Tool Room Section Manager

Indiana Automotive Fasteners Careers•Greenfield, IN

13d

About The Position

The Tool Room Section Manager leads the department in support of company and departmental goals, serving as a role model for company values, policies, and processes. The role is accountable for departmental performance and improvement, and leads with safety, quality, delivery, and cost in mind. It maintains knowledge of departmental work and connected operations, champions the Toyota Production System (TPS) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and coordinates training and cross-training to ensure team capability and coverage. The manager sets departmental expectations, goals, action plans, and work assignments; communicates performance and abnormal conditions; and drives continuous improvement. The role safeguards employee safety and product quality, enforces standards, investigates problems and nonconformances, and develops countermeasures. It also manages floor-management results, develops and executes the section action plan, and works across shifts as needed. The position manages tooling inventory and suppliers, supports production departments with troubleshooting, training, guidance, and project work, and travels to suppliers for tool localization and audits. It creates process sheets and reports, improves tooling design, participates in hiring and team selection, and may provide interim leadership related to Tool Engineering during a manufacturing manager's short-term absence. The work environment is manufacturing, with potential exposure to hazardous chemicals and non-temperature-controlled conditions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business management or a STEM discipline is preferred; 5 or more years of experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
Ability to read and interpret safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, procedure manuals, technical drawings, quality specifications, and engineering specifications.
Ability to write routine reports and correspondence and speak effectively with team members, peers, and management.
Ability to perform basic troubleshooting activities with minimal direction after training.
Ability to use hand tools and understand and perform required techniques.
Ability to identify problems and develop appropriate solutions using problem-solving methods.
Familiarity with industrial equipment and mechanical tools.
Ability to work in a Windows computer environment, with proficiency in Excel, and look up work instructions or reference documents.
Ability to take initiative, manage tooling costs, and lead cost-reduction activities.
Safety-aware and quality-focused, collaborative, adaptable, and willing to perform varied duties.
Oriented toward continuous improvement, including suggesting and implementing process and quality improvements.
Highly organized and self-motivated.
Work hours may include any day of the week and any shift, as needed.
Regular standing, walking, bending, and lifting; occasional kneeling, climbing, and reaching; lifting up to 40 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in business management or a STEM discipline.

Responsibilities

Lead the department as a role model for company values, policies, and processes, with safety, quality, delivery, and cost in mind.
Maintain knowledge of departmental tasks and upstream and downstream operations; champion the Toyota Production System (TPS) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).
Take ownership of department performance and drive improvement.
Coordinate qualification training for new team members and develop cross-training plans to ensure area and process coverage.
Serve as a key departmental contact, provide support and communication, and set departmental expectations, goals, and courses of action.
Facilitate departmental meetings as needed, establish SQDC messages, and communicate expectations.
Plan department goals, objectives, and action plans; assign work, daily tasks, and continuous-improvement projects.
Run the department without compromising safety and take action to ensure only conforming product and parts move to the next process.
Establish and enforce work standards; identify and drive improvements to processes and procedures.
Determine root causes and countermeasures for product nonconformances, machine and tool issues, process problems, abnormal conditions, and other opportunities for Kaizen and continual improvement.
Manage the floor-management system, including developing, communicating, and posting results.
Develop and execute the area's strategic plan (section action plan) and align activities with company and functional action plans.
Work across shifts periodically to communicate, align the team, and assess performance; provide coverage for absences or emergencies as needed.
Act as interim leader for Tool Engineering in the event of a manufacturing manager's short-term absence.
Communicate, analyze, and resolve abnormal conditions.
Lead Area S+ and enforce compliance with established standards.
Manage safety communication, reporting, and team compliance, including accident investigations and countermeasures, protective equipment, on-the-job protection, OSHA requirements, and emergency action plans.
Facilitate quality by auditing work instructions for completeness and accuracy, verifying team-member training, and ensuring standard work is followed.
Communicate area performance promptly to leadership and complete non-routine projects or assignments as needed.
Participate in hiring Tool Engineering members and in assessment and selection processes.
Manage tool inventory, including ordering, storage, distribution, and obsolete tooling.
Travel to suppliers for tool localization and audits to ensure compliance with internal requirements.
Notify production departments of issues and support troubleshooting and countermeasures.
Support production departments with training, guidance, and project work.
Create reports and report monthly based on Section Action Plan requirements.
Interface with parent and sister companies.
Maintain Tool Engineering suppliers and ordering.
Create and issue process sheets to manufacturing.
Improve tooling design.
Complete other duties and assignments as directed by IAF leadership.