MELT CAST TECHNICAL MANAGER

Location: Dublin, GA, US, 31021 Our company culture is built upon YKK's philosophy called the CYCLE OF GOODNESS™. We believe that providing value and being fair to our customers and our employees is what makes us a successful company in return. Guided by our core values and fundamental behaviors, we strive to foster a caring company, committed employees and challenging work that benefits our employees, customers, and communities. We offer competitive compensation packages, training and advancement opportunities. YKK AP America provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package designed to provide the security they need to enjoy life at home and at work. By providing a high level of benefit coverage at a reasonable cost to the employee, we hope to foster a long and productive employment relationship.

Summary: The Technical Manager – Melt Cast is responsible for leading and coordinating technical activities for Cast House 1 and Cast House 2, including equipment and process reliability, outage and shutdown planning, preventive maintenance coordination, contractor management, technical documentation, troubleshooting, and employee technical training. This role serves as a key technical resource for Melt Cast operations and partners closely with Operations and Maintenance to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient equipment and process performance.

Technical Operations & Equipment Reliability: Lead and coordinate technical activities for Cast House 1 and Cast House 2.Maintain current equipment records and ensure appropriate preventive maintenance is performed in coordination with Maintenance. Coordinate with Maintenance and Spare Parts Inventory in planning preventive maintenance activities and equipment needs. Schedule Maintenance work for planned shutdowns, outages, and preventive maintenance (PM) activities. Coordinate daily and weekly maintenance work-planning activities. Track equipment performance and identify opportunities to improve reliability and reduce downtime. Provide technical troubleshooting support for equipment and process issues. Read and interpret equipment manuals, P&IDs, and other technical documentation. Manage process-control changes and ensure equipment records and process documentation are updated appropriately. Provide on-call technical support for equipment issues as needed. Coordinate contractors supporting technical, maintenance, and outage activities.

Training & Technical Development: Train Cast House employees on Cast House procedures. Provide technical training on equipment operation, troubleshooting practices, and applicable technical standards. Work off shift to provide technical training and operational support, as needed. Develop and coordinate technical training to strengthen employee knowledge, equipment capability, and process consistency. Identify technical skill gaps and establish training priorities in partnership with department leadership. Reinforce proper procedures and technical standards through coaching, observation, and hands-on instruction.

Planning, Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Maintain and update daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly technical and maintenance reports as required. Track and report equipment performance, downtime, preventive maintenance activity, and other department metrics. Identify opportunities to improve equipment reliability, processes, maintenance practices, safety, quality, and productivity. Recommend technical and operational improvements based on equipment and process performance. Support continuous improvement and corrective-action initiatives related to Melt Cast equipment and processes. Ensure technical records and department documentation are accurate and current.

Safety, Quality & Compliance: Comply with company policies and applicable quality, safety, environmental, regulatory, and industry standards. Promote safe work practices throughout Melt Cast operations. Ensure technical, maintenance, shutdown, and contractor activities comply with established safety requirements. Perform physical audits of equipment and operating areas as needed. Support investigation and resolution of equipment, process, quality, and safety issues. Maintain a strong focus on safe equipment operation and process reliability.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Support: Serve as a primary technical resource for Melt Cast employees, supervisors, and department leadership. Provide technical guidance, coaching, and support to Cast House employees. Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Safety, Quality, and other support functions. Communicate technical priorities, equipment needs, and operational concerns to appropriate stakeholders. Cover for the Melt Cast Manager as needed. Support department leadership during shutdowns, outages, equipment failures, and significant operational events. Promote accountability, teamwork, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning.

Qualifications & Experience: Preferred High school diploma or GED required. Technical education or related post-secondary training preferred. Minimum ten (10) years of Melt Cast experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience. Extensive knowledge of Melt Cast equipment, processes, operating conditions, and performance requirements. Strong Cast House troubleshooting and root-cause problem-solving capability. Experience coordinating preventive maintenance, shutdowns, outages, contractors, and technical work in a manufacturing environment. Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. Working knowledge of Google products, BPCS, ADC Live systems, or comparable manufacturing systems.

Key Competencies: Strong technical leadership skills. Strong equipment and process troubleshooting skills. Strong planning and organizational skills. Strong equipment-reliability focus. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to effectively train employees across multiple shifts. Ability to translate technical requirements into practical operating procedures and training. Strong analytical and root-cause problem-solving skills. High level of safety awareness and accountability. Ability to prioritize multiple technical and maintenance activities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Ability to build collaborative relationships across Operations, Maintenance, and other support functions.

Physical Demands: Ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds using proper lifting techniques. Frequent standing and walking throughout the manufacturing facility. Occasional sitting, climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling. Frequent use of hands and arms to handle, feel, and reach. Ability to inspect equipment in production, utility, and facility areas. Vision abilities include close, distance, peripheral vision and focus adjustment.

Work Environment: Manufacturing environment with exposure to moving mechanical parts and operating production equipment. Exposure to elevated noise levels. Exposure to heat and humidity. Exposure to airborne particles and industrial chemicals. Occasional exposure to outdoor weather conditions. Occasional exposure to vibration. Required use of appropriate PPE when entering designated production areas. Required compliance with all company safety, environmental, and operating requirements.

Travel: Approximately 5% travel as needed.