Production Lead / Lead Hand – Wire Harness & Electrical Assembly
Specialized Wiring Solutions | Guelph, Ontario | Full-time
Specialized Wiring Solutions is looking for a hands-on Production Lead / Lead Hand to become a key part of our manufacturing operation.
We build custom wire harnesses, cable assemblies, electrical panels and electromechanical assemblies for OEM and industrial customers. Much of our work is custom, technical and relatively low-volume. We are not a high-volume assembly line where the same product runs every day.
One day may involve a production harness we have built many times. The next may involve a new prototype, an engineering change, a complex panel, a new connector system or a drawing that requires some interpretation before anybody should start building it.
That is why this position requires more than someone who can supervise people.
We are looking for someone who understands manufacturing, enjoys solving problems and is comfortable getting involved directly in the work.
This person will work closely with ownership and gradually take greater responsibility for the day-to-day production floor.
You should be the kind of person who notices when something doesn’t look right.
If the drawing says one thing and the BOM suggests another, you ask the question.
If a terminal, connector, wire size, strip length or routing instruction doesn’t make sense, you don’t simply continue because “that’s what the paper says.”
If a new employee is struggling with a process, you can show them how to do it properly and explain why it matters.
And if an urgent job comes through the door, you can help organize the work, identify what is needed and keep the team moving without sacrificing quality.
What the role looks like
This is a working leadership position.
You will spend time building product, reviewing jobs, helping employees, troubleshooting problems, organizing production and communicating with management.
As you become familiar with our customers, products and processes, the goal is for you to take increasing ownership of production.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading and supporting daily production activities
- Building and overseeing custom wire harnesses, cable assemblies and electrical assemblies
- Reading and interpreting electrical drawings, schematics, BOMs and manufacturing documentation
- Reviewing jobs before production begins and identifying missing, conflicting or questionable information
- Setting up and working from harness boards and fixtures
- Wire cutting, stripping, crimping, soldering, splicing, connector assembly, sleeving, braiding and finishing
- Inspecting crimps, terminals, connectors, wire identification, routing and workmanship
- Helping establish production priorities and keeping jobs moving through the shop
- Training employees in assembly methods, workmanship standards and proper tool use
- Helping develop and improve work instructions and SOPs
- Supporting prototype and first-build work
- Identifying material shortages or incorrect components before they stop production
- Communicating problems clearly instead of allowing them to move further through the process
- Assisting with quality inspections and corrective actions
- Working with management on scheduling, workload and production planning
- Helping organize tools, materials, documentation and work areas
- Supporting continuous improvement without turning simple processes into unnecessary bureaucracy
- Taking responsibility for the quality of work leaving the production floor
We are not expecting one person to arrive knowing every connector, terminal, machine or product we use.
We are expecting the person in this role to be able to learn quickly, retain what they learn and eventually become someone the rest of the production team can rely on.
The person we are looking for
The ideal candidate probably has experience in wire harness manufacturing, electrical assembly, control panels, industrial equipment, automotive electrical work, electronics manufacturing or another environment requiring detailed hands-on assembly.
Direct wire-harness experience would obviously be valuable, but it is not the only background we will consider.
A very strong electrical assembler, panel builder, technician or manufacturing lead with excellent hands and the ability to understand drawings could also be a good fit.
What matters most is how you think and work.
You should be mechanically inclined and comfortable with your hands.
You should be able to look at an assembly and understand how it goes together.
You should care about workmanship.
You should understand that a crimp that is “probably okay” is not the same thing as a crimp that is correct.
You should be organized enough to manage several jobs without losing track of what is important.
You should be able to communicate with different types of people - production employees, management, suppliers and occasionally engineering or customer personnel.
And you should be comfortable saying, “I don’t think we should build this yet. Something needs to be clarified.”
That kind of judgment is valuable here.
This probably isn’t the right position if…
You are looking strictly for a supervisory job where other people do the manufacturing.
This is not that role.
You will be expected to work alongside the team.
It also may not be the right environment for someone who needs every day to be completely predictable.
We manufacture custom products. Priorities can change. Engineering changes happen. Customers sometimes have urgent requirements. Occasionally we have to stop, rethink something and solve a problem before continuing.
The right person should find that interesting rather than frustrating.
What we care about
Quality matters.
So does productivity.
But we do not believe those two things are opposites.
Good manufacturing comes from understanding the product, having the right information, using the right tools, following a repeatable process and catching problems early.
We also care about communication.
If something is wrong, we want to know.
If a job is going to be late, we want to know before it becomes late.
If the documentation is unclear, ask.
If you make a mistake, identify it and correct it.
We are much more interested in solving a problem than hiding one.
Where this position can go
We are deliberately looking for someone with more potential than simply filling a production position.
As Specialized Wiring Solutions grows, we want this person to become increasingly responsible for the operation of the manufacturing floor.
That can include greater involvement in production planning, training, quality systems, process development, purchasing coordination, scheduling and eventually broader operational responsibility.
There is an opportunity here for someone who wants to build something with us, not simply clock in and perform one task indefinitely.
We want to develop a strong production system with documented processes, capable people and clear accountability.
The right person could play a major role in building that system.
About Specialized Wiring Solutions
Specialized Wiring Solutions is an Ontario-based Canadian manufacturer specializing in custom electrical manufacturing.
Our work includes complex wire harnesses, engine and machine harnesses, battery cables, CAN/J1939 assemblies, electrical panels, automation assemblies, prototypes and other electromechanical products.
We work with equipment and applications across industries including heavy equipment, construction, forestry, mining, automation, robotics and other industrial markets.
Because much of our work is custom, we place a high value on practical manufacturing knowledge.
We don’t want people blindly following paperwork.
We want people who understand what they are building.
Experience that would be useful
Previous experience with any combination of the following would be valuable: wire harnesses, cable assemblies, electrical panels, electrical schematics, crimping and crimp inspection, soldering, Deutsch/TE/Amphenol or similar connector systems, automotive or heavy-equipment electrical systems, CAN/J1939, harness boards, braiding and sleeving, manufacturing documentation, quality inspection, prototype assembly, employee training or production leadership.
You do not need every item on that list to apply.
A technically strong person with excellent hands, sound judgment and the ability to learn can be more valuable than someone with the perfect résumé.
The kind of person who will do well here
Someone who takes pride in being good at what they do.
Someone who can teach without talking down to people.
Someone who notices details.
Someone who is calm when something goes wrong.
Someone who would rather solve the root problem than work around it forever.
Someone who can work independently but also understands that manufacturing is a team effort.
Someone who wants responsibility and is prepared to earn it.
And ideally, someone who wants to look back a few years from now and know they helped build a much stronger manufacturing operation.
Position: Production Lead / Lead Hand – Wire Harness & Electrical Assembly
Employment: Full-time
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Compensation: Competitive and based on experience
If your background is close but not an exact match, we still encourage you to apply.
We are hiring for the person, not simply checking boxes on a résumé.
Specialized Wiring Solutions
https://specializedwiring.com/
