Mechanical Assembly Operations Lead

Job Description

Job Description

About the Role

Picture your day starting with a floor walk: you check material staging, review the build plan, sync with Quality, and rally your team around safety and precision. As the Mechanical Assembly Operations Lead, you orchestrate the assembly department to meet targets for quality, throughput, schedule, cost, and team engagement. Your technical judgment and leadership keep work instructions tight, variation controlled, and the line moving smoothly.

What You’ll Accomplish

• Champion product quality by enforcing adherence to standard operating procedures, frozen processes, and documented work instructions.
• Safeguard build integrity by ensuring every required characteristic is inspected and recorded per the Operator Characteristics Claim Sheet.
• Partner with Quality to investigate discrepancies, drive root-cause analysis, implement corrective actions, and prevent recurrence.
• Collaborate with employees, Technical Services, and Quality Assurance to reduce non-conformance risk and remove process variation.
• Proactively stage materials and resources before operation start times to protect the schedule.
• Assign work with clarity on tasks, standard times, and approved methods; confirm resources meet routed standards and process plans.
• Track progress continuously, resolving bottlenecks early to avoid disruption, inefficiency, or delay.
• Engage in daily schedule/production huddles; deploy overtime as needed to achieve throughput commitments.
• Spot waste and opportunities for efficiency gains; lead implementation of improvements.
• Ensure focused training on primary roles and practical cross-training so team members can flex across operations.
• Deliver on-time performance appraisals grounded in quality, productivity, and policy adherence.
• Recognize standout contributions in writing and verbally; uphold fair, consistent corrective action aligned to policy while treating everyone with dignity and respect.

What Success Looks Like

• Stable, high-quality output with minimal deviation from SOPs and work instructions.
• Effective use of skilled labor to meet or beat routed standards.
• A motivated team that understands its impact and continuously improves.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of Supervisor/Management experience in mechanical assembly, testing, gas turbines, or power generation.
• Five years of progressive achievement in manufacturing operations.
• High school diploma required; technical degree preferred.
• Aerospace/defense program familiarity preferred.
• Proven leadership with the ability to build consensus and earn followership.
• Strong written and verbal communication; excellent organization and time management.
• Ability to direct others efficiently and meet deadlines.
• Analytical problem-solver who defines issues and executes effective corrective action.
• Comfort with Microsoft Office and electronic time/labor tracking and reporting tools.
• Solid understanding of—or the ability to quickly learn—production operations and machinery.

How You Work With Others

• Cultivate strong partnerships with Production, Quality, Engineering, and Purchasing.
• Lead with a firm, fair, and consistent approach.
• Bring a cooperative mindset and proactively help colleagues succeed.

Physical Demands

• Stand, walk, and move on the production floor for extended periods (10 hours/day).
• Frequent hand use for handling tools/parts; lift and move up to 50 lbs unassisted.
• Visual acuity to read blueprints, inspect components, and spot defects.
• Hearing sufficient for team communication, safety alarms, and machinery in a noisy setting.
• Frequent bending, reaching, kneeling, and squatting for inspections and oversight.
• Ability to wear required PPE (safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toe shoes) all day.

Mental Demands

• Lead decisively under pressure and delegate effectively to hit production goals.
• Troubleshoot line issues, find root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain exceptional attention to detail and adherence to defense-industry standards.
• Manage multiple priorities—supervision, scheduling, and delivery targets.
• Stay composed in a fast-paced environment with deadlines and changing priorities.
• Communicate clearly up, down, and across the organization.
• Understand ITAR/quality requirements and ensure team compliance.

Compliance Notices (verbatim)

• *Must be US Citizen
• *Must be able to pass drug test
• *Cannot have criminal history (Felony)
• Must be a US citizen.