Assistant Yard Manager

The Assistant Yard Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, coordination, and performance of the Yard Department. This position directs daily operations to ensure the safe receipt, preparation, storage, inventory, and movement of raw rail material while maintaining a continuous supply of properly prepared material to the Mill.

The Assistant Yard Manager provides leadership to the Breaker Operator, Logistics Coordinator, Inside Loader Operator, and Locomotive Crane Operator while coordinating closely with the Yard/Mill Manager, Mill Department, Production Shears, Maintenance, Shipping, Sales, and other support departments. This position is accountable for departmental safety, inventory accuracy, material flow, equipment reliability, workforce development, and continuous improvement.

The Assistant Yard Manager serves as the department's primary operational leader and is responsible for synchronizing receiving, logistics, rail preparation, and material handling activities to support uninterrupted mill production.

Minimum Qualifications

Required

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressive manufacturing, logistics, or material handling experience.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in an industrial manufacturing environment.
• Thorough understanding of rail receiving, inventory control, and material flow.
• Strong communication, organizational, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to analyze production and inventory data.
• Ability to develop employees and build high-performing teams.

Preferred

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Business, Logistics, Supply Chain, Engineering, or a related field.
• Previous supervisory or management experience.
• Experience with Sage 100 ERP or comparable inventory management systems.
• Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement experience.
• Root Cause Analysis and problem-solving experience.

Duties and Responsibilities

Safety Leadership

• Promote Franklin Industries' safety culture and ensure safety remains the department's highest priority.
• Enforce company safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct routine safety observations and corrective actions.
• Investigate incidents and near misses.
• Ensure associates receive required safety training.
• Promote safe rail traffic, heavy equipment, and material handling practices.

Department Leadership

• Direct daily Yard operations.
• Supervise the Breaker Operator, Logistics Coordinator, Inside Loader Operator, and Locomotive Crane Operator.
• Establish daily operational priorities.
• Allocate personnel and resources based on production requirements.
• Monitor departmental performance and operational effectiveness.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Raw Material Management

• Ensure timely receipt of inbound rail shipments.
• Ensure proper inspection and preparation of raw material.
• Maintain adequate inventory to support uninterrupted Mill production.
• Monitor inventory levels and material availability.
• Coordinate raw material priorities with the Yard/Mill Manager and Mill leadership.

Logistics and Material Flow

• Coordinate inbound rail, outbound scrap shipments, and internal material movement.
• Oversee scale operations, shipping documentation, and Bills of Lading.
• Ensure efficient railcar movement throughout the facility.
• Coordinate with transportation providers and vendors.
• Eliminate bottlenecks affecting material flow.

Equipment Reliability

• Coordinate maintenance activities with the Maintenance Department.
• Monitor the operational condition of department equipment.
• Prioritize repair requests.
• Support preventive maintenance initiatives.
• Assist with equipment improvement projects.

Workforce Development

• Recruit, interview, onboard, train, coach, and mentor department associates.
• Conduct performance evaluations.
• Support implementation of the Franklin Associate Development Program (FADP).
• Identify future leaders and develop succession plans.
• Promote employee engagement and accountability.

Administrative Management

• Review production, inventory, and logistics reports.
• Monitor attendance, overtime, and staffing.
• Approve employee schedules and PTO.
• Review shipping documentation and inventory records.
• Ensure departmental documentation is accurate and complete.
• Maintain compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements.

Financial and Operational Stewardship

• Monitor departmental productivity and efficiency.
• Support cost reduction initiatives.
• Minimize material waste and unnecessary handling.
• Promote responsible use of company assets.
• Assist in budget planning and resource utilization.

Communication and Coordination

• Coordinate activities with:
• Yard/Mill Manager
• Mill Adjuster
• Assistant Production Shears Manager
• Farm Manager
• Highway Manager
• Maintenance Manager
• Shipping Department
• Sales Department
• Human Resources
• Communicate operational priorities, inventory concerns, transportation issues, and production requirements.
• Participate in management meetings and strategic planning.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Utilize structured problem-solving methods to improve safety, inventory accuracy, logistics, and operational performance.
• Encourage employee participation in continuous improvement.
• Support implementation of approved process improvements.

