
Hands-on knowledge of welding, cutting, forming, CNC, machining, and assembly processes.
Working knowledge of welding codes, OSHA requirements, and shop safety practices.
Proven experience managing people across multiple production areas, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and HR compliance.
Experience with budgeting, cost tracking, labor efficiency, scrap/rework, and capital expenditure justification.
Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; Fulcrum experience preferred.
Strong communication, leadership, coaching, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
Experience managing multiple production areas or processes simultaneously.
Experience in a custom, make-to-order (MTO), job shop, or fabrication environment preferred.
Familiarity with powder coating and/or woodworking/millwork processes preferred.
Lean Manufacturing or continuous-improvement experience, including 5S, Kaizen, A3, PDCA, or Standard Work, preferred.
Weld certifications or familiarity with AWS QC1 inspection standards preferred.
Willingness to develop and strengthen formal Lean/continuous-improvement capabilities.