Supervisor III - Operations

Job Title: Supervisor III

Location: Dubuque, IA
Shift: 3rd Shift (10:30 PM – 6:00 AM)
Schedule: Some Saturday work required
Employment Type: Contract
Pay Rate: 30-40$
Sponsorship: Not available

Position Summary

The Team Leader is responsible for achieving departmental goals across safety, quality, delivery, and cost. This role supervises production employees on an assigned shift, ensuring efficient manufacturing operations while maintaining a safe, compliant, and high-performing work environment.

This position serves as the primary liaison between shop floor employees and management, driving performance, engagement, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Operations Management

• Supervise and coordinate daily production activities to meet delivery, quality, and efficiency targets
• Manage staffing, including line assignments, vacancy coverage, and overtime scheduling
• Determine production priorities based on schedules and customer delivery requirements
• Monitor departmental performance metrics and implement corrective actions as needed

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure products meet or exceed established quality standards and control plan requirements
• Troubleshoot production and workmanship issues to minimize defects and downtime
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives, including 5S and lean manufacturing activities
• Support factory goals related to efficiency, cost control, and process optimization

Safety & Compliance

• Promote and enforce a strong safety culture through regular communication and engagement
• Lead safety initiatives, including SERA processes and near-miss reporting
• Ensure adherence to company policies, procedures, and work rules
• Maintain safe working conditions and proper housekeeping standards

People Leadership & Development

• Foster a positive work environment through effective communication, coaching, and feedback
• Ensure employees receive proper training, work instructions, and tools to succeed
• Monitor individual and team performance; address performance issues and administer discipline when necessary
• Drive employee engagement and support a collaborative team environment

Equipment & Budget Oversight

• Coordinate maintenance planning to maximize equipment uptime and utilization
• Monitor departmental spending and operate within budget targets

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in a unionized manufacturing environment
• 1+ year of experience with manufacturing and quality processes
• Experience supervising or leading production employees
• Ability to work overtime (weekdays and weekends as needed)
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills in fast-paced environments
• Effective communication skills across cross-functional teams (operations, engineering, HR, etc.)
• Experience enforcing policies, procedures, and work rules

Preferred Qualifications

• Leadership experience in a union environment
• Experience with production control systems 
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies
• Experience with shop floor systems and incentive pay programs (e.g., CIPP)
• Cross-functional experience (Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Management, etc.)
• Working knowledge of tools such as SAP, Excel, SharePoint, and Power BI

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, Supply Management, or related field
  OR equivalent relevant work experience