Tool Room Section Manager

Indiana Automotive Fasteners, Inc.; Greenfield (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Indiana Automotive Fasteners, Inc. is seeking a department leader to drive safety, quality, delivery, and cost improvements across the Tool Engineering area.

The role involves coaching TPS/TPM, coordinating training, and ensuring 100% conformance to process standards while aligning with the company’s SQDC goals. The ideal candidate has a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with 5+ years of experience and strong problem-solving skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business management or STEM with 5+ years of experience.
• Ability to read and interpret safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions.
• Microsoft Excel proficiency in Windows environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead department with focus on Safety, Delivery, and Cost (SQDC).
• Champion TPS and TPM initiatives and drive continuous improvement.
• Coordinate training and cross-training for new team members.
• Communicate with team and provide coverage as needed; act as interim leader when required.
• Plan department goals, assign tasks, and manage Kaizen projects.
• Ensure 100% conforming product to downstream processes and prevent defects.

Skills

Leadership

TPS/TPM knowledge

Problem solving

Cross-training

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in business or STEM

Tools

Excel

Job description

Support the company, department, and team members through efforts to achieve the departmental and company goals. Serve as an example for other employees in the company. Lead the department with Safety, Delivery, and Cost (S, Q, D, C) in mind.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Include The Following.

• Be a leader in the company who understands and is a role model for upholding values, policies, and processes. Maintain knowledge of all job tasks within the department as well as understanding upstream and downstream operations.
• Serve as a student and champion of Toyota Production System (TPS) and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). Take ownership of department performance and drive improvement.
• Coordinate the training for new team members to be qualified; develop a plan for cross-training the team to ensure area and process coverage.
• Act as a key point of contact for the Department, providing support and communication for the team.
• Set the department’s expectations, goals, and course of action. May facilitate departmental meetings, establish SQDC messages, and set expectations.
• Plans department goals, objectives, and action plans. Assign work, daily tasks, and continuous improvement projects.
• Plans department goals, objectives, and action plans. Assign work, daily tasks, and continuous improvement projects.
• Run the department without compromising Safety and ensuring zero harm.
• Take necessary action to ensure that each process sends only 100% conforming product/parts to the next process to promote TPS and minimum inventories.
• Establish and enforce work standards. Identify and drive improvements to processes and procedures.
• Determine the root cause(s) and countermeasures for product nonconformances, machine/tool, process problems, abnormal conditions, and for all other matters/occurrences that will benefit from Kaizen activates/continual improvement.
• Manage the floor management system to include development, communicating, and posting results.
• Develop and execute the area’s strategic plan (section action plan). Ensure activities align to the company and functional action plan.
• Periodically work across all shifts to communicate, align the team, and assess performance.
• Provide coverage as needed for absence or emergency. Act as interim leader in case of a manufacturing manager’s short-term absence related to Tool Engineering.
• Manage abnormal conditions by communicating, analyzing, and resolving issues.
• Lead Area S+ and enforce compliance with established standards.
• Responsible for Safety communication, reporting, and enforcement of team compliance, including but not limited to accident investigation and countermeasures, protective equipment, protection on the job, OSHA requirements, and emergency action plans.
• Quality facilitation by auditing and ensuring that work instructions are complete and accurate, team members are properly trained, and standard work is followed.
• Manage performance of the area with prompt communication to leadership. Complete non-routine projects or assignments as needed.
• Participate in hiring Tool Engineering Members. Participate in the assessment and selection processes to build the strongest and most capable team.
• Complete other assignments as deemed necessary by IAF leadership.
• Manage tool inventory; ordering, storage, distribution, furcating, and obsolete tooling.
• Travel to suppliers for tool localization and audit to ensure compliance with internal requirements.
• Notify production departments of issues and support troubleshooting and countermeasures.
• Support production departments with training, guidance, & project work.
• Create reports and report out monthly based on Section Action Plan Requirements.
• Interface with parent and sister companies.
• Ensure Tool Engineering suppliers and ordering are maintained.
• Create and issue process sheets to manufacturing.
• Improve tooling design.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor's degree in business management or STEM discipline preferred with 5+ years of experience. Candidates with equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before team members, peers, and management of the organization.

Minimum Qualifications

Must have the ability to:

• Perform basic troubleshooting activities with minimal direction after training.
• To use hand tools; understand and perform required techniques.
• Identify problems and come up with appropriate solutions by problem-solving or using problem-solving methodologies.
• Read and interpret technical drawings, quality specifications, and engineering specifications.
• Be familiar with the use of industrial equipment and mechanical tools.
• Work in a Windows computer environment with proficiency in Excel.
• Look up work instructions or reference documents.
• Take initiative.
• Manage cost and lead cost reduction activities related to tooling.
• Work hours are included in all days of the week and shifts, as needed.

Must Be

• Safety-aware
• Quality focused
• Collaborative, inspiring teamwork
• Adaptable to learn and perform, and willing to do various duties.
• Oriented to continuous improvement; make suggestions and improve processes and quality.
• Highly organized.
• Self-motivated.
• Regular standing, walking, bending, and lifting.
• Occasional kneeling, climbing and reaching
• Lifting to 40lbs.

Company Values

Indiana Automotive Fasteners is a team environment that promotes high ethical standards, integrity, and diversity. We operate with mission- driven integrity. Our mission of “ensuring your family’s safety through our team’s quality” is at the heart of all our decisions and actions. We exemplify ethical practices, professionalism, and personal integrity, creating respectful and trusting collaborative work environments where sound advice is valued. We contribute to the IAF team by living our core values of T.E.A.M.W.O.R.K

• We are Trustworthy: We do the right things right every time. We do our jobs with honest effort every time, every day. We follow all safety, quality, and work policies.
• We are Engaged: We are eager and enthusiastic to help our team succeed. We persistently pursue excellence every day. We work together to continuously improve.
• We are Accountable: We are responsible for every product and process we touch. Our choices and actions matter because our work matters. We produce excellent quality fasteners. Our work is a critical component of critical features on vehicles. It is our responsibility to follow our Quality control procedures to ensure the Safety of our products.
• We are Motivated: our work drives us. We can achieve and will achieve. We care about what we do.
• We are Welcoming: We encourage everyone’s best. We greet everyone with a friendly smile. We care about each other.
• We are Open-Minded: We ask. We listen. We consider. We are curious about new possibilities. We are not content with the status quo, and we believe that our diverse backgrounds are what make us stronger, so we listen to learn from each other.
• We are Respectful: We listen to understand. We help each other. We believe every team member matters and deserves respect.
• We are Knowledge‑seeking: We Genchi Genbutsu: Go, look, see. We keep learning; we keep growing. We strive to understand, so we investigate problems to learn from our mistakes. We train and develop our team so that we continue to grow and improve.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work Environment: Manufacturing (Potential exposure to Hazardous chemicals)
• Lighting: Adequate
• Ventilation: Adequate
• Temperature: Non-temperature controlled.