Job Overview
The Team Lead is a critical operational leader responsible for the daily coordination, quality assurance, and continuous development of their department within our metal fabrication operation. The Team Lead serves as the primary link between shop-floor execution and operational management — driving on-time delivery, first-pass quality, and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. The Team Lead is responsible for helping to create a team culture that strives to fulfill Southern Metalcraft’s mission statement, while upholding and enforcing the current company Rules & Policy manual and creating a safe and efficient working environment.
Core Responsibilities
1. Daily Workflow & Scheduling
- Distribute and assign daily work orders to all team members based on skill, capacity, and priority.
- Use ShopBOSS as a forecasting tool, looking a minimum of 3 week in advance for planning production efficiency, prevention of production bottlenecks, and lags in labor.
- Assess weekly capacity by Wednesday afternoon each week, schedule and communicate to the Operations Manager if Friday overtime is required.
- Team Lead, or assigned internal department proxy, must be present for the duration of the shift if any member of that department is scheduled.
- Coordinate with adjacent departments to ensure work flows through the shop on schedule.
2. Material & Resource Management
- Verify that all required materials, tooling, and fixtures for a job are present and accounted for before releasing the job to a team member.
- Monitor and request department consumables to avoid unplanned downtime.
3. Quality Assurance
- Perform in-process quality checks, per the SMI Quality Management System, on parts within the department before they are passed to the next operation or shipped — prioritizing high-risk and first-article parts.
- Identify and report any non-conformances to the Quality team promptly.
- Assist the Quality team in the investigation, root-cause analysis, and disposition of non-conforming parts.
4. Training & Development
- Deliver Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) training to team members within the department, ensuring consistent results and safe work practices.
- Lead new hire onboarding, including hands-on orientation to equipment, processes, safety protocols, and quality standards.
- Daily confirmation of team members login/logout and job labor time entries.
5. Performance Management & HR Coordination
- Responsible for holding team members accountable through the disciplinary process, including issuing a documented 1st verbal warning, a 1st written warning, and escalating further disciplinary actions to the Operations Manager and HR.
- Conduct structured 30-day and 60-day check-in reviews with new team members to assess progress and address any gaps and communicate regularly with Operations Manager and HR if new hire does not meet expectations.
- Conduct quarterly reviews of all department team members by deadline and submit to Operations Manager for review.
- Participate in the interview process for potential new hires as requested.
- Manage and track team member time off requests, ensure adequate coverage, post to calendar, and report to Operations Manager
6. Communication & Reporting
- Conduct daily start of shift team huddles to cascade important operational, safety, or organizational updates to all team members.
- Meet with the Operations Manager daily to review production status, escalations, and priorities.
- Maintain clear, proactive communication across departments to align on schedule changes, capacity constraints, and quality issues.
Skills
- Extensive experience with knowledge of metal fabrication environments.
- Proficiency in interpreting technical drawings, blueprints, mechanical blueprints, and ASME codes & standards.
- Strong understanding of welding techniques including MIG, TIG, Flux Core and gas metal arc welding.
- Skilled in using measuring instruments such as calipers, micrometers, shop math calculations, and other measuring tools for precise fabrication.
- Mechanical knowledge of sheet metal fabrication, robotic welding, laser welding, machining processes, plasma cutting, and assembly techniques.
- Ability to operate hand tools and power tools safely while maintaining high-quality workmanship.
- Familiarity with welding safety protocols and adherence to OSHA regulations in a fabrication shop environment.
- Experience with interpreting technical drawings for mechanical fabrication projects involving metal materials.
- Knowledge of ASME or AWS standards.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate teams while managing multiple projects efficiently.
Join us as a Team Lead in the Weld Department to shape innovative projects through expert craftsmanship while fostering a safe and collaborative work environment!
Expected hours: 40.0 – 50.0 per week
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person