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Manufacturing Shop Lead 939 N State Road 14, Harper, KS 67058 $26 - $35 an hour - Full-time At Elco Manufacturing, Inc., our mission is to be a preferred national supplier for custom hollow metal frames. We are a family-owned business proudly operating in Harper, KS. We have built a company culture deeply rooted in integrity, a strong work ethic, and determination. We believe in actively listening to our team members and implementing their ideas on the floor. In this role, you will have a direct line of communication with the business owners and the true autonomy needed to successfully lead your crew. As a Manufacturing Shop Lead, you'll guide daily production and assembly work, keep operations organized, and help your team meet quality and safety requirements. You'll coordinate tasks on the shop floor, interpret production documents and technical drawings, and use your mechanical knowledge to resolve routine workflow issues. This hands-on role suits someone who can lead by example in a manufacturing facility and keep work moving safely and efficiently. Role Overview We are looking for a people-focused Supervisory Shop Lead to step away from full-time machine operation and focus on what matters most: our crew and our workflows. You will oversee our production floor, ensuring our welding, metal finishing, and custom fabrication processes run smoothly. You will eliminate production bottlenecks, maintain strict safety compliance, and act as the core leadership bridge between ownership and the shop floor.

Key Responsibilities Lead & Mentor:

Manage daily team assignments, shift workflows, and attendance tracking for your production crew. Provide constructive coaching and technical guidance to welders, painters, and assemblers.

Drive Production Schedules:

Review incoming orders for custom hollow frames and architectural elements. Allocate labor across work centers effectively to guarantee shipping timelines.

Quality Assurance Audits:

Ensure finished frames and assemblies accurately conform to blueprint specifications and precise measurement tolerances before leaving the floor.

Enforce Safety & Maintenance:

Lead daily safety briefings, champion a clean and safe work environment, ensure proper PPE usage, and coordinate with maintenance to address equipment issues early.

Continuous Improvement:

Foster an environment where employees feel comfortable pitching best-practice changes, and lead initiatives to reduce scrap, rework, and material waste.

Skills Essential:

Manufacturing management experience, factory or manufacturing facility experience, and experience managing production or assembly teams.

Essential:

Mechanical knowledge, mechanical assembly experience, technical proficiency, and ability to interpret production documents and technical drawings.

Essential:

Familiarity with hand tools, power tools, measuring instruments, manual handling, heavy lifting, and safety protocol adherence in production.

Preferred:

Process improvement experience; warehouse experience and forklift operation. Ability to communicate clearly, organize work, and respond constructively to changing production needs.

What We're Looking For Experience:

5+ years in a manufacturing environment, with at least 2 years of formal experience as a team lead, foreman, or shift supervisor.

Leadership Capability:

A clear, respectful communicator who knows how to motivate a team, resolve on-the-floor conflicts constructively, and build strong team morale.

Tech Literacy:

Experience utilizing computer systems, including Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook) and inventory/production tracking platforms.

Physical & Environmental Readiness:

Comfort working in a heavy manufacturing facility subject to standard seasonal temperature variations. Ability to stand or walk for the duration of a shift and lift up to 50 lbs. Why Join Us?

Competitive Salary:

Commensurate with leadership and technical experience.

Four-and-a-Half-Day Work Week:

Enjoy a compressed schedule with a short 4-hour shift on Fridays.

Robust Benefits:

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

Time Away:

Paid Time Off (PTO) and holiday scheduling.

Pay:

$26.00 - $35.00 per hour

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person