Position Summary:
Operations
Leads foundry operations to safely produce cast products that meet quality, delivery, and cost targets through effective people leadership and process control. Essential Functions:
• Manage day-to-day foundry production to meet schedule, safety, quality, and throughput targets.
• Lead supervisors/leads and coordinate staffing, training, and performance management.
• Drive process discipline across melting, molding, pouring, shakeout, and finishing operations.
• Partner with Engineering and Quality on defect reduction, process capability, and corrective actions.
• Maintain equipment readiness with Maintenance; prioritize downtime issues and preventative maintenance.
• Ensure compliance with safety procedures, PPE, and hazard reporting; lead safety meetings and investigations.
• Monitor production KPIs and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Control labor and material costs; manage scrap, rework, and yield improvement programs.
• Ensure accurate production reporting, traceability, and standard work documentation.
• Coordinate with Planning/Shipping to align output to customer delivery commitments.
Additional Skills by Level
Level I: Stabilize safety and production routines; improve visibility of daily KPIs and shift handoffs.
Level II: Improve capability and yield through structured CI, training, and equipment reliability programs.
Level III: Lead major process upgrades, capacity expansion, or multi-shift transformation with enterprise impact.
Job Requirements and Qualifications
Education, Experience, or Formal Training:
• 5+ years manufacturing leadership experience; foundry/metal casting experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of safety practices, production scheduling, and continuous improvement methods.
• Ability to lead teams in a high-heat, industrial environment with strong communication and discipline.
Working Environment:
Hot, noisy foundry environment with dust/fumes and heavy equipment; PPE required frequent walking and standing; extended hours may be needed.
Physical Demands:
• Frequent standing/walking; ability to wear PPE/respiratory protection as required.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally and work around industrial equipment and elevated temperatures.
KPIs:
• Safety incident rate (TRIR) and near-miss reporting
• Production attainment vs. schedule
• Scrap and rework rate
• Yield / melt-to-ship efficiency
• Downtime hours and top causes
• Overtime hours as % of labor
• First Pass Yield (FPY) on foundry operations
• On-time handoff to downstream machining/finishing
• Training compliance for operators
• 5S/audit score for foundry areas
SMART Goals:
• Reduce recordable incidents by 25% within 12 months by increasing near-miss reporting and closing actions within 14 days.
• Achieve ≥95% production attainment weekly within 120 days through daily tier meetings and constraint management.
• Reduce scrap/rework by 15% within 9 months by eliminating top-3 defect drivers via RCA and process controls.
• Improve yield by 5% within 6 months by optimizing charge materials and controlling key process parameters.
• Cut unplanned downtime by 10% within 2 quarters by implementing PM schedules and downtime Pareto reviews.
• Reduce overtime by 8% within 6 months through staffing plans and improved schedule adherence.
• Increase FPY by 8 points within 2 quarters through standardized work and operator training refreshers.
• Deliver 95% on-time handoff to machining for 2 consecutive quarters via WIP controls and communication routines.
• Achieve 100% required training completion within 60 days for all foundry operators using a training matrix.
• Raise foundry 5S/audit score to ≥85% within 90 days by weekly audits and owner assignments.