General Manager (Ref#098)

Position Overview

You will launch and lead a new structural steel fabrication shop in Seagoville, southeast of Dallas. It opens in early 2027 with customer work already committed, building large steel frames for data center projects.

The scope is focused: fit-up, welding, grinding, and quality control, with a crew of about 10 at launch. You hire the team, set up the floor, and own the P&L.

You get more autonomy than a typical division leader and room to grow as the company expands across DFW. Your first target: production running by February 2027, with zero lost-time injuries.

Key Responsibilities

Site Launch

• Lead the shop start-up with company leadership, including equipment install, power, safety setup, and readiness for first production.
• Recruit, hire, and onboard your founding crew with the company’s talent team in a competitive DFW welding labor market.
• Set up the floor, workflow, and staging for large frames, and establish the daily production rhythm.
• Bring the company’s culture and standards to the Dallas team from day one.

Safety

• Enforce every company safety requirement and hold your team accountable to it.
• Keep your shop safe, including weld fume controls and heat illness prevention.
• Lead weekly safety walks and report good catches and near misses.

Quality

• Hold every fit-up and weld to company standards and customer specifications.
• Document quality issues and their root causes, and work with company quality leadership to spot trends and fix them.
• Track warranty and rework, and catch problems before parts leave for coating.

Production and Logistics

• Prepare for and run daily and weekly production meetings, and debrief daily with your floor lead.
• Hit the weekly frame plan and every customer delivery date.
• Coordinate inbound processed material, hand-offs to the coating partner, and outbound oversize freight with the company’s transportation team.

Financial Performance

• Own the full site P&L and improve financial results year over year.
• Lead the site’s Annual Operating Plan and present it at the yearly leadership kickoff.
• Prepare for monthly financial and operations reviews and job closeout reviews.
• Approve non-billable purchase orders for maintenance and tools, and reconcile company card receipts each month.
• Post monthly financials and KPIs for your team, and brief the site on progress at least once a month.

People Leadership

• Lead an Assistant Manager / QC Lead and 8 to 9 welder/fabricators at launch, growing to 10 to 12, with a shop foreman and project managers added as the site grows.
• Run performance reviews, manage timesheets and PTO, and coach your team on continuous improvement.
• Handle interviewing, onboarding, discipline, and terminations when needed.

Growth and Continuous Improvement

• Use your industry relationships to bring in new business, including DFW data center work.
• Lead weekly continuous improvement walks and take part in the monthly CI meeting.
• Meet weekly with the VP of Operations and complete daily, weekly, and monthly site checklists.
• Complete 8 hours of continuing education every quarter.

Qualifications

Experience

• 7+ years in structural steel or heavy weldment fabrication, with at least 3 years leading a shop floor, division, or site.
• You have led a crew of 10+ welders and fitters to a delivery schedule.
• P&L responsibility, with a track record on labor efficiency and on-time delivery.
• Preferred: you have started up a new shop, production line, or site.
• Preferred: experience managing outsourced coating and oversize freight.

Technical Knowledge

• You read fabrication drawings and weld symbols fluently.
• You know fit-up and weld inspection well enough to hold the quality line.
• Preferred: AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), or experience working with third-party inspection.
• Preferred: you know the DFW welding labor market and its trade schools.

Leadership & Communication

• You set a sense of urgency without burning people out.
• You are organized and detail-oriented, with the discipline to run daily, weekly, and monthly routines.
• You tell executives the full story, including bad news, early.
• You can build a team culture from scratch and protect it as the site grows.

Work Environment

This is a fully on-site role in Seagoville, Texas, southeast of Dallas, and you will be on the shop floor every day. Expect welding, grinding, large structural frames, overhead lifting, and Texas summer heat. You need to live in the DFW area or be willing to relocate. The role starts with an onboarding period of up to a few months at company headquarters in Indiana, followed by regular trips back through your first year.