Welding & Fabrication Manager

**Responsibilities:

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• Lead day-to-day operations and business planning for three shops: Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop, including cutting, forming, welding, machining, assembly, coating, and woodworking.
• Manage Shop Leads and all shop personnel, including hiring, staffing, performance management, coaching, succession planning, and attendance.
• Own labor, material, scrap/rework costs, operating budgets, cost variance, and corrective actions across all three shops.
• Develop manpower and capacity plans based on backlog, production demand, skills, and production schedules, including weekend Fab Shop coverage.
• Lead daily production huddles and weekly performance reviews; resolve manpower, material, equipment, quality, and scheduling issues.
• Coordinate closely with Engineering, Purchasing, Shipping, Production Scheduling, Sales/Estimating, Finance, and HR to maintain production flow and customer delivery schedules.
• Monitor Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) performance and drive corrective actions.
• Own first-pass yield, scrap/rework, nonconformance resolution, and quality improvement across all three shops.
• Ensure compliance with drawings, work instructions, Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), welding certifications, inspection plans, and approved process parameters.
• Lead safety programs, audits, toolbox talks, incident/near-miss investigations, PPE enforcement, OSHA compliance, and required employee safety training.
• Maintain preventive maintenance schedules for equipment across all three shops.
• Drive labor efficiency, attendance, productivity, and daily output against production plans.
• Utilize ERP/MRP data, including Fulcrum, to identify recurring production issues, lost time, and schedule delays.
• Implement and sustain 5S, Lean Manufacturing, Standard Work, Kaizen, and structured problem-solving using A3/PDCA methodologies.
• Identify equipment, tooling, facility, and capital investment needs and develop business justifications.
• Partner with Sales/Estimating and Finance to ensure quoted costs and margins accurately reflect operating requirements.
• Report quarterly and annual Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People results to the Director of Operations and Engineering.

**Qualifications:

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• 5+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, preferably in metal fabrication/welding with experience in powder coating, woodworking, millwork, or another secondary finishing process.
• Hands-on knowledge of welding, cutting, forming, CNC, machining, and assembly processes.
• Working knowledge of welding codes, OSHA requirements, and shop safety practices.
• Proven experience managing people across multiple production areas, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and HR compliance.
• Experience with budgeting, cost tracking, labor efficiency, scrap/rework, and capital expenditure justification.
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; Fulcrum experience preferred.
• Strong communication, leadership, coaching, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Experience managing multiple production areas or processes simultaneously.
• Experience in a custom, make-to-order (MTO), job shop, or fabrication environment preferred.
• Familiarity with powder coating and/or woodworking/millwork processes preferred.
• Lean Manufacturing or continuous-improvement experience, including 5S, Kaizen, A3, PDCA, or Standard Work, preferred.
• Weld certifications or familiarity with AWS QC1 inspection standards preferred.
• Willingness to develop and strengthen formal Lean/continuous-improvement capabilities.

You should be proficient in:

• Supervisory Experience
• METAL FABRICATION
• WELDING
• OSHA