Supervisor Test Lab - MOR

JTEKT North America•Morristown, TN

38d•Hybrid

About The Position

In this role, you will report to the Test Lab Manager and supervise the day-to-day operation of the Morristown (JATM) CVJ laboratory and Vonore (JATV) hydraulic and EPS steering laboratory. You will lead engineers and technicians, establish priorities, manage resources and schedules, ensure safe and compliant testing, develop employee capability, maintain equipment readiness, and provide accurate and timely laboratory output.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of automotive laboratory operations, mechanical validation testing, scheduling, reporting, calibration, maintenance, and controlled documentation.
Ability to lead technical personnel at two locations and maintain one clear source of schedule and status information.
Demonstrated leadership skills, including coaching, one-on-one meetings, reviews, conflict resolution, and employee development.
Ability to use skills matrices and competency plans to identify gaps, verify qualification, and reduce single-point knowledge risk.
Knowledge of safe laboratory practices, PPE, lockout/tagout principles, contractor coordination, and 5S.
Knowledge of quality systems, controlled documents, audits, corrective action, traceability, and calibration records.
Knowledge of requisitions, supplier coordination, expense documentation, budget tracking, and capital requests.
Excellent planning, organization, decision-making, communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, scheduling tools, and applicable company systems.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly between JATM and JATV.
Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Business Management, or a related discipline preferred.
Minimum of five (5) years of experience in automotive testing, laboratory operations, engineering, manufacturing, or a related technical environment.

Nice To Haves

Previous supervisory or people-leadership experience strongly preferred.
Experience managing schedules, resources, personnel, purchasing, maintenance, calibration, safety, and quality documentation preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the day-to-day operation, staffing, capacity, safety, quality, delivery, and administration of the JATM and JATV test laboratories.
Review and accept test requests; approve requests, assign resources, establish priorities, and maintain one controlled schedule for both laboratories.
Ensure safe and compliant sample receipt, identification, traceability, storage, setup, testing, teardown, and disposition.
Approve and release final laboratory reports after verifying required reviews, records, data, photographs, and supporting documentation.
Maintain the master schedule, test-request logs, report status, equipment schedules, action plans, and weekly updates.
Lead weekly JATM and JATV meetings covering testing progress, upcoming work, safety, quality, delivery, equipment, and open actions.
Assign work and resolve priority, workload, staffing, and escalation issues across both locations.
Approve time sheets and time-away requests and maintain staffing coverage.
Conduct one-on-one meetings and performance reviews and provide coaching and development planning.
Own employee training plans and skills matrices; verify competency, identify skill risks, and execute cross-training plans.
Ensure coverage for critical bench programming, steering durability processes, reporting, calibration, fixture development, and purchasing activities.
Enforce laboratory safety requirements, risk controls, lockout/tagout expectations, PPE, authorized equipment use, and environmental requirements.
Own equipment uptime and compliance through preventive maintenance, calibration plans, controlled records, and supplier coordination.
Maintain controlled documents and audit readiness; support IATF, ISO, customer, and internal audits and corrective actions.
Manage laboratory supplies, Oracle requisitions, purchase coordination, expense documentation, budget tracking, and capital-purchase requests.
Coordinate equipment repairs, facility support, outside services, fixture procurement, and new-equipment installation.
Report KPIs and develop countermeasures for safety, quality, delivery, backlog, equipment availability, utilization, and training coverage issues.
Approve laboratory commitments and quotes for work requested by JJP or other departments.
Ensure application engineering retains product interpretation and product-engineering deliverables.
Identify capacity, headcount, equipment, documentation, and redundancy gaps and recommend improvements.
Drive 5S, standard work, continuous improvement, and knowledge transfer across JATM and JATV.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Directly supervises approximately six engineers and technicians assigned across JATM and JATV.
Responsibilities include work assignment, training, competency verification, performance management, time approval, leave coordination, interviewing, hiring recommendations, and corrective action.