Production Control Leader

Company Overview Grid Structures, a division of Southland Steel, manufactures steel poles and structures supporting electric utility and renewable energy infrastructure. Our Amite operation is focused on employee safety, reliable quality, on-time customer delivery, and efficient manufacturing flow. Position Summary Grid Structures seeks a hands-on Production Control Leader to develop and execute an efficient manufacturing schedule that protects customer promise dates, balances product mix with plant capacity, and improves overall manufacturing flow. This leader will directly lead the shop-floor Material Handling and Shipping teams, ensure jobs are ready for production, and actively pull work through the operation to meet customer commitments. This role will also develop finished-goods bundle and trailer-load plans to improve shipment efficiency. Core Accountabilities Protect Customer Promise Dates Translate customer promise dates and shipping priorities into an executable production schedule, with early visibility to risks and constraints. Identify risks to promised dates early; coordinate recovery plans and communicate changes promptly with Operations, and Project Management. Own the Production Schedule and Product Mix Develop master and near-term production schedules that balance customer priorities, shop capacity, setups, labor, material readiness, and overall throughput. As scheduling and shipping processes mature, develop finished-goods bundle layouts and trailer-load plans based on customer priorities, product dimensions, weight, and cubic utilization. Rebalance the schedule as material, equipment, staffing, and priorities change; make tradeoffs visible and avoid unnecessary schedule churn. Lead Shop-Floor Material Handling and Production Readiness Direct and develop shop-floor Material Handlers; establish clear standards for material identification, location, movement, staging, inventory accuracy, and production readiness. Verify required plate, components, drawings, routing, and other job inputs are available before releasing work; escalate shortages and discrepancies. Direct safe, timely material staging and movement to support the production schedule while reducing searching, waiting, excess handling, and WIP. Coordinate with Procurement to align incoming material availability with production needs. Pull Work Through the Manufacturing Operation Track each job from cutting and forming through welding, inspection, finishing, and shipment; identify bottlenecks and drive completion against customer promise dates. Use daily production meetings and direct engagement with supervisors to advance priority work, remove barriers, and recover late orders. Manage work-in-process, queue sizes, and handoffs between departments to protect flow rather than simply maximizing individual machine utilization. Coordinate schedule decisions with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, and Project Management; partner directly with the Shipping team without compromising safety or quality. Confirm schedule changes and releases are reflected accurately in the appropriate production and planning systems. Lead Shipping Execution and Team Accountability Direct the Shipping team to prioritize completed customer orders, verify shipment readiness, coordinate load sequencing, and escalate shipping constraints. Track customer promise-date performance, schedule attainment, material readiness, WIP, throughput, and on-time shipments. Establish clear daily priorities, visual controls, safe material-handling and shipping practices, cross-training, and accountability for both teams. Required Experience and Capabilities Experience in production control, manufacturing scheduling, planning, or material management within an industrial operation. Ability to balance customer commitments, product mix, equipment capacity, and material availability in a practical production schedule. Strong working knowledge of management systems, production orders, routings,…

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