Equipment Specialist Supervisor

Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America; De Soto (KS); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America is expanding its operations in De Soto, Kansas, building a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery factory. The Equipment Specialist Supervisor will lead a team focused on reliability, defect reduction, and safe manufacturing while aligning with engineering, production, maintenance, quality, and leadership objectives.

This role combines technical expertise with strong leadership to develop team performance, improve operations, and support business

Qualifications

• Experience leading equipment teams in a manufacturing setting.
• Strong background in operating and improving manufacturing processes.
• Knowledge of PDCA, Lean manufacturing, and root cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct leadership to Equipment Specialists.
• Set daily priorities and allocate resources for reliability and productivity.
• Monitor performance and ensure achievement of goals and KPIs.
• Manage scheduling, attendance, and workload balancing.
• Coordinate equipment recovery and manufacturing continuity.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives with cross-functional teams.
• Drive safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives.

Skills

Leadership

Lean Manufacturing

PDCA

Root Cause Analysis

Continuous Improvement

Job description

Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as an Equipment Specialist Supervisor? Then we're looking for you! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision.

Responsibilities

Equipment Specialist Supervisor

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Summary

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we're building the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you'll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.

Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary

The Equipment Specialist Supervisor is responsible for leading a team of Equipment Specialists in support of equipment reliability, defect reduction, productivity improvement, and safe manufacturing operations. This role provides frontline leadership through workforce planning, employee development, performance management, and operational execution while ensuring alignment with departmental and organizational objectives. Working closely with engineering, production, maintenance, quality, and operational leaders, the Equipment Specialist Supervisor establishes priorities, allocates resources, removes barriers, and drives continuous improvement initiatives to achieve safety, quality, delivery, and cost objectives. The position combines technical knowledge with strong leadership capabilities to develop team performance, improve operational effectiveness, and support business growth.

Essential Duties

Functional Leadership & Operations

• Provide direct leadership, guidance, and support to Equipment Specialists
• Establish daily priorities and allocate resources to support equipment reliability, productivity, and operational objectives
• Monitor team performance, work quality, and execution to ensure achievement of departmental goals and expectations
• Manage workforce scheduling, staff coverage, attendance, and workload balancing to support operational requirements
• Remove barriers impacting team performance and elevate issues requiring additional support or resources
• Ensure equipment recovery, operational readiness, and manufacturing continuity through effective coordination of team activities and resource allocation
• Monitor and communicate key performance indicators (KPIs), taking corrective action as needed to improve team performance
• Ensure timely completion of assigned projects, corrective actions, improvement initiatives, and operational deliverables
• Provide leadership during equipment-related escalations and support resolution of critical operational issues

Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, equipment reliability, productivity, and cost reduction
• Partner with engineering, production, maintenance, and quality teams to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities
• Review root cause investigations and corrective action plans to ensure effectiveness, sustainability, and accountability
• Utilize operational, maintenance, and equipment performance data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement
• Ensure alignment between departmental objectives and daily team execution
• Support implementation of new equipment, technologies, processes, and operational initiatives
• Promote the use of PDCA, Root Cause Analysis, Lean Manufacturing, and continuous improvement methodologies throughout the team
• Support development and execution of departmental goals, metrics, and strategic initiatives

Team Development & Knowledge Sharing

• Lead employee performance management activities, including goal setting, coaching, performance feedback, and development planning
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings to support employee engagement, development, and performance improvement
• Develop succession plans and identify opportunities to strengthen technical and leadership capability within the team
• Oversee onboarding, training, qualification, certification, and skill development activities for team members
• Recognize and reinforce strong performance while addressing performance concerns in a timely and effective manner
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion, continuous learning, and operational excellence
• Support knowledge sharing and best-practice development across teams, shifts, and operational areas

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with engineering, production, maintenance, quality, and operational leadership to support business objectives and manufacturing performance
• Serve as the primary leadership representative for the Equipment Specialist team
• Communicate departmental priorities, risks, resource needs, and operational performance to stakeholders and leadership
• Participate in operational reviews, production meetings, leadership discussions, and escalation activities