Shop Foreman

Black Tusk Partners LLC; Indiana; On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Tusk Partners LLC in Indiana is seeking a seasoned, hands-on Shop Foreman to lead day-to-day machining operations on the shop floor. The role demands deep know-how across manual and CNC mills and lathes, a talent for reading prints, and the ability to make fast, practical repair decisions on customer equipment.

You will supervise a veteran crew of machinists, welders, and millwrights, coordinate with customers and estimators on labor hours, and ensure quality from teardown to final

Qualifications

• 15–20 years hands-on machining experience across manual and CNC milling, turning, boring and heavy job-shop repair.
• Journeyman Machinist background strongly preferred.
• Excellent blueprint-reading ability and reverse-engineering of worn parts.
• Strong knowledge of different steel types and their machining characteristics.
• Solid welding understanding (MIG/TIG) and heavy fabrication.
• Ability to supervise and lead a veteran shop crew with fairness and authority.
• Excellent people skills for direct communication with industrial customers.

Responsibilities

• Lead & Schedule the Shop Floor: assign daily jobs and manage workflow across CNC and manual mills and lathes, welding/fabrication bays, and teardown/assembly areas.
• Make Hands-On Repair & Machining Decisions: inspect equipment, decide what to weld/remachine/replace, and guide setup and fixturing.
• Technical Troubleshooting & Print Review: review blueprints, resolve setup or tolerance issues on the floor.
• Quality Control & Final Inspection: verify dimensions, fits, tolerances, and weld/assembly integrity.
• Manage & Motivate the Crew: supervise and coordinate machinists, fabricators, and mechanics.
• Partner with Customers & Estimating: speak with customers on status and collaborate on labor hours and repair scopes.

Skills

Blueprint reading

Leadership

Customer interaction

Machining expertise

Education

Journeyman Machinist

Tools

CNC Mills

CNC Lathes

Welding equipment

Job description

We are looking for a seasoned, hands-on Shop Foreman with 15–20 years of machining experience to lead day-to-day operations on our shop floor. This is a leadership role for a true machinist's machinist — someone who can read any print, knows steels and welding inside and out, can make smart on-the-spot repair decisions on torn-down customer equipment, and has the people skills to both talk directly with industrial customers and earn the respect of an experienced, hard-working (and occasionally grumpy) crew of machinists, welders, and millwrights.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Lead & Schedule the Shop Floor: Assign daily jobs and manage workflow across CNC and manual mills and lathes, welding/fabrication bays, and teardown/assembly areas to hit delivery dates and handle urgent customer breakdowns without dropping scheduled work.
• Make Hands-On Repair & Machining Decisions: Inspect incoming broken or worn industrial equipment (gearboxes, mandrels, rolls, crane wheels, shafts, screw jacks, housings) during disassembly, determine what needs to be welded, remachined, or replaced, and guide machinists on setup, tooling, feeds/speeds, and fixturing.
• Technical Troubleshooting & Print Review: Review blueprints and reverse-engineered drawings with machinists and welders, resolve setup or tolerance issues on the floor, and ensure complex jobs are executed right the first time.
• Quality Control & Final Inspection: Verify critical dimensions, fits, tolerances, and weld/assembly integrity during in-process and final inspection before equipment ships back to the customer.
• Manage & Motivate the Crew: Supervise, coach, and coordinate a veteran team of machinists, fabricators, and mechanics — keeping morale, accountability, safety, and productivity high through straightforward, respectful leadership.
• Partner with Customers & Estimating: Speak directly with customers on job status, rush turnarounds, and technical repair questions, and collaborate with the Estimator on labor hours, shop capacity, and repair scopes.

Qualifications

• 15–20 years of hands-on machining experience across manual and CNC milling, turning, boring, and heavy job-shop repair work.
• Journeyman Machinist background strongly preferred (not required, but a strong plus).
• Excellent blueprint-reading ability and the ability to reverse-engineer worn or broken parts when no print exists.
• Strong working knowledge of different steel types (carbon, alloy, tool, and stainless steels, as well as bronze, brass, and aluminum) and their machining and repair characteristics.
• Solid understanding of welding (MIG/TIG) and heavy fabrication, plus mechanical teardown and reassembly of industrial equipment.
• Strong repair judgment: Comfortable making practical, real-time repair decisions on jobs where we are rebuilding existing machinery rather than making brand-new parts.
• Excellent people skills: Able to deal effectively with industrial customers and lead seasoned, plain-spoken shop-floor veterans with fairness and authority.
• Highly motivated and dependable. Basic computer skills are helpful, but not required.