Production Associate Team Lead - Assembly

Business Title: Production Associate – Team Leader
Reports to: Supervisor
Leadership Scope: Individual Contributor


Company Info: With a heritage of nearly 120 years, we aren’t just a company; we are a brand of trust. But more than anything, we are a collection of individuals who, together, give Grote Industries a decisive competitive advantage. At Grote, our shared vision is clear – to meet the needs of the customers we serve. We accomplish that mission every day by following a set of core values that makes us who we are.

Innovation has been the hallmark of Grote Industries from the start. From durable, easy to see stop lights to the latest in LED lighting technology, Grote has been leading the way in advanced vehicle system solutions from early in the last century right up to today. With these innovations, Grote has helped millions of people throughout North America and the world benefit from the innovation and design excellence of Grote products.

Position Summary: The Production Associate – Team Leader plays a critical role in supporting daily manufacturing operations by ensuring process stability, product quality, team development, and continuous improvement execution.
This role is responsible for leading assigned production areas by ensuring compliance with standardized work, responding to operational abnormalities, supporting production goals, and developing team member capability. The position combines hands-on operational execution with leadership responsibilities to maintain safe, efficient, and high-quality production processes.


Position Duties: Operational Execution and Production Support
- Assemble, fit, wire, and install parts to produce subassemblies or finished products.
- Operate and support production equipment in compliance with work instructions and safety procedures.
- Receive, stock, pick, and supply materials to workstations and production areas.
- Perform or assist with equipment setup and changeovers.
- Enter and maintain production data within ERP, PLC, and scanning systems.
- Match product numbers to Bill of Materials and production documentation.
- Support packaging, shipping, receiving, and internal material movement as required.
- Perform cycle counts and inventory verification activities.

Process Stability and Standard Work Leadership
- Ensure compliance with standardized work instructions and operational procedures.
- Monitor production flow and escalate abnormalities impacting safety, quality, delivery, or cost.
- Support implementation and sustainment of production control plans and quality checks.

- Assist in troubleshooting equipment or process issues in coordination with support teams.
- Maintain accurate production records including scrap tracking, routing verification, and production reporting

Continuous Improvement and Problem Solving
- Participate in structured problem-solving activities including root cause analysis and corrective action implementation.
- Support Kaizen activities and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Identify waste reduction opportunities related to materials, motion, defects, or inefficiencies.
- Support sustainment of improvements and standardized work updates.

Team Member Development and Communication
- Provide functional leadership and daily guidance to production team members when assigned as Team Leader.
- Assist in training and onboarding new or cross-trained employees.
- Support skill development and adherence to training standards.
- Promote teamwork, com