Shop Foreman

Welding / Fabrication Foreman (Shop)

Trident Maritime Systems is seeking an experienced Welding / Fabrication Foreman (Shop) to support daily production, fabrication, and welding operations in a controlled shop environment. This position serves as a direct support resource to the Production Manager and is responsible for coordinating personnel, workflow, production priorities, documentation, and day-to-day shop activities.

The Welding / Fabrication Foreman is responsible for helping ensure production priorities established by the Production Manager are effectively communicated, assigned, monitored, and completed. This position requires a strong working knowledge of welding, fitting, fabrication, blueprint interpretation, dimensional control, production workflow, and general manufacturing practices.

This position requires a high level of flexibility and commitment to production needs beyond normal working hours. The Welding / Fabrication Foreman must be willing to remain on site as required to support ongoing shop activities, including extended shifts, late production hours, and weekend work. This position may be responsible for overseeing personnel and maintaining production activities during periods when work continues outside of normal operating hours.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong hands-on manufacturing knowledge, leadership ability, sound judgment, organizational skills, and the ability to anticipate production needs, identify potential bottlenecks, and coordinate personnel and resources to maintain efficient workflow.

Support the Production Manager with daily coordination and execution of welding, fitting, fabrication, machining, material preparation, and related production activities

Communicate production priorities, assignments, schedule requirements, and workflow expectations to shop personnel

Assign and coordinate personnel based on production priorities, employee skill levels, workload, and available manpower

Monitor work progress throughout the shift and adjust personnel or workflow as necessary to maintain production requirements

Maintain awareness of current and upcoming production needs to identify manpower, material, tooling, equipment, or workflow concerns before they negatively affect production

Maintain continuity of daily shop operations when the Production Supervisor is temporarily unavailable or away from the production floor

Make routine day-to-day production decisions within established priorities, procedures, and authority

Escalate significant production, personnel, quality, safety, scheduling, or resource concerns to the Production Manager as required

Coordinate closely with the Welding Lead regarding welding methods, fabrication concerns, fit-up issues, technical troubleshooting, employee development, and shop-floor technical support

Allow the Welding Lead and Supervisor to maintain greater hands-on involvement in welding, fabrication, training, troubleshooting, and technical production activities by assuming appropriate administrative and coordination responsibilities

Support welders and fitters across Class A, Class B, and Class C classifications while considering individual skill level and experience when assigning work

Maintain sufficient technical understanding of welding and fabrication processes to recognize production problems, understand technical concerns, and coordinate appropriate resources

Review and interpret blueprints, fabrication drawings, weld symbols, work instructions, production documentation, and applicable shop requirements

Monitor fit-up, dimensional accuracy, workmanship, weld quality, and general production quality throughout shop operations

Work with Quality personnel to address inspection concerns, nonconforming work, documentation requirements, and corrective actions

Coordinate with machining and other supporting departments to maintain workflow and resolve production-related issues

Assist with tracking production status, labor utilization, job progress, rework, and other information required by the Production Supervisor

Maintain accurate and timely production documentation and administrative records as assigned

Assist with employee attendance, timekeeping, work assignments, training documentation, and other routine supervisory administrative responsibilities

Provide feedback to the Production Manager regarding employee performance, productivity, workmanship, development needs, attendance, and overall job performance

Assist with coaching and development of employees and reinforce established safety, quality, productivity, and workmanship expectations

Support the training and development of Class C and Class B personnel toward higher skill classifications

Identify employees who may require additional training, technical assistance, closer supervision, or reassignment based on production requirements

Help ensure employees understand work instructions, priorities, quality expectations, and required completion timelines

Monitor production flow between fitting, welding, machining, material preparation, finishing, blasting, and other supporting operations as applicable

Identify developing bottlenecks and take appropriate action to maintain efficient movement of work through the shop

Consider downstream production requirements when assigning personnel and prioritizing work

Coordinate availability and proper use of welding equipment, fabrication equipment, fixtures, jigs, tooling, consumables, and other production resources

Assist with troubleshooting production, equipment, fabrication, welding, dimensional, and workflow issues

Support continuous improvement efforts involving workflow, productivity, quality, repeatability, material handling, fixtures, tooling, and production processes

Help maintain first-time quality standards while minimizing rework, production delays, and material waste

Promote communication between production personnel, leads, supervisors, Quality, and supporting departments

Reinforce established company safety requirements and address unsafe conditions or practices when observed

Stop or address unsafe or nonconforming work when necessary and notify appropriate supervision or Quality personnel

Maintain professional leadership and accountability throughout daily shop operations

Perform hands-on welding, fitting, fabrication, machining support, or general production activities when necessary to support production requirements

Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and production-focused work environment

Comply with all company safety, quality, operational, and administrative procedures

Minimum 7 years of combined welding, fitting, fabrication, manufacturing, or closely related industrial production experience

Minimum 3 years of direct hands-on experience involving welding, fitting, fabrication, or closely related metal manufacturing operations

Minimum 5 years previous lead, supervisory, Foreman, workflow coordination, or equivalent production leadership experience required

Strong working knowledge of welding, fabrication, fit-up, layout, dimensional control, and general shop production practices

Working knowledge of FCAW, GMAW, GTAW, or other welding processes applicable to production operations

Ability to understand welding procedures, welding requirements, weld quality expectations, and general welding terminology

Strong ability to read and interpret blueprints, fabrication drawings, weld symbols, work instructions, and production documentation

Ability to accurately understand measurements, dimensions, tolerances, fractions, decimals, degrees, and general shop mathematics

Understanding of fabrication sequence, material preparation, fit-up, welding, finishing, and downstream production requirements

Ability to evaluate employee skill levels and assign work based on production requirements and individual capability

Ability to coordinate multiple jobs, employees, priorities, and production requirements simultaneously

Ability to anticipate workflow problems and adjust before production is negatively affected

Strong organizational, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills

Ability to work independently and maintain daily production operations within established priorities when the Production Manager is unavailable

Ability to recognize issues requiring escalation and communicate those issues clearly to the Production Manager

Ability to work effectively with welders, fitters, machinists, operators, labor personnel, Quality, management, and supporting departments

Basic computer skills including Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, or similar production and administrative systems

Ability to maintain production documentation, personnel information, job tracking, and basic reporting requirements

Strong understanding of production safety, quality, workmanship, productivity, and accountability expectations

Strong work ethic with demonstrated reliability, professionalism, leadership, and personal accountability

Experience supervising or coordinating personnel within a welding, fabrication, machining, or manufacturing environment

Previous experience as a welding lead, fabrication lead, senior welder, senior fitter, shop lead, acting supervisor, or similar position

Experience working across multiple manufacturing disciplines including welding, fitting, fabrication, machining, assembly, or related operations

Experience with production scheduling, manpower planning, job tracking, labor-hour tracking, or workflow coordination

Experience training, mentoring, or developing welders, fitters, machinists, or other skilled production personnel

Experience working with Class A, Class B, and Class C or equivalent skill-based employee classifications

Familiarity with NAVSEA, MIL-STD, AWS, or other applicable welding and fabrication requirements

Experience supporting welding qualifications, certifications, welding procedures, or production quality requirements

Experience with fixtures, jigs, tooling, repeat production setups, and process improvement

Experience coordinating with Quality, Engineering, Machining, Planning, or other production support departments

Experience assisting with employee evaluations, coaching, documentation, or performance development

Strong understanding of production efficiency,