Manager, Welding and Fabrication

Urban Accessories; Tacoma (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Urban Accessories in Tacoma, WA seeks an Operations Manager to own day-to-day execution and the quarterly/annual plans for Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop. You’ll lead Shop Leads, manage headcount and staffing, and ensure safety, quality, and productivity across all three shops.

You’ll drive cost performance, budgeting, scheduling, and continuous improvement with Kaizen, A3/PDCA, and 5S, coordinating with Engineering, Purchasing, Shipping, and Sales to reflect true operating economics.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, spanning metal fabrication/welding and at least one finishing or secondary process (powder coating, woodworking, or similar).
• Hands-on background in fabrication processes: welding, cutting, forming, CNC, and assembly.
• Demonstrated people-management and HR-compliance experience across a multi-shop team (attendance, discipline, leave coordination).
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; Fulcrum experience preferred.
• Basic financial acumen: budgeting, cost tracking, and capital justification.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day operations for Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop.
• Lead headcount planning, capacity planning, and staffing for three shops.
• Own safety, quality, and productivity outcomes across the three shops.
• Own the operating budget and cost performance for the three shops.
• Run each shop's daily production huddle and weekly performance review.
• Own monthly Kaizen targets and report quarterly SQDCP results to the Director of Operations and Engineering.

Skills

Manufacturing leadership

People management

ERP/MRP knowledge

Lean / Kaizen

Budgeting / cost tracking

Tools

Fulcrum ERP

Job description

The Manager owns the day-to-day execution and the quarterly and annual business plan for three shops: Fabrication (cutting, forming, welding, machining, and assembly), Powder Coat, and Woodshop. Every worker across these three shops, including each shop's Shop Lead, reports through this role.

This role carries both the strategic ownership the company's shop leadership structure assigns to a Manager (cost, capacity, people development, quarterly and annual planning) This role reports to the Director of Operations and Engineering and coordinates closely with Engineering, Purchasing, Shipping, and the Production Scheduler.

Primary Time Horizon & Improvement Cadence

Spans daily and weekly execution through quarterly and annual planning for Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop. This role runs the daily production cadence in each shop and owns monthly Kaizen and problem-solving targets, while also owning the quarterly business review, annual operating plan, and headcount and capacity plan for these three shops, the accountability that Urban Accessories' shop leadership structure splits between a Manager and a Supervisor elsewhere in the operation.

• Own day-to-day execution and the quarterly and annual business plan for Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop.
• Supervise and coach shop personnel and Shop Leads across all three shops.
• Own headcount planning, capacity planning, and shift staffing for the three shops.
• Own quality, safety, and productivity outcomes across the three shops.
• Own the operating budget and cost performance for the three shops.
• Run each shop's daily production huddle and weekly performance review.
• Own monthly Kaizen targets and report quarterly SQDCP results to the Director of Operations and Engineering.

Business & Financial Ownership

• Own direct labor cost, material cost, and scrap/rework cost against budget for Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop.
• Build and defend the operating budget for these three shops; manage variance and corrective action on cost overruns.
• Identify equipment, tooling, and facility investment needs for these shops and build the business case for capital requests.
• Partner with Sales/Estimating and Finance so quoted costs and margins reflect the real operating economics of these three shops.
• Report business and financial performance to the Director of Operations and Engineering on a regular cadence.

Manpower & Capacity Planning

• Own the headcount plan for Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop, aligned to backlog, demand forecast, and skills mix.
• Own hiring, workforce planning, and succession planning for Shop Lead and skilled-trade roles in these three shops.
• Convert the production schedule and backlog into a staffing and shift plan for each shop, including weekend Fab Shop shift coverage.

Day-to-Day Execution

• Resolve shift escalations (manpower, material, equipment, quality) and reprioritize work to protect the schedule in each shop.
• Maintain and act on visual management boards (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People) in each shop.
• Manage shift staffing, overtime, and coverage decisions in real time across the three shops.
• Coordinate with Purchasing to monitor inventory of supplies, consumables, and equipment; request replenishment as needed.
• Coordinate with the Production Scheduler and Engineering on work order release, drawings, and work instructions.

Quality Ownership

• Own quality outcomes across the three shops: first-pass yield, scrap/rework rate, and nonconformance (NCR) closure.
• Ensure workers are following current work instructions, drawings, and (in Fabrication) approved Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS); approve and coordinate containment when a quality escape occurs.
• Ensure weld certifications, process parameters, and inspection plans are followed and kept current in Fabrication.
• Partner with Quality and Engineering on process deviations, engineering change notices (ECNs), and procedure updates relevant to each shop.

Safety Ownership

• Own safety performance across the three shops: incident and near-miss prevention, investigation, and corrective action.
• Run regular safety audits and toolbox talks; enforce PPE and OSHA compliance specific to each shop's hazards, in Fabrication, coating and spray hazards in Powder Coat, and dust and machine guarding in Woodshop.
• Ensure new hires and transfers complete required safety training before independent work in any of the three shops.
• Maintain preventive maintenance schedules for equipment across all three shops.

Productivity & Efficiency

• Own labor efficiency, attendance, and daily output against plan for each shop.
• Monitor work center performance, uptime, and throughput; use ERP data (Fulcrum) to identify and correct recurring causes of lost time or missed schedule.
• Implement and sustain 5S, Lean Manufacturing, and Standard Work practices across the three shops.
• Manage resource allocation, shift coverage, and cross-training across Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop to meet changing demand.

People Management & HR Compliance

• Hire, develop, and performance-manage the Shop Leads and shop personnel in Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop.
• Administer attendance policy, timekeeping accuracy, and the disciplinary process consistently and fairly.
• Coordinate with HR on leave, accommodations, and workplace-conduct matters; enforce a harassment-free workplace.
• Conduct new-hire onboarding and complete performance reviews for direct reports across the three shops.
• Hold a regular coaching cadence with Shop Leads focused on their development as leaders, not just task follow-up.
• Own quarterly and annual Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) targets for Fabrication, Powder Coat, and Woodshop, and report results to the Director of Operations and Engineering.
• Own monthly Kaizen and improvement targets at the shop level; run structured monthly problem-solving (for example, A3 or PDCA) on each shop's top recurring quality, safety, or productivity issue.
• Build continuous-improvement capability (training, facilitation support, a visible cadence) across the three shops, since this capability does not currently exist at Urban Accessories and must be established deliberately.

General Duties

• Follow all company safety policies and procedures.
• Maintain organized and accurate production and quality records.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives across operations.
• Foster positive working relationships with cross-functional teams, including Engineering, Purchasing, Shipping, and Sales.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support operational goals.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, ideally spanning metal fabrication/welding and at least one finishing or secondary process (powder coating, woodworking, or similar).
• Working knowledge welding codes and OSHA
• Hands-on background in fabrication processes: welding, cutting, forming, CNC, and assembly.
• Demonstrated people-management and HR-compliance experience across a multi-shop team (attendance, discipline, leave coordination).
• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems; Fulcrum experience preferred.
• Basic financial acumen: budgeting, cost tracking, and capital justification.
• Strong communication and coaching skills; ability to hold direct reports accountable while developing them.
• Willingness to build formal Lean/continuous-improvement capability (Kaizen facilitation, A3/PDCA) across the three shops, even without prior formal training.

Preferred

• Experience managing more than one production area or process simultaneously.
• Experience in a custom, make-to-order (MTO) or job shop fabrication environment.
• Familiarity with powder coating and/or woodworking or millwork processes.
• Prior Lean or continuous-improvement training (Kaizen facilitation, A3/PDCA).
• Weld certifications or working knowledge of AWS QC1 inspection standards.