Master Upholsterer (Trim and Upholstery Lead)

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Company: Ulm Automotive LLC

Department: Production

Reports to: Production Manager

Location: Bogart, GA (on-site)

Employment type: Full-time, hourly, non-exempt; paid weekly

Direct reports: None at hire; leads the trim and upholstery station and trains the technicians assigned to it

Position Summary

The Master Upholsterer owns the soft trim in every vehicle we build. Ulm converts incomplete Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis into luxury passenger vehicles, and the seats, headliners, wall and pillar panels, armrests, and trim details are what the passenger touches and judges. This role sets the upholstery standard for the company, builds the patterns and templates the line will use, does the most demanding work personally, and trains the technicians who will do the rest.

This is a craftsman's seat with a lead's responsibility. The right person has spent years cutting, sewing, and fitting leather and fabric in automotive, coachbuilding, or comparable interiors, and can make a production line deliver hand-finished quality at a repeatable pace.

Key Responsibilities

Upholstery and Trim Fabrication

• Pattern, cut, sew, and fit leather, vinyl, fabric, and foam for seats, headliners, wall and ceiling panels, pillars, armrests, consoles, and trim pieces to the drawing and the material specification.
• Wrap and finish hard panels: substrate prep, adhesive application, edge wrapping, and stitch and seam detailing that holds up to daily passenger use.
• Build and maintain the master patterns, templates, and sewing specifications (stitch type, thread, seam allowance, pleat and perforation layouts) so every unit matches the first.
• Repair and refinish trim damaged in production or returned under warranty.

Station Leadership and Training

• Set up and run the trim and upholstery station: layout, tooling, sewing equipment, material storage, and standard work.
• Train and qualify production technicians on cutting, sewing, wrapping, and installation; maintain the skill matrix entries for the station with the Quality Manager.
• Plan daily station work against the production schedule with the Production Manager and lead the station to the standard hours.

Quality and Materials

• Inspect finished trim before it leaves the station: seam alignment, grain match, pattern symmetry, wrinkle-free fit, and clean edges; reject and rework what does not meet the standard.
• Verify incoming hides, fabrics, foams, and adhesives against specification and quarantine defective lots with Quality and Purchasing.
• Track material yield and cut plans to reduce leather and fabric waste; feed usage data to Purchasing.
• Keep the station compliant with flammability and material requirements for vehicle interiors and keep the material certifications on file with Compliance.

Design and New Product Support

• Work with Engineering, R&D, and outside design partners on new seat designs, trim patterns, and color, material, and finish programs; build samples and prototypes and report what is buildable at production pace.
• Feed pattern, material, and process corrections back into the drawings and BOMs through the engineering change process.

Safety and Housekeeping

• Follow all shop safety rules for sewing equipment, cutting tools, and adhesives; wear required PPE and keep the station to the 5S standard.
• Report injuries, near misses, and unsafe conditions immediately.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of hands-on automotive, coachbuilding, or comparable luxury interior upholstery experience, including seats, headliners, and panel wrapping.
• Expert with industrial walking-foot sewing machines, pattern making, foam shaping, and leather and vinyl work; can demonstrate French seams, top-stitching, pleating, and perforation layouts.
• Proven ability to build patterns and templates that other people can use to reproduce the work.
• Experience training or leading other upholsterers or trim technicians.
• Eye for fit and finish at the luxury level: grain match, symmetry, and seam alignment are non-negotiable.
• Ability to read drawings and material specifications and to work from a build schedule.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds, stand for a full shift, and work inside a vehicle.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in executive shuttle, limousine, luxury van, or premium automotive interior shops.
• Familiarity with automotive interior material requirements (flammability, adhesives, foam specifications).
• CNC cutting or digital pattern (CAD/CAM) experience.
• Experience standing up a trim station in a new or growing production line.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.

Competencies

• Craftsmanship - the work speaks for itself and holds up to a customer running a hand across every seam.
• Repeatability - turns personal skill into patterns, templates, and standards the line can follow.
• Teaching - raises the skill of every technician on the station.
• Material discipline - treats leather and fabric as the expensive inventory it is; plans cuts and tracks yield.
• Ownership - the station's quality and pace are this person's, not something inspected in later.

Success in the First 12 Months

• 90 days: Station set up and running to standard work. Master patterns and sewing specifications documented for the current seat and panel designs. First technician qualified on the station.
• 6 months: Trim first-time-through is measured and improving. Material yield tracked and waste reduced. Two or more technicians qualified; the station runs to schedule when the lead is out for a day.
• 12 months: Every unit ships with trim to the master standard, the pattern library covers the full product line, and the station is staffed and trained for the planned volume.

Physical & Work Environment

Full shift on an active production floor with exposure to noise, machinery, adhesives, and standard plant conditions; PPE is required in designated areas. Frequent sewing-machine and cutting-table work, lifting, reaching, kneeling, and work inside vehicle interiors.

Compensation & Benefits

• Hourly rate: $30.00 to $40.00 per hour , commensurate with demonstrated skill and leadership experience
• Overtime paid at time and a half over 40 hours in the workweek
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off and holidays; tool and training support

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ulm Automotive, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.