Working Team Lead - Shipping

At Acron our ambition is to relentlessly reimagine and reshape the value chains by which we deliver results to our customers, suppliers, and internal/external stakeholder communities in pursuit of innovations to creating safer skies. Acron employees strive to achieve world-class results through our values of always putting our customers first, displaying ownership of our results, moving fast and speaking candidly.

We currently seek a Working Team Lead, Shipping who thrives in a hands-on manufacturing environment and is highly skilled in daily execution, team leadership, problem solving, and continuous improvement. This position is part of the Acron Avionics Business Unit and will be located in Grand Rapids, MI. The role requires the selected candidate to work on site during first shift hours.

The Working Team Lead is a front-line leadership role responsible for supporting daily operations, team performance, schedule execution, and issue escalation within the value stream. This position is expected to spend approximately 60% of time performing assembly/technician work and 40% of time performing leadership, administrative and continuous improvement responsibilities. The Working Lead serves as the primary liaison between operations employees and the Value Stream Leader (VSL), ensuring that the daily operations plan is executed safely, efficiently, and in compliance with established standards.

Responsibilities:

Maintain daily attendance records and escalate attendance policy concerns to the VSL as required
Review, approve, and correct employee timecards
Support annual performance reviews in partnership with the VSL
Maintain employee training and certification records
Support onboarding and development of new team members
Reinforce company policies, procedures, and behavioral expectations
Provide coaching and feedback to employees, document performance concerns, recommend corrective action, and draft disciplinary documentation for VSL review.
Authority to approve limited overtime to support daily schedule execution within established departmental guidelines. Overtime beyond established limits requires VSL approval.
Execute the daily operations plan as communicated by the Value Stream Leader (VSL)
Coordinate labor resources and operations priorities to achieve daily On-Time Start (OTS) and On-Time Completion (OTC) targets
Monitor schedule performance throughout the day and proactively identify risks to meeting customer commitments
Escalate material shortages, quality issues, labor constraints, equipment downtime, or other barriers that may impact schedule attainment
Lead daily recovery planning efforts for missed starts, missed completions, and abnormal operations conditions
Coordinate with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Procurement to remove constraints and restore schedule performance
Communicate schedule risks, recovery plans, and execution status during Tier 1 and Tier 2 meetings
Drive accountability for daily plan attainment while supporting continuous improvement of operations flow and predictability
Support development of a fully cross-trained workforce
Maintain and track capability matrices and certification requirements
Coordinate cross-training activities in partnership with the VSL
Promote workforce flexibility and skill development across the value stream
Support the objective of maintaining a minimum of three qualified operators per process
Mentor employees and reinforce technical competency development

Basic Qualifications:

High school diploma or equivalent; associate degree or technical certification preferred
3+ years of experience in aerospace manufacturing, shipping/receiving, or related operations environment
Demonstrated leadership experience in a manufacturing environment
Strong understanding of operations scheduling, workflow management, and shop floor execution
Ability to interpret operations priorities and coordinate labor resources effectively
Experience leading daily meetings, tracking performance metrics, and driving accountability
Strong problem-solving and communication skills
Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems such as SAP
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel

Additional Qualifications:

Aerospace or defense manufacturing experience
Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, or Six Sigma methodologies
Experience leading Tiered Daily Management systems
Knowledge of AS9100 and regulated manufacturing environments
Demonstrated experience coordinating cross-functional teams and driving schedule recovery initiatives