Piping Lead (Internal Applicants Only)

*INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY*

We believe in fostering growth from within and are committed to providing our team members with opportunities for career advancement. As such, we are prioritizing internal applicants for this role before considering external candidates. We encourage our employees to take the next step in their career with us!

Department: Production/Fabrication

Reports To: Piping Foreman

The Piping Lead is a working lead responsible for supporting daily shop production while also providing hands-on leadership to assigned employees. This role works alongside the team to help direct daily activities, reinforce safety and quality expectations, coordinate workflow, and serve as a first line of communication between production employees and supervision.

This position is separate from the Welder/Fabricator Progression Program and is not intended to require the same advanced fabrication or welding qualifications associated with upper progression-level positions. The current progression system emphasizes increasing technical skill, code welding capability, complex layout and fit-up, and minimal repair rates at higher levels; this role is intentionally structured to recognize employees whose primary strength is leadership, accountability, communication, training, and production support rather than master-level fabrication expertise.

A critical responsibility of this role is to teach, reinforce, and model company processes, procedures, and expectations through daily hands-on interaction with employees. The Fabrication Lead helps set the tone for the shop by demonstrating discipline, accountability, teamwork, communication, urgency, and consistency in how work is performed. This individual is expected to lead by example, not only by helping get the work done, but by showing employees how the company expects work to be completed safely, efficiently, and professionally.

As a working lead, this role also supports production visibility and accountability by accurately tracking progress and completed work in Tekla PowerFab Go. The Fabrication Lead is expected to stay engaged in the work, monitor actual job status on the floor, and ensure production updates are entered accurately and on time so leadership has reliable information for planning, coordination, and execution

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Work alongside production employees to help maintain workflow, meet schedules, and support daily fabrication activities.
• Provide hands-on leadership and day-to-day direction to assigned employees.
• Help coordinate labor, tools, materials, and work priorities to support production goals.
• Teach and reinforce company processes, procedures, and expectations through daily coaching, example, and follow-through.

• Help employees understand not only what work is to be done, but how the company expects the work to be performed.
• Set the tone for professionalism, urgency, accountability, teamwork, and communication on the shop floor.
• Promote consistency in how work is performed across crews, shifts, and individuals.
• Assist with training, onboarding, and daily development of new or less experienced employees.
• Reinforce compliance with drawings, work instructions, company procedures, and quality requirements.
• Monitor work in progress and help address obstacles affecting safety, quality, schedule, or productivity.
• Communicate daily goals, production priorities, manpower needs, and job status to supervisors and team members.
• Provide constructive coaching and timely feedback related to performance, conduct, teamwork, and shop expectations.
• Address issues early and escalate concerns involving safety, quality, attendance, conduct, or performance when needed.
• Help maintain housekeeping, equipment care, and orderly work areas as part of normal daily expectations.
• Work with fabrication, welding, QA/QC, and supervision to keep work moving efficiently and correctly.
• Serve as a role model in attendance, attitude, work ethic, and professional conduct.

Tekla PowerFab Go / Production Tracking Responsibilities

• Accurately track production progress and completed work in Tekla PowerFab Go.
• Enter production updates in a timely manner so supervisors and management have clear visibility into actual job status.
• Help ensure completed tasks, assemblies, or work areas are properly recorded in the system.
• Verify that production tracking aligns with actual shop-floor progress.
• Communicate discrepancies, delays, or status issues when system information does not match field conditions.
• Reinforce the expectation that production tracking and completion reporting are part of the daily work process.
• Support the team in developing disciplined habits related to accurate status reporting and work completion updates.

Leadership and Culture Expectations

The Fabrication Lead plays an important role in transferring company expectations to the workforce. This position is responsible for helping employees learn and consistently follow established company processes and procedures related to safety, workflow, communication, quality, housekeeping, equipment care, production discipline, and daily execution.

This role helps set the standard for shop behavior and performance by creating consistency, reinforcing expectations, and addressing issues early. The Fabrication Lead is expected to promote a work environment that values accountability, teamwork, professionalism, communication, respect, continuous improvement, and doing the job the right way the first time.

The Fabrication Lead should be recognized as someone who:

• Leads by example
• Reinforces standards consistently
• Coaches employees in a constructive and professional manner
• Helps maintain order, direction, and accountability on the floor
• Supports a culture of ownership and pride in the work

Safety Expectations

• Consistently promote safe work performance.
• Enforce required PPE and safe work habits.
• Address unsafe behavior or conditions immediately and escalate concerns when necessary.
• Reinforce that company safety procedures are part of daily work expectations.
• Maintain housekeeping and safe, organized work areas.
• Help employees understand and follow established safety practices at all times.

Quality Expectations

• Reinforce workmanship standards and encourage employees to check work before moving to the next step.
• Promote compliance with drawings, procedures, tolerances, and quality requirements.
• Help identify recurring quality issues and communicate them to supervision.
• Support a culture of doing work right the first time.
• Encourage consistency in execution so quality expectations are understood and followed across the team.

Production Expectations

• Help keep the team organized, productive, and focused throughout the shift.
• Support efficient crew utilization without sacrificing safety or quality.
• Keep assigned work moving while minimizing delays, confusion, or missed communication.
• Communicate schedule risks, manpower concerns, and workflow obstacles early.
• Reinforce accountability for production pace, completed work, and timely status reporting.
• Help create steady and reliable daily execution through hands-on support and leadership presence.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership ability in a shop, manufacturing, or production environment.
• Working knowledge of fabrication and/or welding shop operations.
• Ability to read basic fabrication drawings and understand standard shop work instructions.
• Ability to teach and reinforce company procedures, work expectations, and safe work practices.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong attendance and reliable work history.
• Ability to work effectively with employees across different experience and skill levels.
• Ability to remain professional and effective under schedule pressure.
• Basic computer or mobile device proficiency sufficient to update production information in Tekla PowerFab Go.
• Ability to represent GBI in a professional manner.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule as needed.
• Ability to routinely perform physical duties including lifting, standing, walking, climbing, kneeling, and working in an active shop environment.

Essential Job Functions (Fabrication Shop)

The following duties are considered essential to production roles at the Fabrication Shop:

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this job, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Frequently lift, carry, push, and pull materials weighing up to 50 pounds
• Perform physically demanding tasks for extended periods (8–12+ hour shifts)
• Stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl for prolonged periods
• Reach overhead and work with arms extended
• Climb ladders, work in manlifts up to 25 feet above ground
• Work in confined spaces and at elevated heights when required

Work Environment

• Exposure to dust, noise, and industrial hazards
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is required at all times