Operations Coordinator

Job Description

ABOUT ZJ INDUSTRIES

ZJ Industries is a 2nd generation, family-owned electrode & copper products manufacturer in Addison, Illinois, founded in 1991. We produce resistance welding electrodes, caps, adapters, gun arms, nut-weld heads, bus bars, heat sinks, cold plates, and custom copper components for automotive and industrial customers. Capabilities include CNC turning and milling, gun drilling, precision bending, brazing, proprietary electrode improvements, and in-house heat treatment. Small shop, deep experience, long-standing customer relationships.

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS

We are at a turning point. After several years of running lean and reactive, ownership has committed to rebuilding the company's operational foundation and growing. This role is the first hire in that plan.

The person who fills it will own the order-to-invoice process end to end, help convert 35 years of undocumented practice into repeatable systems, and grow into whichever operational discipline they prove strongest in. This is not a support role. It is the operational backbone of a company that has decided to lead the way forward into the future.

Reports directly to the Operations Lead. One manager.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

- Order intake and processing. Purchase orders arrive by email, through customer portals, and occasionally as scans or photos. You enter them into our system of record (Airtable) the same day, confirm them, and flag anything that doesn't match a quote, a blanket order, or a prior revision before entry, not after.

- Order tracking and customer communication. Status, ETAs, delivery commitments. Proactive contact when something slips, rather than waiting for the customer to ask.

- Shipping and invoicing. Packing slips, labels, tracking numbers, invoices. Complete and accurate every time this is where small shops leak money and credibility.

- Shop floor coordination. Daily awareness of what's in process, what's due, and where the bottlenecks are. Regular contact with machinists and shop leads. You will be on the floor, not just at a desk.

- Administrative operations. Phones, email, filing, vendor paperwork, and the material certification trail that goes with copper alloys.

- Systems and process documentation. Turning tribal knowledge into written procedures and working systems. AI tools are part of the daily workflow here, and you'll be expected to use them as a working partner.

WHO SUCCEEDS HERE

- Self-directed. You keep your own list and work it. Direction here is strategic, not daily.

- Organized by nature. You don't need a policy to keep things straight; you can't stand it when they aren't.

- Flags conflicts instead of resolving them silently. When a PO doesn't match the quote, you raise it before entering it.

- Comfortable in a manufacturing environment that is noisy, oily, running heavy machinery, walking the floor.

- Fluent with technology. Comfortable learning a new database system, and already using AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, or similar) to work faster and better.

- Clear communicator with customers, vendors, and machinists. These are three very different audiences.

- Looking for a long runway in one place, not a 12-month stepping stone.

WHO WON'T

- Anyone who needs structured daily direction to stay on task.

- Anyone expecting a corporate environment. This is a family machine shop with an informal culture and long standing habits. You will be building structure, not inheriting it.

- Anyone who stays organized only when someone is checking.

- Anyone bothered by objectivity, directness, and honesty.

- Anyone who lacks manners and/or has a rude or unpleasant disposition.

EXPERIENCE

No specific degree or job title required. Strong candidates typically come from:

- Operations or administrative roles in small manufacturing, distribution, or job shops

- Retail or restaurant management (high-volume, systems-driven, customer-facing)

- Logistics, shipping, or dispatch coordination

- Recent graduates in business, supply chain, or operations management

Manufacturing experience is a plus, not a requirement. We'll teach the industry. We can't teach organization, initiative, attitude or work ethic.

COMPENSATION

- $1,000 per week to start ($52,000 annually)

- Annual compensation review tied to defined personal milestones and company performance targets

- Performance incentive when company targets are met

- Health insurance and retirement benefits are not currently offered, but this is something I would like to see done by the end of this decade.

- Paid Holiday/Vacation Time. Your second year you start at 1 paid week of vacation time. Then every year after add one until 4 weeks paid vacation is met.*

- Full-time, on-site, Monday–Friday, you can start at 5am*, 6am, or 7am until 1:30pm, 2:30pm, or 3:30pm respectively, Addison, IL

*must qualify

TO APPLY

Send a resume and a short note (under 200 words) describing a process you improved at a previous job without being asked to. If, and only if, the question doesn't apply, you may write why you think you are the proper fit for this job. Applications without a note will not be reviewed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this job posting. I am very optimistic about the future and look forward to interviewing as many candidates as it takes to find you.