Aerospace Plating Shop Lead / Supervisor

Responsibilities: Perform and oversee aerospace electroplating and metal finishing operations including hard chrome, cadmium, nickel plating, stripping, cleaning, activation, masking, blasting, and associated surface preparation. Set up and operate plating tanks, rectifiers, ovens, pumps, filtration systems, hoists, and related equipment. Determine and control plating parameters including amperage, voltage, current density, plating time, temperature, and other process requirements. Prepare components for plating through cleaning, stripping, blasting, masking, racking, stop off application, and other required preparation. Set up and utilize conforming anodes, fixtures, racks, and tooling to achieve proper plating distribution and dimensional requirements. Monitor plating solutions and operating conditions including bath chemistry, temperature, pH, concentration, contamination, and solution levels. Coordinate bath analysis, chemical additions, maintenance, and corrective actions as necessary. Perform and oversee hydrogen embrittlement relief baking and other required pre plating and post plating processes. Read and interpret engineering drawings, technical manuals, repair instructions, process specifications, work orders, and customer requirements. Use micrometers, calipers, dial indicators, plating thickness gauges, and other precision measuring equipment to verify dimensions and plating thickness. Inspect completed work for proper coverage, adhesion, finish, thickness, and plating defects. Troubleshoot plating issues including poor adhesion, burning, pitting, roughness, uneven buildup, dimensional issues, and other process problems. Maintain accurate production records, plating logs, bath records, oven records, inspection documentation, and required traceability. Plan and prioritize daily shop workload to support production schedules and customer delivery requirements. Coordinate with Production, Quality, Engineering, Machining, NDT, and other departments throughout the repair process. Lead and train plating personnel and ensure approved processes and work instructions are consistently followed. Maintain plating equipment, tanks, rectifiers, ventilation systems, ovens, tooling, fixtures, and work areas in proper operating condition. Monitor chemical and consumable inventory and identify requirements before they impact production. Maintain a clean, organized, efficient, and safe plating department. Ensure proper handling, storage, labeling, and disposal of chemicals and hazardous materials. Support FAA, customer, quality, and internal audits involving the plating department. Identify opportunities to improve quality, reduce rework, improve turnaround time, increase capacity, and improve overall department efficiency.

Qualifications: Minimum 5 years of hands on electroplating or metal finishing experience. Aerospace plating experience is strongly preferred. Experience with hard chrome plating is highly desirable. Experience with cadmium and sulfamate nickel plating is strongly preferred. Experience plating aircraft landing gear, hydraulic components, or other precision aerospace components is a significant plus. Candidate must understand the complete plating process and be capable of independently setting up and processing parts rather than simply operating an established production line.