Mechanical Assembly Leader

Operations / Manufacturing

Parma, Italy

Operation Site Leader

Assembly, machine integration, testing readiness and production performance

The Assembly Leader directs and develops the assembly team, fostering a culture of accountability, capability growth and continuous improvement, while translating the production plan into safe, high-quality and predictable execution. The role is accountable for assembly planning, resource deployment, build-hour control, quality at source, team capability and daily performance. Working with the Operation Site Leader and cross-functional partners, the Assembly Leader drives operational excellence and continuous improvement within the BW Way framework.

·  Lead by example on safety, maintain a clean and hazard-free workplace, and ensure HSE actions are assigned, tracked and closed.

·  Create a respectful, inclusive and accountable team environment with clear expectations, daily communication, coaching, recognition and active support for individual growth and engagement.

·  Manage individual and team performance, attendance and development; maintain the skills matrix and cross-training plan to improve flexibility and succession coverage.

·  Translate the master production schedule and project priorities into a clear visual assembly plan by machine, phase, milestone and resource.

·  Allocate people according to competence, workload and risk; manage daily staffing, absences, overtime and short-term capacity constraints.

·  Confirm readiness before assembly start, including released documentation, material availability, quality status, tools, workspace and required skills.

·  Monitor progress and target hours, implement recovery actions with clear owners and dates, and provide accurate status and risk updates in production reviews.

·  Ensure assembly complies with released drawings, bills of material, manufacturing instructions, approved changes and defined quality controls.

·  Build quality at source through self-checks, in-process verification, checklists and objective completion evidence; work with Quality and Engineering to contain nonconformities and prevent recurrence.

·  Maintain visibility of planned, actual and estimate-to-complete hours; reduce waiting, searching, sorting, repeated inspection, rework and other non-value-added work.

·  Contribute to margin improvement through effective labor deployment, overtime and rework control, and practical support for make-or-buy, preassembly, modularization and design-to-cost initiatives.

·  Develop and sustain standard work, visual management and structured problem solving across assembly activities.

·  Support modularization, preassembly, complete-kit readiness, supplier quality at source and practical digitalization of shop-floor information.

·  Work with Planning, Project Management, Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, HSE, Finance and Service to resolve constraints and align execution.

·  Escalate risks early with facts, business impact, proposed countermeasures, required decisions, owner and due date.

·        Conduct all activities in a fair, moral, ethical, and legal manner at all times.

·        Consistently demonstrate teamwork, collaboration, and respect.

·        Display enthusiasm and confidence in the work environment.

·        Demonstrate a willingness to learn, accept new responsibilities, and implement new processes when provided appropriate instruction.

·  Technical diploma, professional qualification, degree or equivalent relevant manufacturing experience.

·  Minimum five years of experience in manufacturing, machine assembly or a comparable industrial environment, including team-leadership responsibility.

·  Experience planning people and production priorities in a complex, low-volume or engineered-to-order environment.

·  Working knowledge of mechanical assembly, technical drawings, BOMs, tolerances, manufacturing instructions and change control.

·  Experience with Lean manufacturing, standard work, 5S, visual management, structured problem solving, ERP and production-planning tools.

·  Packaging machinery or capital-equipment experience and working English are preferred.

Builds trust, develops people through coaching and feedback, and combines genuine care for team members with accountability for results.

Turns priorities into a visible plan, follows through and closes actions.

Uses facts and structured methods to balance safety, quality, delivery, cost and people.

Communicates clearly across functions, standardizes successful practices and uses data to sustain change.

We offer a permanent employment contract under the Metalworking Industry Collective Labour Agreement (CCNL Metalmeccanica Industria), with a gross annual salary (RAL) ranging from €50,000 to €75,000, depending on the selected candidate’s experience, skills, and level of responsibility. The compensation package will be aligned with the company's compensation policies.

BW Packaging is driving performance at the intersection of people, technology, and customer care. As part of the privately held Barry Wehmiller family, we unite a global team of packaging experts with a clear purpose: People Who Care, Building Solutions that Perform. We take on our customers’ toughest challenges as our own — delivering both innovative and enduring solutions that set the standard for value and performance. Our strength comes from our people and the power of our brands — trusted names in packaging that are known worldwide for engineering excellence, application expertise, and lifetime commitment to customer success. Truly Human Leadership guides our belief that exceptional business results and profound respect for people together provide the foundation of enduring success. We are committed to forging lasting partnerships with our customers, earning their trust through integrity, expertise, and execution. With our full range of packaging solutions and long term partnership and service, we help customers achieve operational excellence today while building the future of packaging together.