General Manager - Aluminum Foundry & Machining Operations

PTR Global; Reading (Berks County); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The ideal candidate will manage capital projects with Engineering, lead lean initiatives, champion safety, and mentor supervisors while ensuring on-time delivery and strong customer satisfaction. This position is on-site in a heavy manufacturing environment in Reading, PA.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a foundry or heavy manufacturing environment.
• At least 2 years of leadership experience.
• Working knowledge of green sand-casting processes, including Automatic, Squeeze, and/or Floor Molding.
• Experience reading and managing a P&L and controlling costs.
• Proven experience hiring, developing, and managing employees.
• Strong floor presence and willingness to spend time in production.

Responsibilities

• Own site P&L, revenue, gross margin, labor costs, scrap, and overhead absorption
• Lead daily production across Automatic, Squeeze, and Floor Molding departments
• Ensure production schedules, quality standards, and customer delivery requirements are met
• Drive OEE, first-pass yield, tons per labor hour, scrap reduction, and cost improvement
• Maintain a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with EHS requirements
• Lead near-miss reporting, corrective actions, safety meetings, and safe work practices
• Manage quality performance, customer returns, corrective actions, 8D responses, and root-cause analysis
• Develop supervisors and employees through coaching, one-on-ones, mentoring, and cross-training
• Address performance issues and develop successors for key roles
• Partner with Engineering on capital projects, process changes, new part launches, and continuous improvement
• Support lean initiatives, A3/5-Why investigations, and operational efficiency projects
• Manage staffing levels, shift patterns, overtime, and capacity based on the order book
• Support customer visits, technical questions, capacity planning, and delivery escalations
• Provide technical, capacity, and lead-time input for quoting and order acceptance
• Participate in cross-site leadership forums and align site practices with company standards

Skills

P&L management

Operations leadership

Green sand casting

Lean manufacturing

Staff development

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

The Site Leader is responsible for the safe, efficient, and profitable operation of the foundry. This role owns site P&L, production, quality, safety, staffing, customer delivery, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate is an operationally credible leader who can build accountability, develop employees, and improve margin, quality, and efficiency.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own site P&L, revenue, gross margin, labor costs, scrap, and overhead absorption
• Lead daily production across Automatic, Squeeze, and Floor Molding departments
• Ensure production schedules, quality standards, and customer delivery requirements are met
• Drive OEE, first-pass yield, tons per labor hour, scrap reduction, and cost improvement
• Maintain a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with EHS requirements
• Lead near-miss reporting, corrective actions, safety meetings, and safe work practices
• Manage quality performance, customer returns, corrective actions, 8D responses, and root-cause analysis
• Develop supervisors and employees through coaching, one-on-ones, mentoring, and cross-training
• Address performance issues and develop successors for key roles
• Partner with Engineering on capital projects, process changes, new part launches, and continuous improvement
• Support lean initiatives, A3/5-Why investigations, and operational efficiency projects
• Manage staffing levels, shift patterns, overtime, and capacity based on the order book
• Support customer visits, technical questions, capacity planning, and delivery escalations
• Provide technical, capacity, and lead-time input for quoting and order acceptance
• Participate in cross-site leadership forums and align site practices with company standards

DECISION AUTHORITY

• Approve capital and urgent operating expenses up to $10K within established guidelines
• Manage overtime and hourly hiring within the approved labor budget and headcount
• Recommend salaried hires, compensation changes, and management terminations
• Approve quotes at or above the contribution-margin floor
• Approve supplier and vendor contracts up to $25K annually
• Escalate decisions involving excess spending, legal or severance exposure, policy exceptions, below-floor pricing, or cross-site capacity

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• 5+ years of experience in a foundry or heavy manufacturing environment
• At least 2 years of leadership experience
• Working knowledge of green sand-casting processes, including Automatic, Squeeze, and/or Floor Molding
• Experience reading and managing a P&L and controlling costs
• Proven experience hiring, developing, and managing employees
• Strong floor presence and willingness to spend time in production

PREFERRED

• Experience managing a multi-department or multi-shift operation
• Experience with earned-hours or standard-costing systems
• Familiarity with ERP systems in a job-shop or foundry environment
• Lean or continuous improvement training, including A3, 5-Why, SMED, or equivalent