Assistant Shift Leader

Schaefer Plastics North America, LLC.; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Schaefer Plastics North America is seeking an Assistant Shift Leader to support the Shift Leader by coordinating people, production, quality, safety, and technical activity on the assigned shift. This is a hands-on role that helps keep production running and provides direction and support to employees on the floor.

You will complete required documentation, respond to routine equipment issues, and step in for the Shift Leader when needed, following established procedures and management direction.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• ≥1 year of production leadership or team lead experience.
• Working knowledge of safety, quality, production documentation, and SOPs.
• Intermediate computer skills and ability to learn production systems.
• Ability to read safety rules, work orders, instructions, and schedules.
• Strong communication, organization, and decision-making skills.
• Documented training/authorization for each machine or process.

Responsibilities

• Organize daily production activity and align staffing with the schedule.
• Provide work direction and on-the-job coaching to employees.
• Monitor safety, quality, productivity and shift performance.
• Address floor issues and escalate as needed.
• Ensure tools, materials, and PPE are available.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Problem solving

Safety mindset

Training/qualification

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

PlantStar

RFID

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Assistant Shift Leader supports the Shift Leader in coordinating people, production, quality, safety, and technical activity across the assigned shift. This is a hands-on floor leadership role that helps keep production running, provides direction and support to employees, completes required documentation, and responds to routine equipment and process issues within the employee's training and authorization. When the Shift Leader is absent, this position assumes assigned day-to-day shift leadership responsibilities within established procedures and management direction.

Position Summary

The Assistant Shift Leader supports the Shift Leader in coordinating people, production, quality, safety, and technical activity across the assigned shift. This is a hands-on floor leadership role that helps keep production running, provides direction and support to employees, completes required documentation, and responds to routine equipment and process issues within the employee's training and authorization. When the Shift Leader is absent, this position assumes assigned day-to-day shift leadership responsibilities within established procedures and management direction.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Shift Leadership and Employee Support

• Help organize daily production activity, align staffing with the production schedule, communicate priorities, and support an effective shift handoff.
• Provide work direction, coaching, and on-the-job training to assigned employees while reinforcing safe work practices, quality standards, and production expectations.
• Monitor staffing, attendance, housekeeping, safety, quality, productivity, scrap, downtime, and schedule performance throughout the shift.
• Address routine floor issues and elevate disciplinary matters, sensitive employee concerns, or unresolved operating problems to the Shift Leader or appropriate manager.
• Make sure employees have the tools, materials, instructions, and personal protective equipment needed to perform their work safely and effectively.

Production Quality and Documentation

• Complete or verify first-piece inspections, required in-process inspections, work-order packages, job-change paperwork, downtime records, and shift reports.
• Enter and verify required production information in PlantStar, RFID, and other assigned systems accurately and on time.
• Respond to safety, quality, or compliance concerns by stopping or containing work when required, protecting employees and product, and notifying the appropriate support function.
• Support stable production and timely recovery from interruptions while following approved process limits and escalation procedures.

Machine Mold and Process Support

• Start, stop, and safely cycle assigned injection molding machines; verify controls, operating modes, interlocks, emergency stops, system pressure, oil temperature, and safe operating condition.
• Support machine and mold start-up by confirming approved programs, mold and barrel heats, water, hydraulics, cores, ejectors, valve gates, robots, end-of-arm tooling, and auxiliary equipment.
• Perform approved shutdown, purging, resin, regrind, additive, and color-change procedures for job changes, contamination control, and planned or unplanned shutdowns.
• Support mold sets and pulls, including leveling, clamping, magnetic holding systems, water and hydraulic connections, die height, tool versions, approved programs, and required documentation.
• Apply approved process knowledge to help maintain consistent production, including pressure, temperature, fill, decompression, nozzle timing, transfer, runners, heaters, clamp requirements, and established process limits.

Robotics Hot Stamp and Auxiliary Equipment

• Support robots and end-of-arm tooling by referencing robots, selecting approved programs, adjusting authorized setpoints, using permitted manual functions, and completing dry-cycle verification when required.
• Complete hot-stamp setup and changeover support, including dies, guides, backstops, temperatures, dwell, pressure, stroke, foil pull, setup security, and finished-stamp quality.
• Complete foil changeout and adjustment by verifying the correct foil type, size, routing, direction, alignment, tension, temperature range, and pull timing.
• Provide first-line troubleshooting for assigned machines, molds, processes, robots, end-of-arm tooling, hot-stamp equipment, dryers, conveying systems, heaters, programs, and auxiliary equipment within demonstrated qualification.
• Do not bypass safeguards or change validated processes outside approved limits. Stabilize the condition, document the issue, and elevate when a problem is beyond the employee's qualification or authority.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position provides daily work direction and technical support to an assigned shift or team of 30 or fewer employees, including temporary and seasonal employees. It supports coaching, training, staffing coordination, and performance feedback but does not independently administer formal discipline. When assigned to cover for the Shift Leader, the Assistant Shift Leader carries out day-to-day shift leadership duties within established policy and management direction.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• At least one year of production leadership, team lead, or comparable manufacturing experience.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing safety, quality, production documentation, and standard operating procedures.
• Intermediate computer skills, including Microsoft Office and the ability to learn required production systems.
• Ability to read and apply safety rules, procedures, work orders, operating instructions, diagrams, and production schedules.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, organize work, coach employees, make sound decisions, and solve routine production problems.
• Documented training, qualification, and authorization for each machine, mold, robot, hot-stamp system, material system, crane or rigging activity, lockout/tagout activity, and process performed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in plastics manufacturing or injection molding.
• Technical training, certification, or an associate degree in manufacturing, plastics, industrial technology, maintenance, or a related field.
• Experience with PlantStar, RFID, production monitoring systems, or similar manufacturing software.
• Hands-on experience with mold changes, robots, end-of-arm tooling, hot-stamp equipment, resin handling, or injection molding process support.

Core Competencies

• Safety and quality focus
• Floor leadership and employee coaching
• Planning, organization, and follow-through
• Clear communication and effective shift handoffs
• Sound judgment and timely escalation
• Technical problem-solving within approved limits
• Teamwork, professionalism, and adaptability
• Continuous improvement and accountability

Physical Demands and Work Environment

This position regularly requires standing, walking, communicating, and observing production activity in a manufacturing environment. The employee may be required to bend, reach, climb, handle materials, and lift or move up to 50 pounds. The role involves work around operating machinery, moving equipment, heat, and elevated noise levels. Required personal protective equipment and all applicable safety procedures must be followed. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Why Join Schaefer Plastics

Schaefer Plastics offers the opportunity to build manufacturing leadership and technical skills in a growing, family-owned organization. Employees work with experienced operations and technical teams, contribute directly to safety, quality, and production performance, and have opportunities to grow as their skills and qualifications develop.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Schaefer Plastics North America is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to any status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.