Lead: Blade Shop

Role Purpose: Lead the Blade Shop with complete ownership of machining, process control, delivery adherence, team discipline, safety, quality, cost, and continuous improvement. This role is meant for a hands-on manufacturing leader who can drive execution under pressure, handle critical timelines, and take accountability for results in a demanding shop-floor environment.

Mandatory Experience and Mindset

• •Minimum 15 years of strong experience in machining, heavy engineering, blade manufacturing, or process industries.
• •Must have proven experience in leading high-pressure shop-floor operations with strict output, quality, and delivery targets.
• •Must be capable of independently handling critical blade manufacturing schedules without continuous follow-up or supervision.
• •Must have a demonstrated track record of leading New Product Development, process stabilization, first-time-right manufacturing, and productivity improvement initiatives.
• •Must be comfortable working in a unionized environment and must be capable of maintaining discipline, productivity, and accountability without compromising industrial relations.
• •Candidates looking for a routine supervisory role, desk-based coordination role, or low-pressure assignment should not apply.

Technical Expertise Required

• •Comprehensive understanding of manufacturing processes, machining strategy, process planning, job routing, tooling selection, inspection requirements, and production control.
• •Strong ability to read, interpret, challenge, and execute engineering drawings, procedures, reference sketches, weld plans, test plans, shift schedules, and planning documents.
• •Hands-on experience with 5-Axis, 4-Axis, and 3-Axis HMC and VMC machines is mandatory.
• •Strong working knowledge of CNC programming, preferably on Fanuc and Siemens controls.
• •Expertise in advanced tooling methodologies, fixture concepts, tool life improvement, cycle-time reduction, cutting parameter optimization, and machining cost control.
• •Working proficiency in CATIA, UG NX, AutoCAD, or equivalent design/manufacturing tools is expected.
• •Must be able to troubleshoot machining, tooling, dimensional, vibration, surface finish, rework, and productivity issues directly on the shop floor.
• •Must have practical exposure to lean manufacturing, waste elimination, bottleneck removal, OEE improvement, and structured problem solving.

Leadership and Execution Expectations

• •Lead operators, programmers, supervisors, methods, quality, maintenance, and support teams to ensure disciplined daily execution.
• •Drive production output, quality compliance, manpower utilization, machine availability, and delivery commitment with strong follow-up and ownership.
• •Must be able to take quick, technically sound decisions during breakdowns, process deviations, delivery risks, and customer-critical situations.
• •Maintain strong control over shift planning, priority management, bottleneck resolution, and interdepartmental coordination.
• •Hold team members accountable for safety, discipline, housekeeping, productivity, quality, and process adherence.
• •Demonstrate courage to escalate risks early, challenge weak planning, and prevent recurring failures through permanent corrective actions.

Communication and Collaboration

• •Excellent written and verbal communication skills are mandatory.
• •Must be able to communicate clearly with senior management, planning, quality, methods, production, maintenance, vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• •Must provide clear status updates, risk alerts, recovery plans, and factual reports without ambiguity or delay.
• •Must be a strong team player, but also capable of taking firm decisions when delivery, quality, safety, or discipline is at risk.

Standards, Safety, and Compliance

• •Strong knowledge of ISO systems, QMS, EMS, EHS, shop-floor audit readiness, documentation discipline, and process compliance.
• •Ensure strict adherence to safety procedures, environmental requirements, quality standards, work instructions, machine operating practices, and statutory requirements.
• •Promote a no-compromise approach toward unsafe practices, repeated quality failures, poor housekeeping, and casual execution mindset.

Candidate Filter – This Role Is Not Suitable For

• •Candidates unwilling to work directly on the shop floor and resolve issues at machine level.
• •Candidates who cannot handle pressure, strict timelines, discipline-related challenges, or multiple priorities.
• •Candidates with only theoretical process knowledge and limited practical machining exposure.
• •Candidates who depend heavily on others for decision-making, follow-up, troubleshooting, or execution.
• •Candidates uncomfortable with accountability for safety, quality, cost, delivery, and team performance.
• •Candidates seeking a soft, routine, low-conflict, or purely administrative leadership role.