Manufacturing Team Leader- 1st Shift (3085)

NIDEC Defense Group; Lexington (TN); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Nidec Defense Group is seeking a Group Leader I to supervise a designated team, drive daily performance, and uphold safety and quality standards. This role emphasizes people leadership, operational oversight, and clear communication to maintain productive shifts in a manufacturing environment.

The position requires HS diploma and 3–5 years of related experience, with a focus on directing activity, coaching staff, and ensuring policy compliance.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Typically 3–5 years of experience in an operational, manufacturing, or service environment.
• Prior experience providing work direction, training, or supervisory oversight preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision to assigned employees, including work assignment, guidance, and oversight.
• Monitor employee productivity, attendance, and adherence to work standards.
• Provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance guidance.
• Support onboarding, training, and skill development of team members.
• Document and escalate performance, attendance, or conduct issues in accordance with policy.
• Plan, assign, and coordinate daily work to meet production or service requirements.
• Monitor workflow, staffing levels, and workload balance.
• Identify operational issues, delays, or resource constraints and take corrective action.
• Coordinate with other supervisors and departments to support continuity of operations.
• Enforce all safety rules, PPE requirements, and site procedures.
• Promote and sustain a strong safety culture within the team.
• Ensure adherence to quality standards, procedures, and standard work.
• Address safety or quality incidents promptly and ensure proper documentation.
• Communicate priorities, expectations, and updates clearly to team members.
• Act as the primary communication link between employees and management.
• Track and report operational metrics, daily results, and issues.
• Participate in shift meetings, production reviews, and coordination discussions.
• Support continuous improvement, lean, or efficiency initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflow, safety, or team effectiveness.
• Reinforce professional conduct, accountability, and performance expectations.
• Demonstrate leadership presence through consistency, fairness, and follow‑through.
• Manage a small to mid‑size team consisting of three or more entry level professionals or skilled support employees.
• Lead, direct and review the work of team members to accomplish plans and results.
• Provide day‑to‑day work direction for team, focused on steady workflow and productivity.
• Provide input to hiring, firing, promotion, and performance decisions for direct reports.
• Understand basic management approaches such as scheduling, prioritizing, coaching and process execution.

Skills

Leadership

Supervision

Communication

Safety leadership

Team coordination

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

We begin with dreams. Dreams drive our motivation. Dreams are our future. The world's dreams, people's dreams, our dreams. Our passion creates ideas that make dreams come alive. Technology and products that were only dreams become reality.

All for dreams. Dreams challenge and the Nidec-Group will continue to meet the challenge. For the world's and people's tomorrows; the world's first, the world's best technologies and products; we will continue our part in creating a better society.

Job Summary

The Group LeaderI is a first‑line supervisory role responsible for overseeing the day‑to‑day performance of a designated team. This position has formal responsibility for directing work, monitoring performance, enforcing safety and quality standards, and supporting operational objectives within an assigned area. Working under management direction, the Group LeaderI ensures work is completed efficiently, safely, and in compliance with established standards while providing consistent leadership and accountability for assigned employees.

Job Description

Role Overview

The Group LeaderI functions as a front‑line supervisor, accountable for coordinating team activities, reinforcing performance expectations, and addressing routine employee and operational issues. The role emphasizes people leadership, operational oversight, and communication rather than hands‑on production work. Success is demonstrated through maintained productivity, safe operations, quality outcomes, and effective team management.

Key Responsibilities

Supervisory & People Leadership

• Provide direct supervision to assigned employees, including work assignment, guidance, and oversight
• Monitor employee productivity, attendance, and adherence to work standards
• Provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance guidance
• Support onboarding, training, and skill development of team members
• Document and escalation performance, attendance, or conduct issues in accordance with policy

Operational Oversight & Execution

• Plan, assign, and coordinate daily work to meet production or service requirements
• Monitor workflow, staffing levels, and workload balance
• Identify operational issues, delays, or resource constraints and take corrective action
• Coordinate with other supervisors and departments to support continuity of operations

Safety, Quality & Compliance Leadership

• Enforce all safety rules, PPE requirements, and site procedures
• Promote and sustain a strong safety culture within the team
• Ensure adherence to quality standards, procedures, and standard work
• Address safety or quality incidents promptly and ensure proper documentation

Communication & Reporting

• Communicate priorities, expectations, and updates clearly to team members
• Act as the primary communication link between employees and management
• Track and report operational metrics, daily results, and issues
• Participate in shift meetings, production reviews, and coordination discussions

Continuous Improvement & Leadership Expectations

• Support continuous improvement, lean, or efficiency initiatives
• Identify opportunities to improve workflow, safety, or team effectiveness
• Reinforce professional conduct, accountability, and performance expectations
• Demonstrate leadership presence through consistency, fairness, and follow‑through

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Typically requires 3–5 years of experience in a relevant operational, manufacturing, or service environment
• Prior experience providing work direction, training, or supervisory oversight preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Working knowledge of operational processes in the assigned area
• Ability to supervise, evaluate, and direct employee performance
• Strong communication, organization, and interpersonal skills
• Solid understanding of safety, quality, and operational standards
• Basic conflict resolution and problem‑solving capability
• Ability to balance operational demands with people leadership responsibilities
• Demonstrated professionalism, reliability, and accountability

Additional Job Details

Management – M1

Organizational Impact

• Works to achieve operational, functional, and/or business targets within team with direct and indirect impact on departmental or job-family results
• Plans and establishes operational plans and day‑to‑day objectives for a team of entry level professionals and/or skilled support employees
• Assigns tasks to a team to achieve operational targets, service standards, etc.

Communication & Influence

• Communicates with parties typically within own department or job family, and may communicate with parties external to the department which may include clients or partners depending on the job area
• Explains policies, practices and procedures of the area of responsibility to others within the team
• Sometimes requires ability to influence others outside of own job area on policies, practices and procedures

Innovation & Complexity

• Responsible for making minor to moderate improvements of processes, systems or products to enhance performance of job area
• Problems may be difficult but not complex. Problems typically impacts the department and/or job family group. Problems are typically solved through drawing from prior experience and analysis of issues

Leadership & Talent Management

• Manages a small to mid‑size team consisting of three or more entry level professionals or skilled support employees
• Leads, directs and reviews the work of team members in order to accomplish operational plans and results
• Provides day‑to‑day work direction for team, focused on maintaining steady workflow and productivity and resolving operational decisions
• Provides primary input to hiring, firing, promotion, performance and rewards decisions for direct reports

Knowledge & Experience

• Understands basic management approaches such as work scheduling, prioritizing, coaching and process execution. Typically requires broad job knowledge of technical or operational practices within assigned discipline
• Typically has a bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional certification and 3 years of prior relevant experience

Equal Employment Opportunity and Aff‑orive Action at Nidec

Nidec is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Aff‑orive Action Employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, genetic information, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information regarding your (EEO) rights as an applicant, please visit the following website: http://www1.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf

Work Shift Schedule

First Shift (United States of America)

No Soliciting

Nidec will not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third party recruiting agencies in response to Nidec job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers. Pre-approval from the Nidec Talent Acquisition team is required before any external candidate can be submitted and such candidate must be submitted to the Nidec Talent Acquisition team.