Machine Shop Supervisor

About the role

API Heat Transfer is a global leader in the design and manufacture of specialty heat exchangers and heat transfer solutions, with a legacy of industry-leading performance tracing back more than 140 years. The company’s corporate culture is built on reliability and superior performance, driven by innovative technologies and passionate professionals.

Thermal Transfer Products (TTP), founded in 1969, is a global provider of advanced thermal transfer solutions delivering industry-leading performance, best-in-class lead times, and the highest quality across industrial and mobile applications. TTP specializes in catalog-based air- and water-cooled products for mobile and industrial hydraulic markets, including shell-and-tube water coolers, copper tube/aluminum fin and brazed aluminum air-cooled units, and custom engine cooling packages for small- to medium-sized mobile equipment.

API Heat Transfer is undergoing a cultural transformation with a new mission and leadership, accelerating its path to Lean Cultural Change. The Machine Shop Supervisor leads daily machining operations to deliver safe, high-quality production on time and at target cost. This hands-on leadership role directs and develops machine shop employees, maintains equipment and tooling performance, and drives continuous improvement while owning the department’s performance in Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.

Benefits

• Opportunity to be part of a growing, transforming business
• Work with leading-edge technology in the heat transfer industry
• Ability to impact customers across multiple industries
• Full health & welfare benefits
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Developmental opportunities

Responsibilities

Leadership and Team Development

• Supervise, train, coach, and evaluate machine shop employees, building a culture of safety, quality, and accountability
• Set clear expectations, give regular feedback, and address performance and attendance issues promptly
• Build team skill depth through cross-training matrices, skill assessments, job instruction, and task rotation
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and discipline in partnership with Human Resources and plant leadership
• Apply policies fairly and consistently, and model professional, respectful conduct

Production and Scheduling

• Plan and schedule jobs, equipment, and labor to meet production targets and delivery dates
• Assign work and staff work centers to maximize productivity and machine utilization
• Review work orders, travelers, blueprints, and specifications to ensure parts are made to print
• Monitor output, cycle times, scrap, rework, and downtime, and implement corrective actions quickly
• Hold effective shift handoffs and communicate status, priorities, and issues to management and other shifts

Quality

• Ensure parts meet specifications through proper setups, in-process checks, and correct use of gauging and inspection tools
• Oversee calibration and care of gauges and measuring instruments
• Work with Quality and Engineering to investigate nonconformances and implement lasting corrective actions

Equipment, Tooling, and Maintenance

• Select and manage tooling, fixtures, and work holding for CNC and manual equipment
• Coordinate preventive maintenance and repairs with Maintenance to minimize downtime
• Manage cutting tool, coolant, and consumable usage to control cost
• Manage inventory of raw material and shop supplies
• Use ERP/MRP systems for production tracking and reporting

Safety, Health, and Housekeeping

• Enforce safety rules, PPE use, lockout/tagout, and OSHA requirements
• Stop unsafe work, correct hazards, and ensure all injuries, incidents, and near misses are reported and investigated
• Identify and create preventative safety measures
• Maintain a clean, organized shop using 5S and visual management

Continuous Improvement

• Drive productivity, cost reduction, cycle-time, and setup-time improvements
• Develop and maintain standard work for the department
• Track and report department metrics (safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity) to management
• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Production Planning, and Maintenance to solve problems and support new product launches

Qualifications

Required

• High school diploma
• Minimum of 5 years of supervisory experience in a manufacturing environment
• Minimum of 8 years of machining experience across CNC mills, lathes, and conventional equipment
• Ability to read blueprints, use precision measuring instruments, and apply shop math
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency with ERP/MRP, email, and spreadsheets
• Overtime and schedule flexibility as business needs require, including weekends as needed

Preferred

• Technical degree or certificate in machining or manufacturing, or journeyman machinist or tool and die credentials
• CNC programming experience
• Lean manufacturing and 5S experience

Physical Requirements

• Standing