Manufacturing Supervisor - CNC/Screw Machine Operations

Position Summary / Essential Function

The Manufacturing Supervisor - CNC / Screw Machine Operations leads the people and production activities of an assigned shift to safely achieve established quality, delivery, productivity, and cost expectations.

The essential function of the position is to provide direct leadership of production employees; organize and assign shift work; monitor production, staffing, equipment, and quality performance; respond to operating issues as they arise; and maintain accountability for employee performance, attendance, conduct, and adherence to established processes.

The Supervisor is responsible for translating Cableware's production plan and department priorities into successful shift execution across machining and related manufacturing operations. This includes maintaining visibility on the production floor, supporting technical troubleshooting, identifying and resolving barriers to performance, coordinating support from other functions, and ensuring effective communication and follow-through.

Success in this role requires a hands-on leader who takes ownership of both operational results and the development, engagement, and accountability of their team.

Key Responsibilities

Production & Operational Leadership

• Lead assigned shift operations and establish clear expectations for safety, quality, production, productivity, attendance, conduct, and teamwork.

• Maintain an active presence on the production floor to understand operating conditions, support employees, identify barriers, and ensure adherence to established expectations and standard work.

• Review production requirements and organize labor, equipment, materials, tooling, and priorities to achieve the established production plan.

• Direct and coordinate machining and related production activities, including CNC equipment, screw machines, and other manufacturing processes within the Cableware department.

• Assign work and adjust staffing or production priorities in response to absenteeism, equipment issues, material availability, changing priorities, or other operating conditions.

• Monitor performance through established daily management systems and key performance indicators, including safety, production attainment, throughput, labor efficiency, scrap, yield, downtime, quality, and attendance.

• Identify gaps against production expectations and take timely corrective action within the Supervisor's authority; promptly escalate issues requiring additional resources, decisions, or cross-functional support.

• Monitor equipment performance and partner with Maintenance, Engineering, and experienced operators to troubleshoot machining issues, tooling concerns, equipment breakdowns, and recurring production problems.

• Support effective machine setups, changeovers, tooling availability, and process consistency to minimize avoidable downtime and maintain production efficiency.

• Ensure production meets customer specifications, internal quality requirements, documented processes, and established work instructions.

• Respond promptly to quality concerns, dimensional variation, and process deviations; contain issues within the Supervisor's authority and engage Quality or Engineering when additional support is required.

• Monitor appropriate use of labor, materials, supplies, and overtime and make practical decisions that support productivity and cost expectations.

• Participate in Lean manufacturing, 5S, root-cause analysis, standard work, and continuous-improvement activities.

People Leadership & Accountability

• Provide consistent, visible, and approachable leadership, building productive working relationships with employees while maintaining clear professional expectations and accountability.

• Set clear expectations for individual performance, attendance, conduct, quality of work, and teamwork, ensuring employees understand both what is expected and how their performance will be evaluated.

• Take direct ownership of employee performance management. Address concerns promptly and constructively, provide coaching and feedback, and ensure appropriate follow-through rather than allowing issues to remain unresolved.

• Recognize strong performance, encourage employee contributions, and support a work environment where employees feel respected, heard, and accountable for their work.

• Apply company policies, performance standards, and workplace expectations fairly and consistently, exercising sound judgment and addressing concerns without favoritism or unnecessary delay.

• Conduct timely and direct conversations regarding performance, attendance, behavior, or workplace conflict. Document concerns appropriately and partner with Human Resources when formal corrective action or additional guidance is warranted.

• Maintain ownership of employee corrective actions from initial coaching through documentation, delivery, and follow-up.

• Identify and address interpersonal conflict, unprofessional conduct, and behaviors that negatively affect teamwork, morale, safety, or productivity.

• Maintain open communication with employees and encourage the timely identification of concerns, operational barriers, and opportunities for improvement.

• Support employee onboarding, training, and development, including the qualification and cross-training of machine operators and other production employees.

• Identify employee strengths, skill gaps, and development opportunities; provide ongoing coaching and work with department leadership to build team capability and succession readiness.

• Manage attendance and staffing on the assigned shift, including call-offs, tardiness, overtime needs, break coverage, and appropriate escalation of staffing concerns.

• Demonstrate professionalism, sound judgment, discretion, and accountability in all employee interactions, setting the standard for the conduct expected throughout the department.

Safety, Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain a safe work environment; enforce safety requirements; correct unsafe behaviors or conditions; and participate in incident investigations, corrective actions, observations, and risk-reduction activities.

• Reinforce safe machine operation, proper guarding, lockout/tagout requirements, tooling practices, and other applicable manufacturing safety standards.

