Foundry Manager

Position Summary:

Operations

Leads foundry operations to safely produce cast products that meet quality, delivery, and cost targets through effective people leadership and process control.

Essential Functions:

• Manage day-to-day foundry production to meet schedule, safety, quality, and throughput targets.

• Lead supervisors/leads and coordinate staffing, training, and performance management.

• Drive process discipline across melting, molding, pouring, shakeout, and finishing operations.

• Partner with Engineering and Quality on defect reduction, process capability, and corrective actions.

• Maintain equipment readiness with Maintenance; prioritize downtime issues and preventative maintenance.

• Ensure compliance with safety procedures, PPE, and hazard reporting; lead safety meetings and investigations.

• Monitor production KPIs and implement continuous improvement initiatives.

• Control labor and material costs; manage scrap, rework, and yield improvement programs.

• Ensure accurate production reporting, traceability, and standard work documentation.

• Coordinate with Planning/Shipping to align output to customer delivery commitments.

Additional Skills by Level

Level I:
Stabilize safety and production routines; improve visibility of daily KPIs and shift handoffs.

Level II:
Improve capability and yield through structured CI, training, and equipment reliability programs.

Level III:
Lead major process upgrades, capacity expansion, or multi-shift transformation with enterprise impact.

Job Requirements and Qualifications

Education, Experience, or Formal Training:

• 5+ years manufacturing leadership experience; foundry/metal casting experience preferred.

• Strong knowledge of safety practices, production scheduling, and continuous improvement methods.

• Ability to lead teams in a high-heat, industrial environment with strong communication and discipline.

Working Environment:

Hot, noisy foundry environment with dust/fumes and heavy equipment; PPE required frequent walking and standing; extended hours may be needed.

Physical Demands:

• Frequent standing/walking; ability to wear PPE/respiratory protection as required.

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally and work around industrial equipment and elevated temperatures.

KPIs:

• Safety incident rate (TRIR) and near-miss reporting

• Production attainment vs. schedule

• Scrap and rework rate

• Yield / melt-to-ship efficiency

• Downtime hours and top causes

• Overtime hours as % of labor

• First Pass Yield (FPY) on foundry operations

• On-time handoff to downstream machining/finishing

• Training compliance for operators

• 5S/audit score for foundry areas

SMART Goals:

• Reduce recordable incidents by 25% within 12 months by increasing near-miss reporting and closing actions within 14 days.

• Achieve ≥95% production attainment weekly within 120 days through daily tier meetings and constraint management.

• Reduce scrap/rework by 15% within 9 months by eliminating top-3 defect drivers via RCA and process controls.

• Improve yield by 5% within 6 months by optimizing charge materials and controlling key process parameters.

• Cut unplanned downtime by 10% within 2 quarters by implementing PM schedules and downtime Pareto reviews.

• Reduce overtime by 8% within 6 months through staffing plans and improved schedule adherence.

• Increase FPY by 8 points within 2 quarters through standardized work and operator training refreshers.

• Deliver 95% on-time handoff to machining for 2 consecutive quarters via WIP controls and communication routines.

• Achieve 100% required training completion within 60 days for all foundry operators using a training matrix.

• Raise foundry 5S/audit score to ≥85% within 90 days by weekly audits and owner assignments.