MELT SUPERVISOR

Melt Supervisor

The Melt Supervisor supervises and coordinates the daily activities of employees engaged in melting operations in a captive foundry producing Class 20 gray iron castings. This position is responsible for ensuring safe, efficient, and quality-driven melt operations while maintaining strong communication with production, maintenance, quality, and plant leadership.

The Melt Supervisor provides direct leadership to assigned employees, communicates daily expectations, supports production requirements, monitors equipment and process conditions, and ensures department activities are aligned with company safety, environmental, quality, and production standards.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Maintains safety as the top priority in all aspects of the melt operation. Actively enforces company safety, environmental, and plant procedures.
• Supervises assigned melt department employees according to company policies and procedures, including training, planning, assigning and directing work, addressing performance concerns, and resolving employee issues.
• Coordinates daily melt operations to support production schedules, casting requirements, and internal customer needs.
• Oversees cupola start-up, melt preparation, alloy additions, furnace readiness, ladle readiness, and related melt department activities.
• Ensures proper quality standards are maintained for iron being produced, including temperature, chemistry, timing, traceability, and process consistency.
• Monitors employee work habits, equipment conditions, melt practices, and housekeeping to maintain a safe and efficient department.
• Conducts toolbox meetings as needed for safety, training, communication, and operational alignment; maintains documentation of meetings and training.
• Develops, mentors, and trains employees to improve department capability, accountability, and cross-functional coverage.
• Coordinates training and retraining of new and existing employees, including documentation of training needs and progress.
• Maintains time records, production records, employee documentation, and other department records as required.
• Develops, updates, and maintains department procedures, work instructions, and documentation needed to ensure safe, consistent, and efficient melt operations.
• Communicates with maintenance on equipment concerns, repair priorities, preventive maintenance needs, and downtime risks.
• Works with quality, production, maintenance, and leadership to identify and resolve process, equipment, staffing, or quality issues.
• Investigates melt-related process issues, quality concerns, near misses, and safety incidents; supports corrective actions as needed.
• Encourages teamwork and motivates employees to meet production, safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
• Maintains accountability for commitments, both personally and within the department.
• Supports continuous improvement efforts focused on safety, melt consistency, equipment performance, labor efficiency, cost control, and quality improvement.
• Coordinates staffing, manpower needs, overtime, vacations, and department coverage to support production requirements.
• Provides clear communication to management regarding safety, quality, production, staffing, equipment, or process concerns.
• Maintains a professional and positive representation of Casting Solutions when working with employees, vendors, contractors, and visitors.

Secondary Responsibilities

• Interprets job requirements, melt schedules, production needs, and work instructions to assign duties and establish daily priorities.
• Recommends modifications to existing procedures, work practices, quality standards, or production methods to improve safety, efficiency, and product quality.
• Supports cross-training efforts with related foundry departments to improve operational flexibility and coverage.
• Participates in department projects, corrective actions, audits, process reviews, and continuous improvement activities as assigned.

Competencies

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Safety & Security Observes safety and security procedures, determines appropriate action beyond standard guidelines, reports potentially unsafe conditions, and uses equipment and materials properly.
• Leadership Provides clear direction, holds employees accountable, supports employee development, and maintains fair and consistent expectations.
• Judgment Displays willingness to make decisions, uses sound judgment, explains reasoning, includes appropriate people in decisions, and makes timely decisions.
• Quality Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness, looks for ways to improve and promote quality, applies feedback, and monitors work to ensure standards are met.
• Quantity Meets productivity standards, completes work in a timely manner, strives to increase productivity, and works efficiently.
• Communication Promotes open communication throughout the organization, listens actively, communicates expectations clearly, and keeps leadership informed.
• Organizational Support Follows company policies and procedures, completes administrative tasks correctly and on time, and supports company goals and values.
• Adaptability Adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands, and responds effectively to delays, production issues, or unexpected events.
• Dependability Follows instructions, responds to management direction, accepts responsibility, keeps commitments, and completes tasks on time.
• Attendance/Punctuality Is consistently at work and on time, ensures responsibilities are covered when absent, and arrives at meetings and appointments on time.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

High school diploma or GED required. Two to five years of foundry experience preferred. Prior melt department, cupola, iron chemistry, or foundry supervisory experience strongly preferred. Equivalent combinations of education, training, and experience may be considered.

Language Skills

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating instructions, maintenance instructions, production schedules, quality procedures, and work instructions. Ability to write routine reports, document employee communication, and communicate effectively with employees, supervisors, management, and other departments.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute ratios, percentages, and basic production or quality-related calculations.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to identify problems, evaluate practical solutions, and address issues involving safety, equipment, production, quality, or employee performance.

Computer Skills

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel. Experience with manufacturing systems, production reporting systems, maintenance systems, or ERP/MES systems are preferred.

Other Skills and Abilities

• Strong practical understanding of foundry operations.
• Ability to lead in a union manufacturing environment.
• Ability to work with production, maintenance, quality, and leadership to resolve operational issues.
• Ability to maintain discipline, consistency, and accountability while supporting employee development.
• Strong attention to safety, quality, communication, and process control.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to differentiate colors.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to moving mechanical parts, hot metal operations, industrial equipment, and foundry conditions. The employee may be exposed to fumes or airborne particles, outside weather conditions, high heat, vibration, toxic or caustic chemicals, and risk of electrical shock. The noise