Manager - Welding & Process Improvement

Loenbro is a trusted, long-term construction lifecycle partner to thousands of customers across the U.S. Our market spans all industries and our service offerings include Critical Electrical, Mechanical & Structural, Soft Crafts, Inspection, Underground Maintenance and Installation, and Fabrication. Our expertise lies in simplifying the complex and establishing long-standing relationships with our partners. We have a national presence but a local approach—every customer benefits from our capabilities and our care. At Loenbro, we don't just offer jobs—we build careers grounded in integrity, teamwork, excellence, and purpose. Join a team where your expertise is valued, your growth is supported, and your work helps expand the reach of the critical infrastructure that powers communities across the nation. Job Summary The Manager – Welding & Process Improvement is responsible for advancing welding technology, manufacturing processes, equipment standardization, automation, and continuous improvement across Loenbro's Fabrication & Manufacturing operations. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, this position plays a key role in executing Loenbro's strategic plan by establishing and implementing standardized best practices across the fabrication network while continuously improving safety, quality, productivity, throughput, cost, and manufacturing capability. The Manager will assess existing fabrication practices, welding and cutting technologies, equipment, facility workflows, and manufacturing methods; develop practical, fit-for-purpose standards; and provide technical leadership for capital planning and equipment selection. The successful candidate will combine deep welding and fabrication knowledge with manufacturing, automation, operational-excellence, and continuous-improvement expertise. The objective is to position Loenbro as a best-in-class manufacturing platform capable of safely and efficiently producing high-quality fabricated and manufactured products at scale. Welding Technology & Technical Leadership Serve as a technical resource for welding processes and fabrication methodologies across Loenbro's manufacturing network. Evaluate processes and technologies based on material type, wall thickness, joint configuration, production volume, quality requirements, labor availability, and total cost. Partner with Quality and Welding Engineering regarding WPS/PQR requirements, welder qualifications, code compliance, inspection requirements, and weld quality. Analyze weld productivity, repair rates, deposition efficiency, arc-on time, and rework to identify opportunities to reduce labor and non-value-added work, and evaluate emerging welding technologies for practical advantage. Cutting, Preparation & Material Processing Assess and optimize cutting, beveling, coping, drilling, forming, preparation, and material-processing methods. Evaluate CNC plasma, oxy-fuel, laser cutting, saw systems, automated pipe profiling, robotic cutting, beveling systems, and other applicable fabrication equipment. Develop standardized approaches that improve dimensional accuracy, throughput, fit-up quality, material utilization, and downstream welding productivity. Identify opportunities to integrate digital fabrication data with cutting and manufacturing equipment to reduce manual inputs and errors. Automation & Advanced Manufacturing Identify and evaluate welding automation, robotics, mechanized welding, automated cutting, positioning, material-handling, and other advanced manufacturing opportunities. Evaluate robotic and collaborative welding, orbital welding, automated pipe welding, CNC systems, positioners, manipulators, turning rolls, and related technologies. Develop business cases based on production demand, labor savings, throughput, quality, safety, utilization, payback, maintainability, and scalability, ensuring technology selections are supported by sustainable production demand. Work with Engineering & Productization to optimize products and assemblies for automated manufacturing and repeatable production. Lead or support technical evaluation of Fabrication & Manufacturing capital expenditures, developing standardized evaluation criteria covering capability, capacity, reliability, productivity, safety, quality, and total cost of ownership. Prepare capital business cases, recommendations, and a multi-year equipment roadmap aligned with strategic priorities and anticipated market demand. Identify opportunities to standardize platforms across facilities to improve training, maintenance, spare parts, consumables, purchasing leverage, and workforce flexibility. Participate in trials, vendor demonstrations, factory acceptance testing, commissioning, and performance validation, and develop productive relationships with leading equipment suppliers. Manufacturing Process Improvement Lead improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, productivity, throughput, cost, schedule, and capacity. Assess workflows from material receipt through cutting, preparation, fit-up, welding, inspection, coating, assembly, storage, and shipment, identifying bottlenecks, excessive movement, waiting, rework, and other waste. Apply Lean manufacturing, 5S, value-stream mapping, standard work, visual management, and root-cause analysis where appropriate, recommending improvements to shop layout, production cells, and material flow. Partner with Operations to implement improvements, validate benefits, and sustain results. Productivity & Performance Measurement Establish meaningful, standardized productivity metrics for welding and fabrication operations. Track and analyze direct labor hours per unit, weld/diameter inches, arc-on time, deposition rates, repair and rejection rates, fit-up productivity, machine utilization, uptime, cycle time, rework, and scrap. Benchmark performance among facilities and against relevant industry practices, using operational data to prioritize improvement opportunities and validate results. Shop Assessments & Manufacturing Excellence Participate in formal facility assessments in support of the Manufacturing strategic plan and Tiger Team workstreams. Evaluate facilities against standards for welding, cutting, equipment, layout, material flow, productivity, automation, quality, safety, and manufacturing maturity. Develop prioritized facility improvement roadmaps and facilitate adoption of proven internal best practices across the network. Support decisions on where capabilities should be consolidated, expanded, automated, or strategically developed, and assist in defining future-state concepts for new or expanded facilities. Engineering & Productization Collaboration Work closely with the Director of Engineering & Productization to incorporate Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) principles into repeatable products and assemblies. Provide manufacturing input during development to improve manufacturability, reduce labor, simplify welding and assembly, and enable automation. Standardize materials, connections, joint configurations, components, and fabrication methods where beneficial. Participate in design reviews, prototypes, pilot production, first-article builds, and production-readiness assessments, and help transition successful prototypes into scalable production processes. Quality, Safety & Compliance Partner with Quality and Safety leadership to ensure improvements maintain or enhance compliance with applicable codes, specifications, procedures, and customer requirements. Promote practices that reduce ergonomic exposure, manual handling, fumes, heat exposure, repetitive work, and other fabrication-related risks. Ensure equipment recommendations address guarding, ventilation, ergonomics, training, maintenance, and safe operation. Participate in root-cause investigations involving significant welding, fabrication, equipment, or process failures, and support continuous reduction of defects, repairs, rework, and quality escapes. Training & Workforce Development Identify training needs associated with standardized processes, new equipment, automation, and manufacturing technologies. Partner with Operations, Quality, Safety, and Training personnel to develop practical training programs and operator competency expectations. Develop welding and fabrication subject-matter experts and facilitate knowledge sharing among facilities. Key Performance Indicators Fabrication labor productivity and throughput improvement. Reduction in weld repair/rejection rates, rework, and cost per unit. Improvement in arc-on time, deposition efficiency, equipment utilization, and uptime. Reduction in production cycle time and improvement in material flow. Percentage of facilities operating to standardized manufacturing practices. Capital-project ROI and achievement of planned benefits. Automation utilization and verified productivity improvement. Number of standardized processes deployed across multiple facilities. Successful implementation of new technologies and equipment. Improvement in manufacturing safety and ergonomic exposure. Key Qualifications 8+ years of progressive experience in welding, fabrication, manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, process improvement, or related industrial operations. Extensive practical knowledge of industrial welding and fabrication processes, equipment, cutting systems, material preparation, fit-up, positioning, and workflow. Experience evaluating or implementing manufacturing equipment and capital projects. Demonstrated success improving fabrication productivity, quality, throughput, or manufacturing processes. Ability to interpret engineering and fabrication drawings, welding symbols, specifications, and applicable requirements. Strong analytical and problem-solving capability with the ability to turn shop-floor observations and production data into practical improvements. Ability to collaborate effectively with craft personnel, supervision, engineering, quality, safety, vendors, and executive leadership. Strong written and verbal communication skills and willingness to travel regularly among Loenbro facilities. Bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Welding Technology, or a related discipline preferred; equivalent extensive industry experience considered. Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), Certified Welding Engineer (CWEng), or other relevant AWS credential preferred. Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or similar continuous-improvement certification preferred. Experience with robotic, mechanized, orbital, or automated pipe welding; CNC/laser/plasma cutting; automated material handling; or other advanced manufacturing technologies preferred. Experience with ASME, AWS, API, or other applicable fabrication codes and standards preferred. Experience supporting mission critical/data centers, power generation, semiconductor, advanced manufacturing, energy, mining, water/wastewater, or related industrial markets preferred. Experience in both project-based fabrication and high-volume or repeatable manufacturing environments preferred. Experience developing equipment ROI analyses and multi-year capital-investment plans preferred. Core Competencies: Manufacturing Excellence Welding Technology Fabrication Operations Continuous Improvement Lean Manufacturing Automation Capital Equipment Evaluation Process Standardization Productivity Improvement Technical Problem Solving Manufacturing Engineering DfMA Change Management Cross-Functional Leadership Education Bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Welding Technology, or a related discipline preferred; equivalent extensive industry experience will be considered in lieu of a degree. Physical Demands and Work Environment The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Frequent travel among Loenbro fabrication and manufacturing facilities to conduct assessments, trials, and implementation of standardized processes and equipment; travel of approximately 40–60%, based on business needs. Regular presence on manufacturing shop floors, including direct observation of welding, cutting, fitting, and assembly operations. Exposure to typical fabrication-shop conditions, including noise, heat, fumes, dust, and moving equipment; use of appropriate PPE required. Occasional attendance at vendor demonstrations, equipment trials, and industry events, which may require regional and national travel by air and ground transportation. This role requires compliance with all applicable safety regulations, personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, and Loenbro's Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) policies. Loenbro offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package, and rewards to those who join our team: Medical, dental, and vision insurance 401(k) retirement plan with company match Performance-based bonus plan Long-term Incentives Paid time off (PTO) and holiday pay Life and disability insurance Professional development and training opportunities Employee assistance program (EAP) Benefits eligibility may vary based on employment classification and hours worked. Guided by Core Values (LEAD) , grounded in grit and a commitment to excellence , Loenbro betters our families, customers, and local communities. If you're ready to be part of a company that LEADS by: Living with Integrity Acting with Urgency ...we want to hear from you. Loenbro is an Equal Opportunity Employer #J-18808-Ljbffr Loenbro