Production Assembler - Team Lead

Job Title: Production Assembler – Team Lead
Pay Rate: $27-30/ hour 
Location: West Warwick, RI
Duration: PERM
Shift: 1st M-F

Position Summary
The Assembly Lead is responsible for supporting daily hardware assembly operations while leading the assembly team to meet on-time delivery, quality, productivity, safety, and cost objectives. This role serves as a hands-on leader who can perform assembly work, assist with troubleshooting, manage daily priorities, monitor capacity, and coordinate with support functions to resolve issues that may impact production flow. The Assembly Lead helps ensure team members are trained, cross-trained, aligned to schedule requirements, and operating within established 6S and quality standards.
Key Responsibilities

• Perform hardware assembly as needed to support daily production requirements.
• Develop working knowledge of assembly processes across ToughWriter, Miltope, RITEC, and harness assembly product lines to provide flexible support.
• Manage day-to-day team priorities to meet on-time delivery and quality goals.
• Monitor production capacity against the schedule and allocate resources as needed to maintain workflow.
• Assist team members with troubleshooting, problem resolution, and removal of production obstacles.
• Partner with Quality, Inspection, PCB, and other support functions to perform containment actions when defective components are discovered.
• Support stock checks, defect investigations, and timely communication of material or process issues.
• Participate in interviewing, onboarding, and training of new hires.
• Cross-train team members to improve flexibility, capability, and coverage across assembly operations.
• Monitor work areas for 6S compliance and perform regular internal 6S audits.
• Manage team training requirements and ensure required training is completed on time.
• Drive productivity improvements and support routing time accuracy.
• Create, maintain, and present the Aerospace Hardware Assembly GEMBA board to communicate performance, priorities, and improvement actions.

Qualifications

• Experience in hardware assembly, electromechanical assembly, manufacturing operations, or a related production environment.
• Ability to learn and support multiple product lines and assembly processes.
• Experience leading, coordinating, training, or mentoring production team members preferred.
• Working knowledge of quality standards, defect containment, inventory checks, and production schedule requirements.
• Ability to read and follow work instructions, procedures, drawings, and manufacturing documentation.
• Strong understanding of 6S, safety expectations, and continuous improvement practices preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Hands-on assembly capability and willingness to support production directly when needed.
• Strong leadership, prioritization, and resource coordination skills.
• Effective problem-solving and troubleshooting skills in a production environment.
• Clear communication with team members, supervisors, Quality, Inspection, PCB, and other support functions.
• Ability to identify schedule, material, staffing, or process risks and escalate them appropriately.
• Commitment to quality, safety, 6S discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to train, coach, and cross-train team members to build team capability and flexibility.
• Strong ownership of team performance metrics, including safety, quality, delivery, inventory, cost, and productivity.