Manufacturing Operations Team Lead

What your day looks like

You start the shift with a quick safety huddle, then walk the two production areas you oversee to verify 5S readiness, schedule alignment, and quality checkpoints. Through the day, you coach team members, remove roadblocks, and dive into troubleshooting on the line—coordinating with maintenance and support groups to keep work flowing. When issues arise, you run a fast root-cause analysis, contain nonconformance, and put corrective actions in motion. You guide standard work updates, value stream mapping, and Kaizen activities, and you close the day by documenting results and reinforcing our People First culture through timely feedback and recognition.

Key outcomes you’ll drive

• Oversee 1–2 small production areas or similar processes to meet safety, quality, delivery, and housekeeping goals.
• Lead production team members in both union and non-union settings; provide daily technical support and hands-on troubleshooting.
• Deliver clear performance feedback and formal appraisals to support growth and development.
• Teach and uphold quality systems, safety practices, and 5S; recommend and implement improvements as opportunities appear.
• Partner on maintenance, continuous improvement, and value stream initiatives to ensure the production schedule is achieved.
• Conduct root-cause investigations; define problems precisely, secure cross-functional help, and implement sustainable fixes.
• Respond to and report product or process nonconformance quickly and effectively.
• Establish and sustain 5S so tools and materials are organized and accessible.
• Drive changes to machines, processes, materials, and assembly methods; lead Kaizen events and champion process excellence.
• Create and maintain value stream maps and standard work.
• Accurately maintain records and documentation in line with company policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Minimum

• High School Diploma or GED and 3+ years of manufacturing experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated eagerness to learn and grow.

Preferred

• Proven project planning and organization skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication abilities.

How you operate

• Collaborates across departments, sharing and gathering information—even when topics are sensitive or confidential.
• Limited but effective external interactions to collect data, provide answers, or request assistance.
• Comfortable reading and interpreting safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, technical procedures, government regulations, and procedure manuals; writes clear reports and communicates effectively with internal and external audiences.
• Makes informed decisions by evaluating options and applying precedents where appropriate.
• Navigates structured work while choosing best actions within established policies and procedures.
• Recommends personnel actions and handles scheduling, supervision, and evaluation for employees performing similar work.

Work environment

Physical demands

• Frequent: standing, walking/running, sitting, reaching, hearing, talking, visual focus, typing.
• Occasional: driving, fine dexterity, manual dexterity, upper-extremity repetitive motion.
• Seldom: lifting/carrying up to 25 lbs, pushing/pulling up to 25 lbs.

Non-physical demands

• Frequent: analysis/reasoning, communication/interpretation, math/mental computation, reading, sustained mental activity (e.g., auditing, problem solving, composing reports), writing.

Environmental

• Frequent: working independently, frequent task changes, detailed/precise work.
• Occasional: high-volume public contact.

Schedule

• Routine shift hours with infrequent overtime, weekend work, or shift rotation.

Demands and deadlines

• Occasional stress tied to intermittent or cyclical workloads, deadlines, or exposure to distressed individuals within the immediate work area.