General Foreman Maintenance/Refractory in Dunkirk, New York at Universal Stainless

The General Foreman - Maintenance/Refractory is responsible for the safe, reliable and cost-effective execution of maintenance and refractory activities across the Dunkirk facility. The position balances front-line leadership, technical oversight, work planning and administrative responsibilities to ensure equipment reliability, refractory integrity, regulatory compliance, effective use of labor and contractors, and coordination of maintenance work with plant operating requirements.

Specific Responsibilities

Specific primary responsibilities are defined by the following, but those listed are not all-inclusive:

• Safety and compliance: Make safety the first priority in all maintenance and refractory work. Ensure employees and contractors comply with all company safety rules, procedures and required PPE, and with applicable Safety & Health and Environmental requirements. Stop work when unsafe conditions or behaviors are identified and ensure hazards are corrected before work resumes.
• Safety leadership and field execution: Lead pre-job planning, job hazard analysis/risk assessment, toolbox discussions and field verification for maintenance and refractory work. Reinforce requirements for lockout/tagout, confined space, hot work, fall protection, line breaking, lifting/rigging, mobile equipment and other applicable high-risk work.
• Support the Maintenance Manager: Support the Maintenance Manager in the daily management of the department and fill in as necessary. Assist with priorities, resource allocation, outage planning, contractor coordination, cost control and execution of the maintenance strategy.
• Leadership and accountability: Lead through direction, delegation, follow-up and accountability. Assign work clearly to supervisors, skilled trades, refractory personnel and contractors; establish expectations for safety, quality, timing and results; and routinely follow up in the field to verify that assigned work is progressing and completed to standard. The General Foreman is expected to lead the team rather than routinely performing work that should be assigned to employees. Address performance, behavioral and execution issues promptly and directly, including difficult or confrontational situations, and hold individuals accountable when expectations are not met.
• Maintenance execution: Plan, coordinate and monitor corrective, preventive and predictive maintenance activities. Ensure work is properly scoped, scheduled, permitted, executed and closed out, with appropriate documentation and follow-up.
• Equipment reliability: Drive improvement in equipment availability, reliability and maintainability. Support root-cause problem solving for repeat failures and implement corrective actions that reduce downtime and emergency work.
• Refractory execution: Plan and oversee refractory inspection, repair, demolition, installation, dry-out and commissioning activities for furnaces and other refractory-lined equipment. Ensure work follows approved specifications, installation practices and required cure/dry-out procedures.
• Technical quality: Verify maintenance and refractory work meets drawings, specifications, OEM requirements and accepted industrial practices. Identify deficiencies, ensure proper repairs and maintain appropriate inspection and work records.
• Workforce and contractor coordination: Manage manpower schedules, work assignments and contractor activities to support plant priorities, planned outages and emergency repairs. Ensure contractors are properly oriented, qualified and held to the same safety and performance expectations as employees.
• Planning and materials: Coordinate required parts, tools, lifting equipment, consumables and refractory materials in advance of scheduled work. Identify critical spares and material risks that could affect equipment availability or outage execution.
• Cost and productivity: Control maintenance and refractory costs through effective planning, efficient use of labor and contractors, elimination of non-value-added work, and reduction of repeat failures and unplanned downtime.
• CMMS and documentation: Ensure maintenance work orders are properly documented in the plant CMMS, including labor, parts, failure information, findings and completed work. Support accurate backlog management, preventive maintenance compliance and maintenance performance reporting.
• Continuous improvement and 5S: Lead and support continuous improvement, 5S and workplace organization within maintenance shops, storage areas and work sites. Promote a culture of urgency, attention to detail, disciplined execution and ownership.
• Cross-functional coordination: Coordinate closely with Operations, Engineering/Technical, Safety, Quality and Purchasing to safely schedule work, manage equipment releases, support production requirements and execute plant improvement projects.
• Emergency response: Provide leadership and technical direction during equipment breakdowns and refractory emergencies, ensuring safe troubleshooting, effective communication and timely restoration of equipment without compromising repair quality or safety.

Technical Skill Set

• Strong working knowledge of industrial mechanical maintenance, including bearings, gearboxes, couplings, shafts, pumps, fans, conveyors, hydraulics, pneumatics and lubrication systems.
• Ability to troubleshoot mechanical equipment failures and support systematic root-cause analysis and permanent corrective actions.
• Working knowledge of industrial electrical and controls systems sufficient to coordinate troubleshooting and repairs involving motors, drives/VFDs, sensors, instrumentation, PLC-controlled equipment and power distribution with qualified electrical personnel.
• Knowledge of welding, fabrication, machining, alignment, fit-up and repair practices used in a heavy industrial/metals manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of preventive and predictive maintenance practices, equipment inspections, lubrication programs, condition monitoring and maintenance planning/scheduling.
• Practical knowledge of lifting and rigging, crane activities, material handling and safe execution of heavy maintenance work.
• Strong knowledge of refractory systems and materials, including brick, castable, gunning/shotcrete, ramming/plastic materials, mortars, anchors and insulation systems.
• Ability to assess refractory condition and common failure modes such as cracking, spalling, erosion, chemical attack, hot spots, anchor failure and mechanical damage.
• Knowledge of refractory demolition and installation methods, mixing/application requirements, anchoring, expansion allowances, curing, dry-out/heat-up practices and quality checks.
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, equipment manuals, refractory drawings/layouts, specifications, work instructions and technical documentation.
• Working knowledge of CMMS use, work-order control, preventive maintenance, backlog management, parts usage and maintenance KPI tracking.
• Ability to plan and lead shutdown/outage work, coordinate multiple crafts and contractors, and sequence work around operational constraints.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to safety and the ability to enforce safety expectations consistently.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through others: effectively delegate work, give clear direction, verify execution, provide direct feedback and hold employees and supervisors accountable for results.
• Strong front-line leadership, coaching and accountability skills.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Critical thinking, sound judgment and effective problem-solving ability.
• Strong planning, scheduling, coordination and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work effectively across Operations, Maintenance, Engineering/Technical, Safety, Quality and contractor organizations.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced heavy industrial environment.
• Strong attention to detail with a practical, hands-on approach to field execution.
• General knowledge of plant operations and the impact of maintenance and refractory condition on safety, quality, throughput and cost.

Education and Experience

• Minimum 5 years of industrial maintenance experience in a metals, steel, foundry, furnace or comparable heavy industrial environment; primary steelmaking or specialty metals experience preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of experience leading skilled trades, hourly employees, supervisors and/or contractors.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with industrial mechanical maintenance and equipment troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated experience with furnace/refractory maintenance, refractory installation/repair or management of refractory contractors strongly preferred.
• Experience planning and executing shutdowns, outages, major repairs and contractor work.
• Experience with a CMMS and preventive maintenance systems; Maximo experience preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership in continuous improvement and 5S.
• Technical degree, skilled-trades apprenticeship, journeyman background or equivalent combination of education and industrial experience preferred.

Physical and Other Requirements

• Ability to safely move throughout a heavy industrial plant environment for extended periods, including stairs, platforms and uneven surfaces.
• Ability to work around heat, noise, dust and active industrial equipment while wearing required PPE.
• Ability to enter production and maintenance areas to inspect work and equipment, including confined or elevated areas when properly trained and authorized.
• Ability to respond to urgent maintenance or refractory issues outside normal working hours as business needs require.
• Ability to safely operate or work around industrial machinery and mobile equipment consistent with training and authorization.