Aerospace Plating Shop Lead / Supervisor

FAS AirFlight Aerospace LLC; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

401(k) matching

Bonus based on performance

Competitive salary

Dental insurance

Free uniforms

Health insurance

Opportunity for advancement

Paid time off

Training & development

Vision insurance

Job summary

FAS AirFlight Aerospace LLC is seeking an experienced Aerospace Plating Shop Lead / Supervisor to operate and lead the plating department on site in Cleveland. This role requires hands-on work, troubleshooting, and training technicians to ensure day-to-day performance.

The ideal candidate has strong aerospace plating experience, including aircraft landing gear and other highly stressed components, and can manage setup, process control, and safety while coordinating with other departments to meet

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of hands on electroplating or metal finishing experience.
• Aerospace plating experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with hard chrome plating is highly desirable.
• Experience with cadmium and sulfamate nickel plating strongly preferred.
• Experience plating aircraft landing gear, hydraulic components, or other precision aerospace components is a significant plus.
• Candidate must understand the complete plating process and be capable of independently setting up and processing parts.

Responsibilities

• Perform and oversee aerospace electroplating and metal finishing operations including hard chrome, cadmium, nickel plating, stripping, cleaning, activation, masking, blasting, and associated surface preparation.
• Set up and operate plating tanks, rectifiers, ovens, pumps, filtration systems, hoists, and related equipment.
• Determine and control plating parameters including amperage, voltage, current density, plating time, temperature, and other process requirements.
• Prepare components for plating through cleaning, stripping, blasting, masking, racking, stop off application, and other required preparation.
• Set up and utilize conforming anodes, fixtures, racks, and tooling to achieve proper plating distribution and dimensional requirements.
• Monitor plating solutions and operating conditions including bath chemistry, temperature, pH, concentration, contamination, and solution levels.
• Perform and oversee hydrogen embrittlement relief baking and other required pre plating and post plating processes.
• Read and interpret engineering drawings, technical manuals, repair instructions, process specifications, work orders, and customer requirements.
• Use micrometers, calipers, dial indicators, plating thickness gauges, and other precision measuring equipment to verify dimensions and plating thickness.
• Inspect completed work for proper coverage, adhesion, finish, thickness, and plating defects.
• Troubleshoot plating issues including poor adhesion, burning, pitting, roughness, uneven buildup, dimensional issues, and other process problems.
• Maintain accurate production records, plating logs, bath records, oven records, inspection documentation, and required traceability.
• Plan and prioritize daily shop workload to support production schedules and customer delivery requirements.
• Coordinate with Production, Quality, Engineering, Machining, NDT, and other departments throughout the repair process.
• Lead and train plating personnel and ensure approved processes and work instructions are consistently followed.
• Maintain plating equipment, tanks, rectifiers, ventilation systems, ovens, tooling, fixtures, and work areas in proper operating condition.

Skills

Electroplating

Metal finishing

Hard chrome plating

Cadmium plating

Sulfamate nickel plating

Aerospace components

Troubleshooting

Team leadership

Process optimization

Job description

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Bonus based on performance
• Competitive salary
• Dental insurance
• Free uniforms
• Health insurance
• Opportunity for advancement
• Paid time off
• Training & development
• Vision insurance

Aerospace Plating Shop Lead / Supervisor

We are seeking an experienced, hands on Aerospace Plating Shop Lead / Supervisor to operate and lead our aerospace plating department.

This is not a desk management position. We are looking for an experienced plating professional who can personally perform the work, troubleshoot problems, train and lead technicians, and take ownership of the day to day operation and performance of the plating shop.

The ideal candidate will have strong aerospace plating experience, preferably involving aircraft landing gear and other highly stressed aircraft components.

Responsibilities

Perform and oversee aerospace electroplating and metal finishing operations including hard chrome, cadmium, nickel plating, stripping, cleaning, activation, masking, blasting, and associated surface preparation.

Set up and operate plating tanks, rectifiers, ovens, pumps, filtration systems, hoists, and related equipment.

Determine and control plating parameters including amperage, voltage, current density, plating time, temperature, and other process requirements.

Prepare components for plating through cleaning, stripping, blasting, masking, racking, stop off application, and other required preparation.

Set up and utilize conforming anodes, fixtures, racks, and tooling to achieve proper plating distribution and dimensional requirements.

Monitor plating solutions and operating conditions including bath chemistry, temperature, pH, concentration, contamination, and solution levels. Coordinate bath analysis, chemical additions, maintenance, and corrective actions as necessary.

Perform and oversee hydrogen embrittlement relief baking and other required pre plating and post plating processes.

Read and interpret engineering drawings, technical manuals, repair instructions, process specifications, work orders, and customer requirements.

Use micrometers, calipers, dial indicators, plating thickness gauges, and other precision measuring equipment to verify dimensions and plating thickness.

Inspect completed work for proper coverage, adhesion, finish, thickness, and plating defects.

Troubleshoot plating issues including poor adhesion, burning, pitting, roughness, uneven buildup, dimensional issues, and other process problems.

Maintain accurate production records, plating logs, bath records, oven records, inspection documentation, and required traceability.

Plan and prioritize daily shop workload to support production schedules and customer delivery requirements.

Coordinate with Production, Quality, Engineering, Machining, NDT, and other departments throughout the repair process.

Lead and train plating personnel and ensure approved processes and work instructions are consistently followed.

Maintain plating equipment, tanks, rectifiers, ventilation systems, ovens, tooling, fixtures, and work areas in proper operating condition.

Monitor chemical and consumable inventory and identify requirements before they impact production.

Maintain a clean, organized, efficient, and safe plating department.

Ensure proper handling, storage, labeling, and disposal of chemicals and hazardous materials.

Support FAA, customer, quality, and internal audits involving the plating department.

Identify opportunities to improve quality, reduce rework, improve turnaround time, increase capacity, and improve overall department efficiency.

Qualifications

Minimum 5 years of hands on electroplating or metal finishing experience. Aerospace plating experience is strongly preferred.

Experience with hard chrome plating is highly desirable.

Experience with cadmium and sulfamate nickel plating is strongly preferred.

Experience plating aircraft landing gear, hydraulic components, or other precision aerospace components is a significant plus.

Candidate must understand the complete plating process and be capable of independently setting up and processing parts rather than simply operating an established production line.