Converting Shift Lead: Drive Safety, Quality & Throughput

ND Paper; Sturtevant (WI); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401K with company match

Paid holidays, personal days, and Vac/

Wellness programs with on-site clinic

Job summary

ND Paper is seeking a Converting Shift Lead to direct the daily operations of the converting department on a designated shift, ensuring safe, efficient, and quality operation of Flexo Folder Gluer (FFG), Rotary Die Cutter (RDC), and other centers.

The role functions as the on‑floor link between the Converting Supervisor and machine operators, coordinating crewing, changeovers, production flow, and priorities while reinforcing safety and quality standards on every shift.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience operating an FFG, RDC, or comparable converting machine center in a corrugated or packaging environment.
• Working knowledge of converting machine setup, changeover, and troubleshooting.
• Ability to read and interpret job tickets, die layouts, and production schedules.
• Basic math and measurement skills sufficient for quality checks and waste tracking.
• Clear verbal communication skills; ability to direct a crew and communicate across shifts.
• Bilingual in Mandarin a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead pre‑shift huddle: communicate production schedule, priorities, safety focus, and quality alerts to the crew.
• Assign and balance crew across machine centers based on skill, order mix, and staffing levels.
• Monitor attendance and coordinate coverage for breaks, absences, and call‑offs.
• Serve as first point of escalation for operator questions, downtime issues, and crew conflicts before involving the Supervisor.
• Execute the daily production schedule across FFG, RDC, and other machine centers, sequencing jobs to minimize changeover time.
• Monitor run rates, waste, and machine center output against targets; expedite deviations to the Supervisor.
• Coordinate with the corrugator lead and scheduling to ensure board availability aligns with converting demand.
• Track order status and communicate schedule risks (late starts, machine downtime, material shortages) proactively.
• Verify first‑piece and in‑process quality checks are completed and documented at each machine center.
• Hold crew accountable to job specifications, board grade, print registration, and score/cut standards.
• Initiate hold procedures on suspect product and notify Quality/Supervisor of nonconformances.
• Reinforce PPE use, lockout/tagout, and machine guarding compliance across the shift.
• Conduct area safety walks and address at‑risk behaviors or conditions in real time.
• Ensure incidents and near‑misses are reported immediately per plant policy.
• Support onboarding and cross‑training of 2nd Assistants, 1st Assistants, and Operators using established training plans.
• Provide hands‑on coaching at the machine center and give feedback to the Supervisor on crew progression.
• Complete shift handoff, downtime, and production reporting accurately and on time.
• Maintain 5S and housekeeping standards across converting machine centers.

Skills

Converting machines

Reading tickets

Math & measurement

Verbal communication

Mandarin bilingual a plus

Job description

ND Paper is seeking a Converting Shift Lead to direct the daily operations of the converting department on a designated shift, ensuring safe, efficient, and quality operation of Flexo Folder Gluer (FFG), Rotary Die Cutter (RDC), and other centers.

The role functions as the on‑floor link between the Converting Supervisor and machine operators, coordinating crewing, changeovers, production flow, and priorities while reinforcing safety and quality standards on every shift.