Area Manager

Fairbanks Scales•Meridian, MS

20d•Onsite

About The Position

The Area Manager owns the day-to-day safety, quality, and production performance of one or more areas in Fairbanks Scales Inc.’s heavy-capacity truck scale manufacturing facility. The role leads production through Team Leads rather than directly supervising production staff and is expected to spend the large majority of each shift physically present on the factory floor. The Area Manager is personally accountable for preventing injuries, achieving right-first-time product quality, and meeting production needs. The position leads and develops Team Leads through real-time coaching, floor observation, huddles, on-the-job training, and root-cause exercises. It also participates in the Team Lead Development Program by nominating candidates, overseeing trials, and approving phase checkpoints. The role owns area safety, quality, and production measures, uses data to prioritize improvements, and balances safety, quality, cost, and schedule under operational pressure. This is a primarily on-site, floor-based role in a factory and grounds environment. Work includes exposure to heavy steel fabrication, welding, machining, material-handling equipment, elevated noise and heat, and outdoor loading and shipping areas with seasonal weather. A minority of work time is spent in an office on administrative tasks. The role is not remote-eligible.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED with equivalent experience required.
Minimum 5–7 years of manufacturing experience, including at least 2–3 years in a leadership role such as Team Lead or Supervisor, in heavy fabrication, structural steel, or heavy equipment.
Ability to read and apply structural fabrication drawings, weld symbols, and quality or tolerance specifications relevant to the area.
Working knowledge of safety leadership practices, near-miss and safety-observation programs, and OSHA fundamentals.
Ability to interpret production, quality, and safety data and translate it into specific, prioritized action.
Ability to coach and develop Team Leads’ judgment, provide direct and specific feedback, and delegate decisions appropriately.
Sound judgment balancing safety, quality, cost, and schedule under time pressure.
Clear, direct, and transparent communication skills.
Ability to meet the described physical demands, including constant standing and walking; occasional lifting or moving of materials up to 50 pounds; frequent sitting, crouching, kneeling, bending, climbing, and reaching; and constant use of required PPE.
Regular attendance is a necessary and essential function.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a technical, industrial, or operations-related field.
Experience with truck scales, weighing systems, or other legal-for-trade/NTEP-certified equipment manufacturing.
Experience working in or transitioning a team to an Engaged Manufacturing or similarly employee-empowered operating model.
Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma exposure, including hands-on experience leading kaizen events or structured root-cause problem-solving.
Experience developing frontline leaders through a structured program.

Responsibilities

Own safety performance for assigned areas, including incident rates, near-miss reporting, and leading indicators; model safe behavior and partner with EHS/Safety leadership on training, PPE audits, and regulatory compliance.
Coach Team Leads to conduct root-cause-focused safety conversations and incident investigations, and ensure corrective actions are implemented and verified.
Own first-pass yield and rework/scrap rates; ensure employees understand applicable specifications and lead or sponsor root-cause problem-solving for recurring quality issues.
Maintain quality standards under schedule pressure, coach Team Leads to do the same, and partner with the Quality Manager and QC on inspection results, customer quality escapes, and corrective actions.
Own arc-on percentage, machine utilization, downtime by root cause, and on-time completion of scheduled work; use downtime and root-cause data to prioritize improvements.
Balance production priorities with material availability, staffing, and equipment condition; drive standard work and cycle-time discipline.
Identify and lead or sponsor productivity improvements, such as layout changes, changeover-time reduction, and tooling or fixture upgrades, supported by an efficiency or cost case.
Coach Team Leads through floor observation, huddles, on-the-job training, and root-cause exercises; provide same-day feedback and delegate decision authority within defined boundaries.
Participate in the Team Lead Development Program by nominating candidates, running trial periods, signing off on phase checkpoints, and building a pipeline of future Team Leads.
Hold Team Leads accountable for output, quality, and safety metrics, as well as expected coaching and delegation behaviors.
Directly lead Team Leads in assigned areas, who in turn lead production team members, while spending the large majority of each shift on the factory floor.