Production Supervisor (Engineering Background)

Guardian Industries; DeWitt (IA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Industries in DeWitt, Iowa is seeking a Production Supervisor to lead a frontline team in its float glass facility. This position is aimed at engineering-minded individuals eager to build leadership skills within a robust 24/7 manufacturing environment.

Your responsibilities include driving production goals, enhancing quality, and coaching operators. Candidates should have a bachelor's degree in engineering and a strong interest in developing people in a hands-on role.

Qualifications

• Interest in frontline people leadership in a hands‑on manufacturing environment.
• Ability to work rotating 12‑hour shifts (6:00‑6:00).

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a frontline production team.
• Lead structured problem‑solving using data and root‑cause methods.
• Own day‑to‑day production execution for a crew in a 24/7 environment.
• Reinforce standard work and process discipline.
• Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality for improvements.
• Provide visible safety leadership.
• Communicate priorities and expectations across shifts.

Skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Coaching

Technical understanding

Education

Bachelor's degree in an engineering field

Job description

Your Job

Guardian Glass seeks a hands‑on, engineering‑minded leader for a Production Supervisor position at its float glass facility in DeWitt, Iowa.

This role is designed for engineers who want to build deep manufacturing credibility and people leadership early in their careers by working directly in 24/7 operations before moving into broader technical or manufacturing leadership roles.

You will lead a frontline crew while staying close to the process. Your focus will be on troubleshooting issues, improving stability and quality, and coaching operators on technical understanding and standard work.

What You Will Do

• Develop and lead a frontline production team through technical coaching, skill development, cross‑training, and clear performance expectations.
• Lead structured problem‑solving using data and root‑cause methods (e.g., RCA, corrective actions) to improve yield, reliability, quality, and process stability.
• Own day‑to‑day production execution for a crew of approximately 10 employees in a 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Reinforce standard work and process discipline by monitoring production systems, responding to variation, and supporting operators in maintaining control.
• Partner closely with Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality to plan and execute equipment, process, and reliability improvements.
• Provide visible safety leadership through hazard recognition, safe work practices, training, emergency response readiness, and escalation during abnormal situations.
• Communicate priorities, expectations, and follow‑through clearly across shift handoffs to align the team with goals and operational needs.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering field.
• Interest in frontline people leadership in a hands‑on manufacturing environment (coaching, setting expectations, and developing others).
• Ability to work rotating 12‑hour shifts (6:00‑6:00).

What Will Put You Ahead

• Manufacturing experience in a 24/7 or high‑volume environment (internship, co‑op, technician/lead operator role, or full‑time position).
• Demonstrated leadership experience, such as leading teams, projects, training, or improvement efforts (formal or informal).
• Experience using structured problem‑solving and continuous improvement methods to drive sustainable results (e.g., RCA, 5 Why, standard work, error proofing).
• Ability to translate technical concepts into clear, practical coaching for operators and technicians.

This role is not eligible for sponsorship.

Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E‑Verify.