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Welding & Fabrication Manager

Clearbridge Executive Search

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$43.27-55.29 /h
PAY RATE
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Tacoma, WA
LOCATION

Job Description

As posted by the hiring company

Job Overview:

**Responsibilities: 

**

  • Lead day-to-day operations and business planning for three shops: Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop, including cutting, forming, welding, machining, assembly, coating, and woodworking.
  • Manage Shop Leads and all shop personnel, including hiring, staffing, performance management, coaching, succession planning, and attendance.
  • Own labor, material, scrap/rework costs, operating budgets, cost variance, and corrective actions across all three shops.
  • Develop manpower and capacity plans based on backlog, production demand, skills, and production schedules, including weekend Fab Shop coverage.
  • Lead daily production huddles and weekly performance reviews; resolve manpower, material, equipment, quality, and scheduling issues.
  • Coordinate closely with Engineering, Purchasing, Shipping, Production Scheduling, Sales/Estimating, Finance, and HR to maintain production flow and customer delivery schedules.
  • Monitor Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) performance and drive corrective actions.
  • Own first-pass yield, scrap/rework, nonconformance resolution, and quality improvement across all three shops.
  • Ensure compliance with drawings, work instructions, Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS), welding certifications, inspection plans, and approved process parameters.
  • Lead safety programs, audits, toolbox talks, incident/near-miss investigations, PPE enforcement, OSHA compliance, and required employee safety training.
  • Maintain preventive maintenance schedules for equipment across all three shops.
  • Drive labor efficiency, attendance, productivity, and daily output against production plans.
  • Utilize ERP/MRP data, including Fulcrum, to identify recurring production issues, lost time, and schedule delays.
  • Implement and sustain 5S, Lean Manufacturing, Standard Work, Kaizen, and structured problem-solving using A3/PDCA methodologies.
  • Identify equipment, tooling, facility, and capital investment needs and develop business justifications.
  • Partner with Sales/Estimating and Finance to ensure quoted costs and margins accurately reflect operating requirements.
  • Report quarterly and annual Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People results to the Director of Operations and Engineering.

**Qualifications:

**

  • 5+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, preferably in metal fabrication/welding with experience in powder coating, woodworking, millwork, or another secondary finishing process.
  • Hands-on knowledge of welding, cutting, forming, CNC, machining, and assembly processes.
  • Working knowledge of welding codes, OSHA requirements, and shop safety practices.
  • Proven experience managing people across multiple production areas, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and HR compliance.
  • Experience with budgeting, cost tracking, labor efficiency, scrap/rework, and capital expenditure justification.
  • Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; Fulcrum experience preferred.
  • Strong communication, leadership, coaching, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
  • Experience managing multiple production areas or processes simultaneously.
  • Experience in a custom, make-to-order (MTO), job shop, or fabrication environment preferred.
  • Familiarity with powder coating and/or woodworking/millwork processes preferred.
  • Lean Manufacturing or continuous-improvement experience, including 5S, Kaizen, A3, PDCA, or Standard Work, preferred.
  • Weld certifications or familiarity with AWS QC1 inspection standards preferred.
  • Willingness to develop and strengthen formal Lean/continuous-improvement capabilities.

You should be proficient in:

  • Supervisory Experience
  • METAL FABRICATION
  • WELDING
  • OSHA