Worthington Maize is looking for a group leader. The Group Leader is a frontline leadership role responsible for the consistent execution of standard work, real-time coaching of operators, and timely escalation of safety, quality, and production issues within their assigned area. This role provides daily floor oversight to ensure expectations are understood, followed, and reinforced

Group Leaders coach operators through observation, feedback, and reinforcement of safe work practices, quality standards, and production requirements. When issues fall outside standard work or indicate process instability, the Group Leader is expected to pause and escalate to the Production Supervisor rather than rely on workarounds.

The Group Leader supports the Supervisor through disciplined execution, accurate communication, and performance input, while developing foundational leadership skills in coaching, accountability, and escalation.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

People

• Provide day-to-day coaching and support to operators through floor presence and clear communication
• Reinforce expectations, standard work, and proper procedures
• Deliver real-time feedback and support training execution
• Partner with the Production Supervisor on performance, training, and development needs
• Model professionalism, accountability, and the Worthington Philosophy

Safety

• Reinforce safe work practices and immediately address unsafe conditions
• Lead daily safety discussions and ensure proper PPE usage
• Stop work when unsafe conditions are identified
• Escalate hazards, near misses, and recurring safety concerns
• Maintain a zero-tolerance approach to unsafe behaviors

Quality

• Ensure adherence to quality standards and standard work
• Verify required quality checks are completed consistently
• Address quality issues immediately and prevent defects
• Pause production and escalate issues when quality risks arise
• Promote a "right first time" mindset across the team

Production

• Execute production plans as directed by the Production Supervisor
• Coordinate daily work assignments and support job rotation
• Address routine production issues and maintain workflow
• Escalate constraints, instability, or resource gaps impacting performance
• Ensure accurate communication and reporting of production activities

Continuous Improvement

• Support continuous improvement and problem-solving initiatives
• Identify opportunities based on daily operations and operator feedback
• Reinforce and sustain standard work and implemented improvements
• Assist with corrective actions and drive disciplined execution

Additional Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned

Critical Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Demonstrate leadership aligned with the Worthington Philosophy and strong interpersonal skills (The Golden Rule)
• Adhere to and promote all safety policies; drive a culture of safety excellence within assigned area
• Ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English
• Capable of performing physical, repetitive work, including standing/walking for full shifts and lifting up to 45 lbs regularly
• Drive quality and production performance within assigned area, ensuring standards and goals are consistently met
• Maintain accountability for accurate reporting, including production, scrap, labeling, and material counts
• Understand bills of materials and production processes; maintain working knowledge of product lines
• Demonstrate strong organizational, follow-up, and problem-solving skills
• Effectively train, coach, and support employees, including basic performance evaluation and development
• Communicate and collaborate across teams and departments
• Support change management and continuous improvement efforts
• Proficient in computer systems, including JD Edwards, Excel, and word processing tools
• Mechanical aptitude
• Basic presentation and communication skills

Education / Training Required

• Successful completion of all required Worthington Industries Safety Training Courses
• Intermediate reading, writing, and math skills
• Minimum 2-5 years of experience in manufacturing / production environment
• 1st Aid/CPR Training, Emergency Response
• Experienced in JD Edwards and L2L
• Transformation skills (JI, auditing, root cause problem solving, performance boards, etc.)
• Completion of WI leadership training courses
• Intermediate knowledge of MS Office
• On the job training to enhance safety, productivity and troubleshooting skills
• Continuous Improvement training