Other Duties

• Participate in special projects.
• Fill operational positions during emergencies or staffing shortages as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Success Factors

Successful Assistant Yard Managers consistently demonstrate:

Care - Commitment to safety, inventory integrity, and uninterrupted mill support.

Passion - Ownership of departmental performance and operational excellence.

Respect - Professional leadership and effective communication.

Learn - Continuous development of leadership, logistics, and operational knowledge.

Integrity - Accountability, consistency, fairness, and sound judgment.

Teamwork - Collaboration across departments to achieve organizational objectives.

Additional competencies include:

• Operational Leadership
• Logistics Management
• Inventory Control
• Material Flow Management
• Workforce Development
• Equipment Reliability
• Decision Making
• Communication
• Continuous Improvement
• Strategic Planning

Physical Demands

The physical requirements described below represent those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

The associate must be able to:

• Routinely walk the Yard and production areas.
• Climb on and around heavy equipment and railcars.
• Stand and walk for extended periods.
• Occasionally lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Work safely in both office and outdoor industrial environments.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Working Conditions

• Safety-sensitive position.
• Combination office and outdoor heavy industrial manufacturing environment.
• Exposure to rail traffic, heavy equipment, suspended loads, weather conditions, heat, noise, dust, and vibration.
• Required use of PPE while in production areas.

Performance Standards

Performance will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Safety

• Department safety performance.
• Compliance with company safety standards.

Material Flow

• Continuous supply of raw material to the Mill.
• Efficient coordination of receiving, processing, and staging operations.

Inventory

• Inventory accuracy.
• Timely receipt and staging of raw material.
• Material traceability.

Equipment Reliability

• Equipment availability.
• Preventive maintenance coordination.
• Reduction of equipment-related downtime.

Workforce Development

• Employee retention.
• Completion of FADP milestones.
• Succession planning and bench strength.
• Leadership development.

Administrative Effectiveness

• Accuracy of documentation.
• Scheduling and staffing effectiveness.
• Logistics coordination.

Communication and Leadership

• Cross-functional collaboration.
• Employee engagement.
• Professional leadership.

Continuous Improvement

• Implementation of process improvements.
• Measurable gains in safety, logistics, inventory accuracy, and operational efficiency.

Leadership Development Expectations

Within 90 days of placement into this position, leaders are expected to:

• Demonstrate proficiency directing Yard operations while balancing Franklin Industries' Strategic Objectives.
• Demonstrate effective use of Franklin Industries' Decision Framework and Decision Communication Standard.
• Successfully implement the Franklin Associate Development Program (FADP) within the Yard Department, including onboarding, certification matrices, performance evaluations, and leadership development.
• Develop and maintain succession plans and bench strength for all critical Yard Department positions.
• Demonstrate competency coaching, mentoring, and developing department associates.
• Utilize departmental KPIs, inventory reports, production data, and logistics metrics to identify trends and improve performance.
• Coordinate effectively with the Mill, Production Shears, Maintenance, Shipping, Sales, and Human Resources to support uninterrupted operations.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, inventory accuracy, equipment reliability, and material flow.
• Perform the duties of the position independently with minimal guidance.

Machines/Equipment used for Position:

• Computers
• Sage 100 ERP System
• Barcode Scanners
• Industrial Truck Scale
• Radios and Mobile Devices
• Front-End Loader (working knowledge)
• Locomotive Crane (working knowledge)
• Rail Breaker (working knowledge)
• Measuring Devices
• General Office Equipment

The HR Department is required to check the criminal background of all job offerees. Having a criminal record does not block an applicant from securing a job at Franklin Industries. We review all criminal records on a case-by-case basis.

The HR Department sends all job offerees to an external testing site for a physical (vitals, vision, and hearing) and a drug screen. Securing the job is contingent on passing the physical and the drug screen.