Job Summary
The Paint & Assembly Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, operational performance, and continuous improvement of Creative Metal Products Paint and General Assembly operations. This position provides strategic and hands-on leadership to ensure the departments consistently achieve safety, quality, productivity, labor, and on-time delivery objectives.
The Paint & Assembly Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining effective production processes, leading and developing department team members, managing staffing and labor utilization, and ensuring production priorities are executed efficiently. This position works closely with the General Manager, Quality, Maintenance, Materials, Shipping & Receiving, and Lean Systems Manager to identify opportunities, resolve operational challenges, and improve overall manufacturing performance.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Production & Operational Leadership
- Provide overall leadership and management for the Paint and General Assembly departments.
- Establish department priorities and ensure production schedules, customer commitments, quality expectations, and operational goals are achieved.
- Manage daily production activities and ensure appropriate staffing, equipment, materials, and resources are available to meet production requirements.
- Oversee the daily operations and performance of the powder coating/paint line and General Assembly department.
- Ensure Paint and Assembly processes are performed safely, efficiently, and according to established work instructions, customer specifications, and quality requirements.
- Monitor production output, schedule attainment, labor utilization, quality, scrap, rework, downtime, and other department KPIs.
- Balance labor, equipment, material availability, and production priorities to maximize throughput and efficiency.
- Monitor paint line changeovers and sequencing to reduce downtime, waste, and production interruptions.
- Ensure materials, components, powder, consumables, tools, and equipment are available to support production requirements.
- Identify production constraints, bottlenecks, recurring issues, and capacity concerns and implement appropriate corrective actions.
- Work closely with the General Manager and production leadership to understand upcoming production requirements and capacity needs.
- Communicate production constraints, risks, resource needs, and department performance to the General Manager.
- Partner with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, address downtime, and minimize production interruptions.
- Maintain a visible leadership presence on the production floor and promote accountability at all levels.
- Lead regular department meetings to communicate priorities, performance expectations, production requirements, and company initiatives.
People, Safety & Quality Management
- Lead, coach, develop, and hold department employees accountable for performance, attendance, safety, quality, and company expectations.
- Determine appropriate staffing levels based on production requirements, employee capabilities, and business needs.
- Work with the General Manager and Human Resources to identify staffing needs and support recruitment efforts.
- Develop employees through training, coaching, cross-training, and performance feedback.
- Identify skill gaps and establish training plans to improve department capabilities and workforce flexibility.
- Develop future leads and other department talent to support succession planning.
- Promote employee engagement, teamwork, accountability, and professional development.
- Address attendance, performance, conduct, and employee relations concerns in partnership with Human Resources.
- Establish a culture of quality and accountability throughout Paint and Assembly.
- Ensure products meet customer specifications, quality requirements, and established manufacturing standards.
- Partner with Quality to identify, investigate, and resolve recurring quality issues.
- Monitor scrap, rework, defects, first-pass yield, and other quality-related performance indicators.
- Support root-cause analysis and corrective action activities and ensure corrective actions are effectively implemented and sustained.
- Maintain a safe working environment throughout the Paint and Assembly departments.
- Ensure employees follow company safety policies, OSHA requirements, PPE requirements, and department-specific procedures.
- Conduct regular safety observations and address unsafe conditions or behaviors immediately.
- Participate in safety investigations and implement corrective actions as needed.
- Ensure appropriate chemical handling, hazard communication, PPE, and other applicable safety requirements are followed within the Paint operation.
- Maintain housekeeping, organization, and 5S standards throughout the departments.
Lean Manufacturing & Cross-Functional Improvement
- Partner with the Lean Systems Manager to implement and sustain Lean Manufacturing initiatives within Paint and Assembly.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, employee engagement, and problem-solving.
- Reinforce standardized work, visual management, 5S, and other Lean practices throughout the departments.
- Identify opportunities to eliminate waste, improve workflow, reduce downtime, increase productivity, and improve overall manufacturing efficiency.
- Participate in and provide leadership during Kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Encourage employees to identify process improvement opportunities and actively participate in problem-solving.
- Develop and implement department-level improvement plans based on operational performance data.
- Monitor the effectiveness of process improvements and ensure gains are sustained.
- Partner with the Lean Systems Manager to establish and achieve continuous improvement objectives.
- Collaborate with Quality to maintain product quality and resolve customer or internal quality concerns.
- Work with Materials and Shipping & Receiving to ensure required components, materials, and finished products flow efficiently through the operation.
- Partner with Maintenance to minimize equipment downtime and support equipment improvement initiatives.
- Work closely with other department managers and supervisors to coordinate production priorities and maintain efficient product flow.
- Support Sales, Customer Service, Estimating, and other departments by providing accurate production information when required.
- Participate in cross-functional meetings and company initiatives as directed by the General Manager.
Requirements
- High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, Industrial Engineering, or a related field preferred.
- Minimum of three (3) years of progressive leadership experience in a manufacturing environment.
- Previous experience managing production teams, leads, or supervisors preferred.
- Experience in powder coating, paint line operations, metal fabrication, assembly, or industrial manufacturing strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold production employees accountable for performance and company expectations.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production flow, quality systems, workplace safety, and labor utilization.
- Experience with production scheduling, labor planning, production metrics, and KPI management preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and improve operational performance.
- Strong organizational, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven manufacturing environment.
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
