Job Summary
The Powder Coating Plant Team Leader is responsible for overseeing daily operations within the powder coating facility, ensuring high-quality finishes, safe working practices, and efficient workflow across pre‑treatment, coating, and curing processes. This role requires strong technical knowledge of powder coating methods, excellent leadership capability, and a commitment to driving continuous improvement while aligning with the company’s values.
Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Management
- Lead, motivate, and support a team of operatives across pre‑treatment, coating booths, ovens, and inspection stages.
- Organise daily work schedules, assign tasks, and ensure efficient workflow.
- Provide on‑the‑job training, coaching, and performance feedback to develop team competency.
- Act as the first point of contact for resolving technical issues, escalating problems where necessary.
- Conduct performance discussions and support training plans to develop a multi‑skilled workforce.
Operational Excellence
- Oversee pre‑treatment processes, powder application, curing, and quality inspection activities.
- Ensure all work meets required thickness, adhesion, gloss, and colour standards.
- Verify correct powder types, settings, and application parameters are used for each job.
- Monitor equipment performance and coordinate maintenance with engineering teams.
- Collaborate with production planning and quality control to optimise throughput and minimise downtime.
Safety & Compliance
- Promote a strong safety culture by modelling safe behaviour and enforcing safety policies.
- Ensure correct use of PPE, safe handling of chemicals, and safe operation of curing ovens, spray booths, and conveyors.
- Participate in incident investigations and support corrective actions.
- Ensure team compliance with relevant quality and safety standards (ISO 9001, COSHH, etc.), and company guidelines.
Continuous Improvement
- Champion Lean, 5S, Kaizen, or similar continuous improvement methodologies.
- Identify opportunities to reduce waste (powder loss, rework, downtime) and improve production flow.
- Lead problem‑solving sessions and root‑cause analyses (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone).
- Support standardisation of work processes and contribute to SOP updates.
- Promote a mindset of innovation and process optimisation across the team.
Experience
Essential
- Experience in powder coating operations or a related finishing environment.
- Proven leadership or supervisory experience within manufacturing.
- Strong understanding of powder coating processes, equipment, and quality requirements.
- Ability to interpret job cards, colour specifications, and technical data sheets.
- Knowledge of Lean or continuous improvement principles.
- Excellent communication and organisational skills.
Desirable
- Experience with automated powder coating systems or robotics.
- Knowledge of chemical pre‑treatment systems (e.g., phosphate, chemical conversions, etc.).
Skills & Qualifications
Essential
- Training in 5S, Lean, Six Sigma, or other CI methodologies.
- Training or qualifications in surface preparation or coating technologies.
Desirable
- First‑aid or safety‑related certifications.
Pay: £30,000.00-£32,500.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Financial planning services
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
