Position Summary
The General Assembly (GA) Shop Manager is the on-the-ground leader for our final assembly process. You are accountable for the Don't Build, Ship, or Sell a Defect principle in General Assembly. You will create a shop floor culture where every technician is safe to speak up, empowered to stop the line for a quality or safety concern, and takes personal ownership that no defect is built in GA, passed to the next station, or allowed to leave your shop.
Key Responsibilities
- Safety & People (Our Foundation):
- Create and maintain a zero-incident culture within the GA shop, ensuring compliance with all safety procedures, especially for lifting, electrical work, and vehicle movement.
- Ensure every assembly station is ergonomically sound and free from safety hazards. A comfortable technician is a quality-focused technician.
- People (Our assets):
- Directly lead, coach, and develop the GA supervisory team and all assembly technicians.
- Foster a culture of engagement, teamwork, and continuous improvement on the line.
- Foster a team that sees no distinction between a safety near-miss and a quality escapeboth are critical signals to improve the process.
- Quality (Our Promise):
- Absolute owner of Don't BUILD a Defect in GA through In-Station Process Control and strict adherence to standardized work. Empower every technician to be a quality inspector.
- Ensure Don't SHIP a Defect from GA by validating the quality of every vehicle before it leaves the assembly line through rigorous final checks.
- Support Don't SELL a Defect by ensuring your shop's quality performance meets final customer requirements, preventing any assembly-related issues from reaching the customer.
- Serve as the first point of contact for GA-related quality issues, working closely with the Quality team and his team to implement containment and permanent corrective actions.
- Champion the rapid response to any Andon pull, focusing on true root cause to prevent repeat stops for the same issue.
- Productivity:
- Execute the daily production schedule for the GA shop, achieving target units per hour (UPH) and on-time completion.
- Monitor and improve key metrics like line speed, cycle time, and first-time-through (FTT).
- Collaborate with the Lean team to optimize line layout, material presentation, and workflow using lean tools.
- Cost:
- Manage the GA shop budget, controlling costs for labor, tools, and consumables.
- Minimize waste, damage, and rework costs within the assembly process.
- Ensure proper handling and usage of expensive components (e.g., infotainment systems, engines, transmissions).
- Environment:
- Ensure proper handling and disposal of wastes generated in GA (e.g., packaging, minor fluids, batteries).
- Comply with all environmental standards for the shop.
Qualifications & Experience
- Associate or Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Automotive) or a related field.
- Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in automotive assembly, with at least 3 years in a supervisory or management role within a General Assembly shop.
- Direct experience with CKD assembly processes is highly preferred.
- Strong knowledge of vehicle systems (electrical, powertrain, interior trim).
- Proven ability to troubleshoot assembly issues and implement countermeasures.
- Experience with lean manufacturing principles and a continuous improvement mindset.
