Coating Line Team Lead

Apogee Enterprises, Inc.•Louisville, KY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Coating Line Team Lead is a hands-on leadership role responsible for the safe, high-quality, and efficient operation of the Coating Line. This position spends the majority of time working alongside the team in production while also providing day-to-day direction, coaching, and problem solving. The Coating Line Team Lead serves as the primary point of ownership on shift for safety, quality, delivery, and productivity. They coordinate daily activities, adjust labor and priorities in real time, support troubleshooting and continuous improvement, and act as a key link between the production team, Supervisor, Maintenance, and support functions. This role is a pipeline for future technical and supervisory leadership.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required; technical degree or certification preferred.
2–5 years of manufacturing experience; coating or continuous process experience preferred.
Demonstrated ability to lead through influence in a team-based environment.
Strong safety mindset and working knowledge of LOTO and PPE requirements.
Solid mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting skills.
High attention to detail and commitment to quality.
Basic computer proficiency (Epicor, SCADA, RHEO or similar systems).
Ability to safely operate a forklift; must be able to obtain and maintain company forklift certification.
Willingness to flex between production, technical, and material handling responsibilities based on team needs.
Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Willingness to flex across roles and support team needs.

Nice To Haves

Experience with coating application, E-Beam curing, or quality control strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead by example in personal and team safety, ensuring compliance with all safety policies and procedures.
Enforce proper PPE usage and Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) compliance.
Assist with Job Safety Analyses (JSAs), hazard identification, and corrective actions.
Stop work and escalate safety concerns as needed.
Perform and support standard work across sanding, coating, inspection, material handling, and packing as required.
Lead daily startup, changeovers, calibrations, line testing, and recipe verification.
Coordinate work assignments and labor flexing to meet daily production goals.
Monitor throughput, downtime, and flow; take immediate action to mitigate losses.
Own the Coating Line from raw material input through finished product delivery.
Ensure all process and product quality standards are met or exceeded.
Perform routine quality checks and verify adherence to SOPs and control plans.
Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for quality issues.
Drive first-pass yield (FPY) improvement and defect reduction.
Provide real-time direction, coaching, and support to HPWT team members.
Assist with onboarding, cross-training, and skill qualification of team members.
Reinforce standard work, accountability, and ownership on the floor.
Lead shift huddles and support communication across the team.
Lead and participate in continuous improvement (CI) activities.
Identify process, equipment, and workflow improvement opportunities.
Facilitate small experiments, trials, and data collection.
Update and maintain the Problem Log, GEMBA board, and visual management tools.
Tag and document downtime events in SCADA and track actions to closure.
Interface with Maintenance to submit, prioritize, and follow up on work orders.
Support troubleshooting of equipment and process issues.
Ensure cleanliness, 5S, and audit readiness of the Coating Line.
Communicate effectively with Supervisors, Quality, Maintenance, Engineering, and Scheduling.
Support audits, SOP development, and process documentation updates.
Participate in cross-departmental improvement initiatives as needed.