Foamhead Manufacturing Supervisor

Role Summary

The Foamhead Supervisor owns the Safety, People, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and Cash (SPQDCC) performance of the Foamhead operation. This role leads Group Leaders or Team Leaders who guide front-line operators across first- and second-shift activities and ensures consistent execution of the ASD Lean Operating System. The Supervisor provides hands-on leadership for mechanical equipment and chemical-processing operations, including process monitoring, chemical handling and off-loading, equipment troubleshooting, material preparation, pressing, saw-house activities, and production flow. The role drives daily management through visual controls, Leader Standard Work, shift communication, labor and time reporting, equipment and process discipline, and structured problem-solving. Success requires visible shop-floor leadership, strong mechanical aptitude, practical chemical-process knowledge, disciplined schedule execution, and active development of front-line leaders and operators.

Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities

1. Leadership and Daily Management

• Lead daily Foamhead operations and execute against SPQDCC targets across assigned shifts.

• Conduct shift start-up and end-of-shift meetings to review performance, priorities, process conditions, equipment status, constraints, and actions.

• Ensure effective shift handoffs that communicate production results, mechanical downtime, chemical-process concerns, safety risks, quality issues, and open actions.

• Maintain a visible shop-floor presence through Gemba walks, real-time coaching, equipment and process observation, and reinforcement of standard work.

• Translate strategic safety, quality, production, maintenance, and process priorities into daily execution.

2. People Leadership and Administration

• Directly manage and develop Foamhead Group Leaders or Team Leaders and build operator capability across press, Foamhead, saw-house, bar-preparation, and chemical off-load activities.

• Approve timekeeping, including regular hours, overtime, vacation, personal time, and sick time.

• Monitor attendance, address issues promptly, and maintain accurate labor reporting.

• Conduct performance reviews, coaching, and progressive discipline when required.

• Maintain and improve cross-training and skills-matrix coverage to strengthen first- and second-shift capability, technical depth, and operational continuity.

3. Safety, Chemical Handling, 5S, and Compliance

• Ensure compliance with safety procedures, PPE standards, lockout/tagout requirements, chemical-handling procedures, and established operating controls.

• Conduct daily safety huddles and follow through on incidents, near hits, chemical exposures or releases, equipment hazards, and corrective actions.

• Verify safe receipt, off-loading, storage, transfer, use, and disposal of chemicals in partnership with EHS, Materials, and other support functions.

• Partner with EHS and Maintenance to resolve mechanical, chemical, ergonomic, and environmental hazards identified through Red Tag Logs, inspections, risk assessments, and employee observations.

• Lead and audit 5S activities to sustain a safe, clean, organized, and contamination-controlled work environment.

4. Quality and Mechanical/Chemical Process Control

• Ensure teams follow the Quality Control Plan, standard operating procedures, work instructions, inspection requirements, and established chemical recipes and process parameters.

• Monitor and control critical Foamhead process conditions, including chemical ratios, temperatures, pressures, flow rates, cure conditions, equipment settings, and other defined specifications.

• Review quality metrics and process trends, address deviations, contain nonconforming product, and support root-cause analysis and corrective action.

• Coach Team Leaders and operators on mechanical setup, chemical-process discipline, material handling, quality standards, containment, and process ownership.

• Maintain accountability for open quality, equipment, and chemical-process issues through verified closure.

5. Planning, Scheduling, and Performance

• Execute daily and weekly Foamhead production schedules in alignment with planning, raw-material availability, chemical supply, equipment capacity, and downstream production requirements.

• Coordinate staffing, cross-training, and headcount to meet takt-time, labor-map, and shift-coverage requirements.

• Monitor SPQDCC indicators and drive countermeasures when safety, process stability, quality, output, downtime, scrap, or productivity misses targets.

• Ensure accurate reporting of mechanical downtime, chemical-process interruptions, scrap, yield, productivity, material usage, and other production information.

• Coordinate periodic second-shift leadership coverage to support process monitoring, troubleshooting, employee needs, and timely issue resolution.

6. Leader Standard Work and System Discipline

• Execute the daily Leader Standard Work cadence, including visual checks, performance reviews, mechanical equipment verification, chemical-process checks, and floor observation.

• Ensure Team Leaders maintain board updates, shift huddles, audits, 5S activities, process checks, and other Leader Standard Work routines.

• Audit and update Team Boards to maintain visibility to indicators, equipment and process losses, countermeasures, and standard-work adherence.

• Use Gemba-based observation and coaching to reinforce disciplined execution, safe chemical processing, equipment care, and improvement behaviors.

7. Continuous Improvement and Cross-Functional Problem-Solving

• Facilitate or participate in PDCA, 5-Why, Kaizen, and other structured problem-solving events focused on mechanical reliability, chemical-process stability, quality, throughput, and waste reduction.

• Empower Team Leaders and operators to identify, escalate, and resolve equipment, chemical-process, material, safety, and quality issues quickly.

• Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, EHS, Materials, and chemical suppliers to eliminate recurring losses and improve equipment and process capability.

• Drive ownership of standard work, equipment centerlines, process parameters, preventive controls, and accountability for sustaining improvements.

Leadership Expectations

• Lead by example through visible, engaged, technically credible, and consistent behavior.

• Coach and develop Team Leaders and operators to strengthen the Foamhead leadership and technical-capability pipeline.

• Maintain composure under pressure and focus teams on safe, structured problem-solving rather than blame.

• Encourage transparency, accountability, positive employee relations, and teamwork across shifts and support functions.

• Champion continuous improvement and model the ASD Lean Operating System.

• Communicate expectations, equipment condition, chemical-process performance, production status, and risk clearly and promptly.

Qualifications

Qualifications

• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Operations, Industrial Technology, Mechanical Technology, Chemical Process Technology, or a related field preferred; equivalent technical and manufacturing experience accepted.

• Five or more years of manufacturing experience, including at least two years in a leadership or supervisory role; experience in Foamhead, polyurethane foam, chemical processing, continuous processing, or related manufacturing operations preferred.

• Demonstrated mechanical aptitude and the ability to lead troubleshooting of production equipment, pumps, piping, valves, presses, saws, material-delivery systems, and related mechanical components.

• Working knowledge of chemical-process control, safe chemical handling and off-loading, process parameters, material interactions, and response to chemical or process deviations.

• Proven ability to lead hourly teams, develop technical skills, and manage timekeeping and attendance processes.

• Strong understanding of safety requirements, quality systems, equipment reliability, process control, and Lean manufacturing principles.

• Excellent communication, conflict-resolution, coaching, and cross-functional problem-solving skills.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Kronos, ADP, or equivalent timekeeping systems, and ERP production-tracking tools.

• Willingness to work flexible shifts, provide periodic second-shift coverage, respond to mechanical or chemical-process issues, and maintain regular shop-floor presence.