Maintenance & Refractory Foreman – Lead Field Ops

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc; City of Dunkirk (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc. seeks a General Foreman – Maintenance/Refractory in Dunkirk, NY to lead safety-first maintenance and refractory activities across the facility.

The role balances front-line leadership, technical oversight, planning, and admin tasks to ensure reliability and regulatory compliance. You will coordinate with Operations, Engineering, Safety, Quality, and Purchasing, supervise trades and contractors, and drive improvements during outages and emergencies.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industrial maintenance in metals or heavy manufacturing.
• 3+ years leading skilled trades or contractors.
• Hands-on furnace/refractory maintenance experience.
• Proven record planning major shutdowns and outages.
• Experience with CMMS (Maximo preferred) and 5S/continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Safety-first maintenance/refractory work and EHS compliance.
• Lead pre-job planning, JHA, toolbox talks, and field verifications.
• Coordinate with Maintenance Manager; allocate resources.
• Direct supervisors, trades, refractory crews, and contractors.
• Plan and monitor maintenance and outages; drive root-cause solving.
• Oversee refractory demolition, repair, installation, dry-out, commissioning.
• Maintain records in CMMS; ensure compliance.
• Coordinate with Operations, Engineering, Safety, Quality, Purchasing.
• Provide leadership during emergencies.

Skills

Mechanical systems

Electrical/Controls

Refractory systems

Fabrication & Rigging

Documentation & CMMS

Safety leadership

Education

Technical degree or equivalent

Skilled-trades apprenticeship

Journeyman background

Tools

Maximo CMMS

VFDs/PLCs knowledge

Job description

Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc. seeks a General Foreman – Maintenance/Refractory in Dunkirk, NY to lead safety-first maintenance and refractory activities across the facility.

The role balances front-line leadership, technical oversight, planning, and admin tasks to ensure reliability and regulatory compliance. You will coordinate with Operations, Engineering, Safety, Quality, and Purchasing, supervise trades and contractors, and drive improvements during outages and emergencies.