Melt & Materials Lab Lead — Production & Quality

Clow Valve Company; Oskaloosa (IA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Clow Valve Company is seeking a Melt and Materials Lab Supervisor to assure iron melt production success and high-quality castings by testing, analyzing, and evaluating raw materials, charge mixes, samples, and castings. You will communicate results with internal and external stakeholders and lead continuous improvement efforts.

The role emphasizes production control, leadership, and administrative excellence, requiring strong analytical, safety, and collaboration skills to optimize lab

Qualifications

• 2–3 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations, or 2-year associates degree with 2+ years in manufacturing leadership.
• Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering with 1–3 years of manufacturing leadership experience, or a technical/engineering degree with 1–3 years in leadership.
• Proficiency with induction furnaces/holders, AutoPour equipment, pouring ladles; strong communication; root cause analysis; problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage melting and pouring of iron while ensuring material flow and quality.
• Lead daily startup meetings and coach staff to promote safety and teamwork.
• Coordinate with external labs and distributors to verify material quality and report results.
• Test equipment, analyze data, and drive continuous improvement and standardization.

Skills

Leadership experience

Communication skills

Induction furnaces/holder

Autopour equipment

Pouring ladles

CNC programming

Molten metal handling

Root cause analysis

Data analysis

Manufacturing & casting knowledge

Microsoft Office

Education

2-3 years leadership in manufacturing

Associates degree

Bachelor's in Metallurgical Engineering

Bachelor's in Engineering (Tech/Engineering)

Tools

Induction furnaces/holders

AutoPour equipment

Pouring ladles

CNC machines

Job description

Clow Valve Company is seeking a Melt and Materials Lab Supervisor to assure iron melt production success and high-quality castings by testing, analyzing, and evaluating raw materials, charge mixes, samples, and castings. You will communicate results with internal and external stakeholders and lead continuous improvement efforts.

The role emphasizes production control, leadership, and administrative excellence, requiring strong analytical, safety, and collaboration skills to optimize lab