Weld Operations Technician

Welding Operations Technician

The Welding Operations Technician provides hands-on technical support for the Fab & Weld Value Stream across the facilities. The role supports the Value Stream Leaders, Group Leaders, Team Leads, Operators, and Manufacturing Engineering by improving production processes, documentation, tooling, fixtures, equipment readiness, quality controls, material flow, and model-year change execution.

Essential Job Functions

• Production Support:
  Provide daily floor support for safety, quality, delivery, and cost; respond to escalations involving process, tooling, fixtures, equipment, standard work, and material flow.
• Continuous Improvement:
  Identify, prioritize, and implement approved small-to-medium improvements using observation, employee input, time studies, root-cause analysis, 5S, visual management, standard work, and Kaizen methods.
• Process Documentation:
  Create, revise, and maintain standard work instructions, process flow charts, control plans, check sheets, job aids, setup sheets, parameter sheets, and other Quality System documentation under the appropriate approval process.
• Time Studies and Labor Standards:
  Document work elements, conduct cycle-time observations, identify waste and constraints, recommend balanced work content, and support engineered labor-standard development.
• Tooling and Fixtures:
  Assist with fixture concepts, fabrication, modification, validation, preventive-maintenance needs, and point-of-use controls. Coordinate repairs and improvements through Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, and Manufacturing Engineering.
• Equipment and CNC Support:
  Support production equipment setup, troubleshooting, data collection, and approved programming changes for applicable CNC routers, extrusion benders, and other manufacturing equipment. Escalate controls or design changes requiring Engineering authorization.
• Quality and Weld Process Support:
  Help reduce weld defects and rework through parameter verification, fit-up checks, fixture validation, first-piece support, leak-test process review, defect Pareto analysis, containment support, and corrective-action follow-up.
• Layout and Flow:
  Maintain current floor-layout information and recommend improvements to workstation design, ergonomics, WIP limits, point-of-use storage, material presentation, and movement between Fab and Weld operations.
• Model-Year and Product Changes:
  Support trials, readiness checklists, tooling and fixture updates, work instructions, operator training, issue tracking, and launch follow-up for model-year and product changes in coordination with Product and Manufacturing Engineering.
• Project Execution:
  Define tasks, owners, dates, risks, and expected results for assigned projects; maintain action lists, communicate status, validate benefits, and escalate barriers to the Value Stream Leader, or Manufacturing Engineering.

Daily Support Expectations

• Attend designated Daily meetings and Gemba walks; review hourly output, downtime, quality defects, WIP, rework, and open technical issues.
• Maintain a prioritized technical-support action list with owner, due date, status, and verified closure.
• Work directly with Group Leaders and Team Leads
• Provide hands-on support at both facilities and transition quickly among production needs, improvement work, documentation, trials, and urgent problem solving.

Performance Measures

Safety
- Closed safety actions, improved ergonomics, completed process risk reviews, and audit support

Quality
- First-pass yield, weld-defect and rework reduction, document accuracy, and corrective-action closure

Delivery
- Downtime response, schedule-risk reduction, constraint removal, launch readiness, and project completion

Cost
- Validated labor, scrap, consumable, tooling, or productivity savings

Process
- Standard work completion, time-study accuracy, fixture/equipment readiness, and sustained improvements

People
- Training completion, employee adoption, cross-functional responsiveness, and professional communication

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required; technical certificate, associate degree, apprenticeship, or equivalent manufacturing experience preferred.
• Three or more years of progressive experience in manufacturing, fabrication, welding, assembly, maintenance, quality, tooling, CNC, or production technical support preferred.
• Working knowledge of aluminum fabrication and welding processes, including GMAW/MIG and GTAW/TIG, strongly preferred.
• Ability to read blueprints, engineering drawings, work instructions, bills of material, and production schedules; accurately use tape measures and common inspection tools.
• Practical knowledge of Lean manufacturing, 5S, standard work, takt time, WIP control, value stream mapping, root-cause problem solving, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to conduct time studies, organize data, prepare clear technical documentation, and communicate findings to hourly employees and leadership.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience with Solid Works, AutoCAD,…