Paint Shop Supervisor at General Motors

Job Description Work Arrangement:

This role is categorized as onsite. this means the successful candidate to report to the GM office full time.

The Role

The Paint Shop Supervisor leads a team of hourly employees in the Paint Shop to safely deliver high-quality vehicles on time and at optimal cost. The role executes and sustains the GM Manufacturing System (GMS) on the shop floor, drives day‑to‑day performance in safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement, and supports continuous improvement and OPEX initiatives within the Paint area.

What You'll Do

• Lead a team of hourly employees in the Paint Shop to meet daily safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets.

• Ensure strict adherence to all safety standards, PPE usage, and environmental regulations in paint operations (booths, ovens, robots, manual zones, sealer, pre‑treatment, etc.).

• Monitor and control paint shop production schedule to meet built to plans, minimize changeovers, and protect customer delivery.

• Execute and sustain standardized work for paint operations; ensure proper training, qualification, and rotation of team members.

• Track and report Paint Shop performance scorecards (defects, rework, paint consumption, downtime, OEE, absenteeism).

• Identify and contain paint and appearance quality issues and coordinate corrective actions with Quality, Maintenance, and ME.

• Lead short interval control / daily management meetings to review performance, address issues, and assign actions.

• Support and champion OPEX and continuous improvement projects in the Paint Shop, partnering with Industrial Engineering and ME teams.

• Drive waste elimination in the Paint Shop (material loss, rework, waiting, excessive motion, etc.) using lean tools.

• Coordinate with Maintenance to prioritize and resolve equipment issues, reduce downtime, and sustain equipment reliability.

• Ensure proper paint and chemical handling, storage, and usage to minimize waste and comply with EHS requirements.

• Maintain accurate manpower and shift plans for the Paint Shop, including vacation coverage, training, and overtime planning.

• Coach and develop team leaders and operators in problem‑solving, 5S, and continuous improvement behaviors.

• Support the Continuous Improvement (CI) suggestion program in the Paint Shop, encouraging ideas, evaluating feasibility, and driving implementation.

• Ensure compliance with GMS and local operating systems, support audits, and close gaps.

• Utilize Microsoft Office and Power Apps (where applicable) to track KPIs, simplify reporting, and improve paint shop management processes.

• Foster a positive work environment, address employee concerns promptly, and maintain strong communication across shifts and departments (Body, GA, Quality, Maintenance, IE).

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Production, Industrial, Chemical) or related technical field; or equivalent relevant experience.

• Minimum 3 years of experience in chemical manufacturing, preferably in Paint Shop or related production operations.

• Demonstrated experience in leading teams on the shop floor.

• Experience supporting or participating in continuous improvement / OPEX activities with measurable impact on safety, quality, or cost.

Technical Skills

• Familiarity with standard work, work instruction development, and training.

• Understanding of takt time, line balance, and capacity concepts to support production planning.

• Exposure to lean manufacturing tools (5S, Kaizen, visual management, Kanban, SMED basics).

• Basic problem‑solving and root cause analysis skills (5 Whys, fishbone, A3 thinking).

• Ability to interpret production and quality data to make fact‑based decisions (first time through, scrap, rework, downtime).

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word); experience with Power Apps / digital tools is a plus.

Competencies

• Strong people leadership skills: able to set expectations, give feedback, recognize good performance, and address issues fairly.

• Clear and effective communication with hourly employees, peers, and leadership.

• Ability to influence and drive change on the shop floor while maintaining strong relationships.

• Skilled in facilitating problem‑solving discussions and engaging the team in improvement activities.

• High discipline in execution of safety, quality, and production standards.

• Strong stakeholder management with Production, Maintenance, Quality, Industrial Engineering, and Support functions.

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.

Accommodations

General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.