Clow Valve - Melt and Materials Lab Supervisor

Clow Valve; Oskaloosa (IA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Clow Valve seeks a Melt and Materials Lab Supervisor to ensure iron melt production success and high-quality metal castings through testing, analyzing, and evaluating raw materials, charge mixes, samples, and castings, and by communicating results with internal and external relationships.

You will lead resource planning, startup meetings, and preventive maintenance while maintaining calibration and data integrity to support production goals.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations, including lead roles.
• Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering or related field is preferred.
• Experience with induction furnaces and molten metal handling is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage melting and pouring operations, ensuring resource availability and quality.
• Lead daily startup meetings, safety, and quality communication with staff.
• Coordinate maintenance, calibration, and routine testing of lab equipment.
• Analyze melt recipes and charge mixes to improve product quality and sustainability.
• Maintain accurate data for weekly/monthly reporting and external labs.

Skills

Microsoft Office

Excel

Communication skills

Induction Furnaces

Autopour equipment

Pouring ladles

CNC programming

Molten metal handling

Root Cause Analysis

Manufacturing & casting knowledge

Education

2-3 years leadership experience

2-year Associate's degree (engineering/technical)

Bachelor's in Metallurgical Engineering

Bachelor's in Engineering discipline

Tools

Vacuum/induction furnaces tools

Molding systems knowledge

Measuring & testing equipment

Job description

Company Description

We are a leading manufacturer of water valves and fire hydrants. We are a division of McWane Corportation with sister companies in the US and Canada.The Iowa Valve Company was established in Oskaloosa in 1909 by W W Corey and Herman W Read to build hydrants and valves. The original location of "THE VALVE" is the current Machine Shop location on South Second St. the original buildings are still part of that facility. The Eddy Valve Company was founded in 1849 by George Eddy in Waterford New York. In 1878 Clow was formed in Chicago as a jobber of wrought iron pipe and other foundry products. The company was then known as James B Clow and Sons. Clow acquired Eddy Valve in 1945 and Iowa Valve in 1947. These were operated separately at their original locations until 1970 when they were merged in Oskaloosa under Clow Corporation, Valve Division.

The original South Second street facility housed all the operations of "THE VALVE". This included a brass foundry, an iron foundry and the machine shop for machining and building of valves and hydrants. In 1967, demand had grown and the iron foundry was relocated and expanded to the southeast edge of Oskaloosa. When Eddy and Iowa were merged in Oskaloosa in 1970, the brass foundry was relocated to the iron foundry site on 17th Ave. East.

In June 1985, McWane Incorporated purchased all the stock of Clow and Clow became a wholly owned subsidiary of McWane. Clow Valve Company, including Oskaloosa and Corona, was formed and is how we are known today.

Today Clow Valve Company is a very well respected manufacturer of water works valves and fire hydrants. Clow manufactures 2\" through 48\" diameter Resilient Seated valves. Clow also manufactures dry and wet barrel fire hydrants. The Machine Shop and Metal Casting Facility utilize state of the art technology in both shops concerning safety, quality and production. The Clow Machine Shop has been ISO 9000 certified since 2002. The Foundry is recognized as a Voluntary Protection Program Merit Site as awarded by OSHA. Clow Valve is looking forward to operating in and benefiting Oskaloosa for the next 100 years.

Job Description

Purpose

The Melt and Materials Lab Supervisor is vital to delivering the best in class products by assuring iron melt production success and high quality metal castings through testing, analyzing, and evaluating all raw materials, charge mixes, samples, and castings, and by effectively communicating results with internal and external relationships.

Key Performance Indicators

Leadership Experience

Conduct weekly department toolbox and strategy sessions 100% of the time.

Continuous Improvement

100% on-time completion and communication of hourly and weekly reports to support production efficiency, equipment reliability and material management.

Sustainability

Maintain 100% integrity of ASTM metal performance, certifications.

Core Functions of Position

Production Control and Sustainability (30%)

Strategically plan, by communicating with the general foreman, and managing available resources for the melting and pouring of iron. Create team member alignment by determining priorities, creating team assignments, and clearly communicating. Ensure all needed resources are available to meet production needs and uphold quality standards by managing daily material flow and monitoring parts needed. Thinking critically and analyzing situations to make necessary adjustments in the schedule and resources due to customer needs, inventory discrepancies, and available work force.Examine and diagnose equipment, facilitating rebuilding furnaces, ladles, pour boxes as well as troubleshoot discrepancies while documenting progress and results. Diligently test and carefully audit functionality of equipment daily to ensure ease of production flow. Guarantee quality and integrity of materials through strong comprehension and application of sampling procedures. Implement and report in-house standardization of equipment by utilizing already established procedures to produce daily, weekly, and monthly reporting. Proactively coordinate preventive maintenance of all equipment to ensure calibration, standardization, and uptime of all lab equipment before scheduled deadlines. Understand, adjust and document melt recipes and charge mixes to improve quality and sustainability.

Leadership (30%)

Effectively communicate and translate safety and quality standards to staff to ensure clarity is reached throughout the department. Facilitate daily startup meetings with workforce while promoting safety and unity. Astutely listen to employees' professional needs while coaching and empowering staff to optimize and elevate their competencies. Identify and mentor high-potential workers and maximize their capabilities by discussing and forging career paths that align with employees' interests and professional goals.

Administrative (20%)

Ensure high-quality materials are being delivered through melting and pouring processes and a clear comprehension of the molding system. Leverage relationships with external labs by coordinating, communicating, and verifying results. Effectively collaboratewith sand and metal distributors to facilitate material quality success. Manage and record generated data for accurate weekly and monthly reporting while maintaining a high level of organization. Keep precise count of inventory and submit requisitions when needed.

Process Improvement (20%)

Generate best practices and equipment by fully testing and thoroughly analyzing all equipment to guarantee safety, quality, and efficiency. Monitor equipment trends and utilize information to make astute recommendations that improve productivity. Ensure department stays relevant with industry material trends by collaborating with Engineering, continually seeking higher learning, and transfer knowledge to employees.

Qualifications

Technical Skills

• Microsoft Office Suite, Excel specifically.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Understanding and Experience with Induction Furnaces/holder, Autopour equipment, pouring ladles.
• Experience in CNC programming and molten metal handling is desired.
• Ability to analyze date and identify improvement opportunities.
• Proficient in Root Cause Analysis.
• Manufacturing and casting knowledge a plus.

Education & Experience

Required:

2-3 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations including lead person, leadership trainee and/or growth opportunities

OR

2-year Associates Degree with 2+ years of experience in a manufacturing environment.

Highly Preferred

Bachelor's Degree in Metallurgical Engineering with 1 to 3 years of manufacturing experience within a leadership role

Bachelor's Degree in Technical/Engineering Discipline with 1 to 3 years of manufacturing experience within a leadership role.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

McWane is a Federal VEVRAA contractor, and an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices. McWane will not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, veteran or service member status, marital status, citizenship status (In IL - sex, including same sex, ancestry, order of protection status, physical or mental disability, military status, pregnancy, unfavorable discharge status, genetic information), (In IA - gender identity), (In CA- gender identity or expression, and genetic information) or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.