• Ensure employees follow approved manufacturing processes, inspection requirements, setup procedures, and established work instructions.

• Partner with Quality and Engineering to investigate recurring defects, scrap, dimensional inconsistencies, and other manufacturing concerns.

• Identify opportunities to improve machine utilization, cycle times, setups, material flow, workplace organization, and production consistency.

• Reinforce process discipline and standard work while encouraging employees to contribute practical ideas for improving safety, quality, and efficiency.

• Support the implementation and sustained adoption of corrective actions and continuous-improvement initiatives.

Communication & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Maintain accurate production reporting, employee documentation, training records, and other required operating information.

• Provide clear and timely communication to the Plant Manager regarding significant safety, quality, staffing, equipment, production, or employee concerns.

• Proactively communicate emerging issues, proposed solutions, and actions taken, ensuring department leadership has appropriate visibility without requiring repeated follow-up.

• Partner with Planning, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Human Resources, and other departments to resolve issues affecting production performance.

• Maintain accountability for assigned action items, communicating progress, obstacles, and resolution in a timely manner.

• Perform other related duties consistent with the role, delegated authority, and business needs.

Success Measures

Success in this role is demonstrated through consistent achievement and improvement of performance, including:

• Safety performance and adherence to safe work practices

• Production plan and schedule attainment

• Machine utilization, throughput, and productivity

• Labor utilization and overtime management

• Scrap, yield, dimensional accuracy, and quality performance

• Equipment uptime, setup efficiency, and response to downtime

• Attendance and staffing stability

• Employee performance, engagement, development, and accountability

• Timely and consistent performance management and corrective-action follow-through

• Adherence to standard work and operating processes

• Proactive communication and timely escalation of operating and employee concerns

• Effective cross-functional coordination and shift handoffs

• Sustained completion of corrective and continuous-improvement actions

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Operations, Business, Engineering, or a related field preferred.

• Minimum of five years of experience in manufacturing or a comparable production environment, including at least two years of lead, supervisory, or progressively responsible leadership experience.

• Demonstrated experience directing production employees, coordinating daily production activities, and managing employee performance.

• Experience in a machining or precision manufacturing environment strongly preferred, particularly with CNC machining, automatic screw machines, or similar equipment and processes.

• Hands-on knowledge of CNC equipment, screw machine operations, tooling, setups, machining processes, and troubleshooting highly preferred.

• Familiarity with machining drawings, dimensional tolerances, precision measurement, and quality inspection practices preferred.

• Demonstrated understanding of safety, quality, production, productivity, equipment, and employee performance expectations in a manufacturing environment.

• Experience using production data and key performance indicators to identify performance gaps and take corrective action.

• Demonstrated ability to coach employees, address performance and conduct concerns directly, and maintain consistent accountability across a production team.

• Experience with ERP or MRP systems, e.g., Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Office applications preferred.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, manage competing production priorities, communicate effectively, resolve conflict, and follow through on operational and employee matters.

• Ability to work regularly in an active manufacturing environment and to work the assigned shift and additional hours as operational needs require, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Key Competencies

• Front-line manufacturing leadership

• Machining and production operations awareness

• Shift execution and production control

• Safety and quality leadership

• Employee coaching, development, and accountability

• Conflict resolution and sound judgment

• Labor and resource allocation

• Decisive real-time problem solving

• Equipment, tooling, and downtime awareness

• Standard work and process discipline

• Proactive communication and escalation

• Cross-functional teamwork

• Continuous improvement

• Ownership, reliability, urgency, and follow-through

Physical and Work Environment Requirements

The role operates primarily in an active manufacturing environment with some office-based responsibilities. It requires regular presence on the production floor; frequent walking and standing; observation of machinery, material flow, employees, and production activities; use of a computer and standard office equipment; and communication in areas where hearing protection or other personal protective equipment may be required.

The position requires availability for the shift and may require work outside regularly scheduled hours to support operational needs. Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with applicable law. This description identifies the essential functions of the position but is not intended to list every physical activity or working condition.

Benefits

Subject to the terms, eligibility requirements, and amendment provisions of the applicable plans and policies:

• 401(k) with matching

• Dental insurance

• Employee assistance program

• Flexible spending account

• Health insurance

• Health savings account

• Life insurance

• Paid time off

• Referral program

• Tuition reimbursement

• Vision insurance

Pre-Employment Drug Testing

All applicants who are offered a position with the Company will be required to successfully complete a post-offer drug screening, where permitted by applicable law and in accordance with Company policy.

At-Will Employment

Employment with the Company is at will. Either the employee or the Company may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice, subject to applicable law. Nothing in this job description creates a contract of employment or alters the at-will employment relationship.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination or harassment based on any protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.