General Supervisor, Skilled Trades (Utilities, HVAC & Plant Services)
Work Mode: Onsite
Location: Onsite – Kohler, WI
Opportunity
The General Supervisor, Skilled Trades (Utilities, HVAC & Plant Services) is a critical leadership opportunity to oversee union‑represented skilled trades supporting essential utility, HVAC, and fire protection systems across the Kohler, WI campus. This role provides hands‑on leadership for 24x7 operations, ensuring the safe, reliable, compliant, and cost‑effective performance of infrastructure that directly enables manufacturing and campus operations. The General Supervisor drives Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost outcomes by leading preventive and predictive maintenance, responding to emergencies, managing regulatory compliance (OSHA, NFPA, EPA, pressure vessels), stewarding labor and departmental budgets, and partnering closely with production, engineering, EHS, and external vendors. This position is ideal for a technically strong, people‑focused leader with experience in utilities or industrial HVAC who thrives in a unionized environment and is motivated to reduce downtime risk, improve asset reliability, and contribute to long‑term infrastructure and energy efficiency initiatives.
Responsibilities:
- Lead, coach, and directly supervise union‑represented skilled trades employees in accordance with the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Assign work, set priorities, and manage staffing and schedules to support 24x7 operations.
- Facilitate clear and effective communication between management and bargaining unit employees.
- Address performance, attendance, and conduct issues consistent with labor agreements and company policy.
- Support employee skill development, training, certification, and progression within the skilled trades.
- Champion a safety‑first culture across all utilities, HVAC, and skilled trades activities.
- Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, HVAC standards, electrical codes, pressure vessel regulations, refrigerant handling requirements, and plant safety standards.
- Enforce safe work practices including lockout/tagout, confined space, hot work, and permit systems.
- Lead incident investigations, near‑miss reporting, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
- Ensure all maintenance and repair work meets quality, reliability, and workmanship standards.
- Lead preventive and predictive maintenance programs (PM/PdM) to improve system reliability.
- Support standard work, documentation, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Ensure maintenance records, work orders, compliance documentation, and inspections are accurate and complete.
- Plan and execute maintenance, repair, and project work to meet production, facilities, and campus operational requirements.
- Balance planned and reactive maintenance to ensure responsiveness while improving schedule stability.
- Coordinate maintenance activities with production, engineering, EHS, facilities, and external contractors.
- Lead emergency response and decision‑making related to utility, HVAC, or fire protection system failures.
- Demonstrate strong financial stewardship of maintenance labor, overtime, contractors, materials, and services.
- Manage departmental budgets, forecasts, and spending in alignment with financial targets.
- Support cost reduction initiatives through preventive maintenance, energy efficiency, and reduced unplanned downtime.
- Oversee the operation and maintenance of utility production and distribution systems including Steam, Compressed Air, Chilled Water, Natural Gas, Propane, Propylene, Condensate, Fire Protection, and Water systems (well, potable, waste, RO, cooling, and soft water).
- Oversee maintenance of campus HVAC systems including air conditioning, refrigeration, makeup air units, and unit heaters (excluding Hospitality where applicable).
- Manage fire protection and loss prevention systems including sprinklers, suppression systems, extinguishers, hydrants, inspections, and NFPA compliance.
- Serve as Campus Fire Marshal and/or leader of the Incipient Fire Brigade, including records management, inspections, audits, and insurer coordination.
- Ensure compliance with Wisconsin Pressure Vessel/Safety Relief Valve progra