Job Summary:
The Associate Team Leader is responsible for supporting the daily activities and performance of production, converting, special mailing, fulfillment, shipping, and related operational areas. This role coordinates employees, equipment, materials, schedules, and processes to ensure safety, quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction objectives are achieved.
The position provides frontline leadership by assigning and prioritizing work, monitoring workflow, facilitating communication between departments and shifts, training employees, and driving continuous improvement initiatives. The Associate Operations Team Leader works collaboratively with management and cross-functional teams to improve operational efficiency, reduce errors and waste, meet production schedules, and support a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
This position may require flexibility to work across multiple shifts, including evenings, nights, weekends, and overtime as business needs require.
Essential Job Functions:
- Lead, motivate, and support departmental employees in achieving operational goals.
- Assign and prioritize work based on production demands, staffing levels, and customer requirements.
- Facilitate communication between shifts and departments to ensure smooth workflow and issue resolution.
- Conduct daily team meetings and communicate departmental goals, priorities, and performance expectations.
- Develop, maintain, and administer employee training programs, including onboarding, cross-training, and refresher training.
- Provide coaching, feedback, and corrective action as necessary.
- Review and approve employee attendance and timekeeping records.
- Promote teamwork, accountability, and employee engagement.
- Maintain confidentiality of employee information and business records.
- Coordinate daily activities involving personnel, equipment, materials, inventory, and resources to meet production and customer requirements.
- Assist with production planning, projections, scheduling, and workload balancing.
- Monitor workflow, equipment utilization, uptime, downtime, and operational performance.
- Ensure adequate materials, supplies, and resources are available to support production schedules.
- Support order fulfillment accuracy, inventory management, shipping activities, and customer-specific requirements.
- Work with internal departments to resolve production or order-related issues and ensure on-time delivery.
- Track maintenance needs and coordinate support services as required.
- Complete reports, documentation, and administrative responsibilities accurately and on time.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, safety requirements, quality standards, and operating procedures.
- Address safety concerns immediately and stop unsafe activities when necessary.
- Conduct and support process audits to ensure standard work procedures are followed.
- Review quality concerns, customer feedback, first-run errors, and operational issues to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Assist with testing and evaluation of new equipment, materials, technologies, and processes.
- Maintain departmental documentation, work instructions, labeling systems, and process controls.
- Promote and support Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Participate in and facilitate problem-solving activities, Kaizen events, PDCA activities, and root cause analysis.
- Lead or support efforts to improve productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, and cost performance.
- Monitor and maintain workplace organization through 5S and other operational excellence programs.
- Partner with team members and management to identify and implement process improvements.
Additional Responsibilities
- Support operational needs across departments as required.
- Participate in company safety initiatives and audits.
- Perform other duties as assigned by management.
Requirements:
Experience:
- Experience in a manufacturing, production, warehouse, fulfillment, mailing, or related operational environment.
- Previous leadership, supervisory, or team lead experience preferred.
- Experience with scheduling, workflow coordination, and production processes preferred.
- Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies preferred.
- Understanding of printing, converting, mailing, fulfillment, or related production processes is beneficial.
Education:
- High School Diploma or GED required.
- Additional coursework or training in Leadership, Lean Manufacturing, Operations Management, or related disciplines preferred.
Skills and Abilities:
- Strong leadership and team-building skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
- Strong organizational, time management, and multitasking skills.
- Demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
- Ability to analyze operational data and generate reports.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
- Ability to explain processes and procedures clearly to employees at all levels.
- Positive, action-oriented mindset with a focus on continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
Working Environment:
- Work is performed in both office and production/warehouse environments.
- Frequent standing, walking, bending, reaching, and movement throughout the facility.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds occasionally.
- Ability to work flexible hours, overtime, weekends, and alternate shifts as necessary.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Directly supervises and supports operational employees.
- May supervise approximately 6-20 employees depending on departmental assignment.
- Responsible for employee training, performance feedback, scheduling support, and daily work coordination.
(Note: These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work involved for this job. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this job.)