2nd Shift Moonshiner Team Leader

Trane Italia • Columbia, SC

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Moonshine Team Lead is an hourly working leader responsible for coordinating the daily execution of in-house fabrication, prototype, fixture, tooling, cart, and custom manufacturing support solutions for the plant. This role leads a team of fabricators and technicians in support of manufacturing, material handling, safety, quality, ergonomic, and continuous improvement needs.
The Team Lead provides day-to-day direction, assigns and prioritizes work, supports problem solving, removes barriers, and helps ensure projects are completed safely, efficiently, and with high workmanship standards. This position also serves as a technical resource and escalation point for more complex fabrication requests while coaching team members across all skill tiers.
This is a hands-on hourly leadership role that combines technical fabrication capability, team coordination, customer communication, and workflow management. The role is not primarily administrative; it is expected to actively support fabrication and prototype activities while leading team performance, standard work, and project execution.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required.
• 5+ years of experience in fabrication, manufacturing, welding, prototype, tooling, maintenance, or related industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating the daily work of others in a shop or manufacturing setting.
• Strong hands-on fabrication skills including welding, cutting, drilling, grinding, fit-up, and assembly.
• MIG and TIG welding capability required.
• Ability to read and interpret blueprints, schematics, sketches, and mechanical drawings.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting ability.
• Ability to prioritize multiple jobs and respond effectively to changing plant needs.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills with the ability to work across operations, engineering, CI, maintenance, quality, and safety.
• Basic computer skills for work tracking, documentation, and communication.

Nice To Haves

• Degree or certificate in Industrial Maintenance Technology, Welding Technology, Manufacturing Technology, or related field preferred.
• Experience with prototype builds, fixture design, tooling, carts, ergonomic improvements, or custom equipment fabrication.
• Basic machining experience including lathes, mills, grinders, or similar equipment.
• Basic electrical knowledge preferred.
• Knowledge of hydraulic and pneumatic systems preferred.
• Experience working within a work order, project tracking, or maintenance management system.
• Experience in Lean, continuous improvement, or manufacturing process improvement environments.
• Prior experience coaching, training, or developing employees preferred.
• Fork truck, hoist, rigging, or lift equipment experience/certification as applicable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the daily activities of the Moonshine/fabrication team in support of plant priorities.
• Assign work based on skill level, urgency, safety risk, business impact, and available resources.
• Balance labor across multiple requests, projects, and rapid-response needs.
• Provide day-to-day direction, coordination, and hands-on support to technicians.
• Monitor project flow from intake through fabrication, testing, installation, and close-out.
• Escalate capacity, material, technical, or timeline constraints as needed.
• Support shift-to-shift communication and continuity of work when applicable.
• Promote and enforce safe work practices, PPE use, and fabrication safety standards.
• Ensure fabrication, welding, cutting, lifting, assembly, and installation activities are completed safely.
• Reinforce quality expectations, craftsmanship standards, and adherence to specifications.
• Identify and address unsafe conditions, quality concerns, rework trends, and process breakdowns.
• Support risk assessment of custom builds, prototypes, tooling, and ergonomic solutions before implementation.
• Support or directly perform fabrication activities including welding, cutting, grinding, drilling, fit-up, assembly, and modification of fixtures, carts, tooling, prototypes, and custom equipment.
• Help translate customer requests, rough concepts, and floor problems into buildable solutions.
• Review prints, sketches, dimensions, and concept ideas for practicality and execution.
• Provide technical guidance on fabrication approach, sequencing, material selection, and build methods.
• Assist with higher-complexity or high-visibility projects requiring advanced troubleshooting or coordination.
• Manage incoming requests through the work order or request tracking system.
• Help prioritize jobs based on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and operational need.
• Communicate regularly with internal customers regarding project scope, status, timing, and constraints.
• Clarify unclear requests and help define practical project goals, success criteria, and timelines.
• Support documentation including sketches, job notes, photos, bills of material, and completion updates.
• Train, coach, and develop technicians across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 capability levels.
• Reinforce standard work, documentation discipline, safe practices, and teamwork expectations.
• Support onboarding and skill development of new or less experienced fabricators.
• Provide real-time coaching on troubleshooting, craftsmanship, work planning, and customer communication.
• Help identify development opportunities, readiness for progression, and skill gaps across the team.
• Support continuous improvement activity related to safety, ergonomics, quality, productivity, and material flow.
• Help improve team systems including request intake, prioritization, planning, visual management, documentation, and close-out methods.
• Drive organization and 5S in the Moonshine/fabrication area.
• Help capture lessons learned, repeat-build opportunities, and standardization ideas.
• Track and support team performance measures such as backlog, lead time, on-time completion, rework, and throughput.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Holistic wellness programs with generous incentives
• Family building benefits include fertility coverage and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
• 401K match up to 6%, plus an additional 2% core contribution
• 15 vacation days
• 9 paid holidays
• 3 floating holidays
• Sick leave
• Additional options to support volunteer and parental leave.
• Educational and training opportunities through company programs
• Tuition assistance
• Student debt support

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED