Assembly Supervisor: Lean, High‑Mix Manufacturing Leader

Coats; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Coats in Nashville, TN is seeking an Assembly Supervisor to lead a small, high-mix electrical and mechanical assembly team. You will direct daily production, ensure safety, quality, and on-time delivery, and drive continuous improvement through lean practices.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of supervisory experience in low-volume, high-mix environments, hands-on wiring/harnessing work, and proven ability to balance frequent changeovers with throughput.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of manufacturing supervisory experience in low-volume, high-mix environments.
• Demonstrated experience with electrical and mechanical assembly processes (wiring, harnessing, fastening, sub-assembly integration).
• Hands-on knowledge of lean manufacturing principles: 5S, standard work, kaizen, value stream mapping, SMED, poka-yoke.
• Proven track record in line balancing, material flow optimization, and inventory/kitting management.
• Experience leading root cause analysis and defect/scrap reduction initiatives.
• Strong people leadership, training, performance management, and conflict resolution.
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems (SAP S/4HANA or similar) for production and inventory transactions.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, BOMs, and work instructions.
• Strong communication across shifts and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, coach, and develop a team of assembly technicians across multiple product lines and build configurations.
• Create and maintain training matrices; ensure cross-trained operators for high-mix production flexibility.
• Conduct daily shift start-up meetings, communicate priorities, and uphold safety, quality, and productivity standards.
• Manage timekeeping, performance reviews, disciplinary actions, and staffing/scheduling needs.
• Own daily production schedules across a mix of low-volume, custom, and configurable builds; adjust staffing and sequencing.
• Drive material flow improvements between receiving, kitting, and the assembly line to minimize downtime, WIP, and bottlenecks.
• Partner with Materials/Planning to ensure kit accuracy, on-time component availability, and appropriate inventory levels (min/max, kanban, point-of-use).
• Utilize ERP/MRP systems (SAP S/4HANA preferred) for order status, inventory transactions, work order closure, and production reporting.
• Perform time studies and line balancing to optimize labor allocation across variable product mixes.
• Identify bottlenecks and non-value-added steps; apply lean tools to improve throughput.
• Lead or support setup/changeover time reduction (SMED) initiatives.
• Collaborate with Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering on layout changes and process documentation.
• Monitor first-pass yield, defect rates, and rework/scrap; lead root cause analysis for recurring issues.
• Champion built-in quality and stop-and-elevate issues to prevent defects.

Skills

Team leadership

Lean manufacturing

Line balancing

Material flow

Electrical/mechanical assembly

ERP/MRP (SAP)

Reading drawings/BOMs

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering or related field

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt/Black Belt

Tools

SAP S/4HANA

Job description

Coats in Nashville, TN is seeking an Assembly Supervisor to lead a small, high-mix electrical and mechanical assembly team. You will direct daily production, ensure safety, quality, and on-time delivery, and drive continuous improvement through lean practices.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of supervisory experience in low-volume, high-mix environments, hands-on wiring/harnessing work, and proven ability to balance frequent changeovers with throughput.