As the Pipe Spooling Production Lead at Aitken, you'll play a key role in developing front-line leadership, maintaining reliable shop operations, and ensuring that production goals align with project schedules, quality standards, and company objectives. You'll drive success by leading day-to-day pipe spooling operations on the shop floor, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality fabrication of piping systems. This role drives safety compliance, product quality, and workforce productivity by actively engaging our craft team members and coordinating with planning and QA/QC teams to support continuous improvement throughout the plant.
Shop Floor Leadership:
Direct, coordinate, and monitor daily pipe spooling and assembly activities to ensure schedule, safety, and quality compliance.
Lead craft foremen and crews in executing backlog priorities and work assignments.
Verify material availability (pipe, fittings, flanges, valves, etc.) and coordinate with production control for efficient workflow.
Oversee tool and equipment usage, reporting maintenance or calibration needs to the Plant Manager.
Ensure accurate reporting of labor hours, production progress, and work completion.
Implement production planning and processes that assure cost and delivery is met or exceeded on pipe spooling jobs.
Lead Continuous Improvement efforts to reduce labor hours and improve efficiency
Lead the implementation of all pipe spooling capex projects to achieve planned ROI.
Safety & Quality:
Promote and enforce company safety policies and procedures on the shop floor.
Conduct daily safety meetings and job hazard analyses with crews.
Partner with QA/QC to ensure all spools meet ASME B31.1 / B31.3 and project specifications.
Identify and correct potential hazards or quality issues before they impact production.
Workforce Supervision & Engagement:
Supervise and coach craft personnel (fitters, welders, helpers) to build engagement, teamwork, and accountability.
Support attendance tracking, manpower allocation, and schedule adherence.
Participate in performance feedback discussions and recommend training or corrective actions as needed.
Encourage craft participation in process improvement, lean practices, and safety initiatives.
Production Planning & Coordination:
Communicate daily goals and priorities from backlog and project schedules to crew leads.
Collaborate with Production Planning, Production Control, and Logistics to maintain workflow balance.
Support continuous improvement of spool fabrication, material handling, and staging efficiency.
Update production trackers, spool logs, and job completion records as directed.
Administrative & Reporting:
Complete and submit production reports, safety documentation, and time records accurately and on time.
Support equipment inspections, preventive maintenance, and calibration tracking.
Assist the Plant Manager with ad-hoc issue resolution and documentation.
Education & Experience:
High school diploma or equivalent required.
Minimum 5–7 years of pipe spooling or industrial piping experience, including at least 2 years in a lead or foreman capacity.
Demonstrated working knowledge of ASME, API, and ANSI piping codes and standards.
Experience in production scheduling, material coordination, and workforce supervision.
Training in safety leadership, lean manufacturing, or continuous improvement preferred.
Working knowledge of MS Excel, Outlook, and Bluebeam PDF software.
Familiarity with production control or ERP systems preferred.
Work Environment & Physical Demands:
Position requires flexibility in work hours, including evenings or weekends when needed to meet production goals.
Work is primarily in an industrial shop environment with exposure to noise, heat, dust, and heavy equipment.
Must be able to stand or walk for long periods, climb ladders, and lift up to 50 lbs.
Regular use of personal protective equipment (PPE) required: hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, steel-toe boots, long sleeves, hearing protection, and respirator as needed. #LI-KF1
