Operations Team Lead – Job Description Role Summary
The Operations Team Lead is responsible for leading a production line to meet safety, quality, delivery, and morale targets. This role is primarily leadership-focused (70%), with a strong emphasis on coordinating people, maintaining flow, and eliminating disruptions to performance. Technical capability (30%) is required to support execution, troubleshooting, and changeovers. Team Leads do not hold direct disciplinary authority but are expected to lead through influence, accountability, and presence on the floor.
Key Responsibilities - Safety Leadership
Ensure a safe working environment by enforcing all safety standards and promoting proactive behaviors. - Enforce PPE compliance and workstation-specific safety requirements
- Actively observe, coach, and correct unsafe behaviors in real time
- Maintain strong floor presence and reinforce safety culture daily
- People & Productivity
Ensure effective use of labor and continuous productivity across the team. - Ensure all team members are actively engaged in value-added or assigned tasks
- Assign alternative work (TPM, cleaning, organization) during downtime
- Allocate staffing based on qualifications, demand, and line needs
- Manage rotation and cross-training to build flexibility
- Coach, mentor, and support team development
- Validate training completion and readiness of team members
- Report touch points within the first 20 minutes of the shift
- Coordinate staffing across lines with other Team Leads as needed
- Production & Line Management
Drive stable, efficient production flow and ensure readiness of the line. - Lead the line to achieve hourly and daily output targets
- Maintain flow and immediately address disruptions
- Own changeover preparation and execution:
- Verify tools, materials, and machine readiness
- Execute changeovers independently on all assigned equipment
- Ensure safe, correct, and efficient execution
- Visual Management & Escalation
Maintain transparency of performance and enforce escalation discipline. - Maintain and follow the Heijunka board to ensure balanced production
- Update hourly boards with actual output and clear gap explanations
- Document reasons for misses and define immediate countermeasures
- Enforce escalation of downtime, scrap, quality, and safety issues
- Create and track maintenance tickets through resolution
- Control and document rework activities
- Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement
Drive structured problem solving and eliminate recurring issues. - Lead or support root cause analysis using structured methods (e.g., 5 Why)
- Implement and follow up on corrective actions
- Identify trends and initiate improvement actions
- Support achievement of scrap and efficiency targets
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