Job Description

Area Manager - Maintenance - Pontiac Stamping

Onsite: This role is categorized as onsite. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to our Pontiac Stamping plant location

Sponsorship: GM DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMIGRATION-RELATED SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE.  DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU WILL NEED GM IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP (e.g., H-1B, TN, STEM OPT, etc.) NOW OR IN THE FUTURE.

The Role

Area Manager - Maintenance provides leadership for the maintenance, controls, tool and die room, and facilities functions at Pontiac Metal Center. This role is accountable for safe, reliable, and cost-effective support of stamping and Flex Fab operations through strong equipment-maintenance practices, effective skilled-trades leadership, disciplined problem solving, and cross-functional execution.

The Area Manager leads teams responsible for maintaining production equipment, controls systems, dies and die-room operations, plant infrastructure, and facility services. The role partners closely with Safety, HR/LR, Quality, Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials, contractors, and union leadership to protect employee safety, improve equipment uptime, reduce downtime, and sustain a high-performing manufacturing system.

What You’ll Do

Safety, compliance, and employee engagement

• Lead a culture in which safety is the first priority and all work is performed in accordance with GM standards (GM-UAW WSS), safe operating practices, and applicable regulatory expectations.
• Lead and sustain safety observation tours, risk assessments, corrective actions, and employee engagement activities within the assigned functions.
• Ensure maintenance, controls, die-room, facilities, and contractor activities are planned and executed with appropriate risk controls, permits, training, and personal protective equipment.
• Build effective working relationships with employees, union representatives, skilled-trades leadership, contractors, and plant leadership.

Maintenance and equipment performance

• Direct preventive, predictive, corrective, and emergency maintenance activities for stamping equipment and related plant assets.
• Improve equipment performance and reduce maintenance downtime through disciplined preventive-maintenance execution, effective work-order management, root-cause problem solving, and focused countermeasures.
• Review equipment performance, downtime trends, maintenance priorities, and resource requirements to ensure the plant’s production needs are supported.
• Coordinate response to equipment failures and ensure issues are contained, communicated, resolved, and prevented from recurring.
• Support maintenance planning, spare-parts strategy, asset care, and long-term equipment reliability and performance improvements.

Controls and automation

• Provide leadership and direction for controls and automation support across stamping operations.
• Ensure controls-related issues are prioritized and resolved through structured troubleshooting, technical problem solving, and effective coordination with engineering and production teams.
• Support the safe implementation, modification, documentation, and sustainment of controls systems, machine safeguards, interlocks, and automation improvements.
• Develop technical capability within controls personnel and promote effective knowledge transfer across shifts and functions.

Die room and tool-and-die support

• Lead day-to-day die-room performance, die maintenance priorities, die readiness, and die-related support for production.
• Partner with Production, Tool and Die, Engineering, and Quality to improve die-related uptime, die condition, repair response, and long-term die planning.
• Support die launches and major program activities by coordinating readiness, timing, resource requirements, issue resolution, and cross-functional follow-up.
• Ensure die-room work is performed safely and in accordance with die-handling procedures, equipment requirements, and standardized work.

Facilities and infrastructure

• Oversee facility-maintenance activities supporting buildings, grounds, utilities, ventilation, cranes, hoists, docks, work areas, and other plant infrastructure.
• Coordinate facility work with internal resources and service providers to maintain a safe, functional, and production-ready workplace.
• Manage priorities, service requests, contractor performance, and corrective actions for facility and infrastructure issues.
• Support facility projects, renovations, repairs, and changes while maintaining safe execution, clear communication, and effective management of change.

Leadership, business performance, and continuous improvement

• Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate salaried and hourly team members; establish clear expectations and build highly effective teams across shifts and functions.
• Ensure team members receive appropriate training, job instruction, qualification, and development opportunities.
• Use GMS principles, visual management, standardized work, TIP activities, and data-driven problem solving to improve safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people performance.
• Participate in plant operating reviews and communicate performance, risks, resource needs, and action plans to plant leadership.
• Manage department budgets, labor, contractors, materials, and other resources to meet business objectives.
• Support capital planning, equipment replacement, facility improvements, and other projects that improve reliability, capability, safety, or cost.
• Coordinate work across shifts and maintain effective handoffs, escalation routines, and follow-through on open actions.

Your Skills & Abilities (Required Qualifications)​​

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, maintenance management, business, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant manufacturing experience.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in automotive manufacturing, stamping, maintenance, controls, tool and die, facilities, or a related industrial environment.
• Experience leading skilled-trades, technical, engineering, facilities, or cross-functional manufacturing teams.
• Strong knowledge of preventive maintenance, equipment performance and reliability, controls troubleshooting, structured problem solving, and safe work practices.
• Ability to analyze performance data, prioritize competing demands, and make timely decisions in a fast-paced production environment.
• Ability to work effectively with represented employees, union leadership, salaried leaders, engineering partners, contractors, and suppliers.
• Strong communication, organization, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Commitment to GM’s values, safety expectations, and inclusive workplace practices.

What Will Give You A Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)​

• Knowledge of manufacturing operations, equipment performance and reliability, preventive and predictive maintenance, controls systems, tool and die support, facilities management, and plant safety systems.
• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, problem-solving, prioritization, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to use performance data, downtime trends, maintenance metrics, and structured problem-solving methods to drive measurable improvements.
• Working knowledge of GMS, TIP, layered audits, standardized work, visual management, root-cause problem solving, and continuous improvement.
• Stamping experience, preferably in a high-volume metal-forming or pressroom environment.
• Body and/or Paint manufacturing experience.
• Global Surface Quality Evaluation (GSQE) experience or comparable plant quality evaluation experience.
• Tool and Die (T&D) experience, including die-room operations, die maintenance, die launches, die readiness, or press uptime improvement.
• Multi-plant experience, including transferring best practices and supporting enterprise initiatives across different operating environments.
• Experience working directly with represented workforces and union partners on staffing, work assignments, training, employee concerns, and daily operating priorities.
• Experience with industrial controls, automation, machine safeguarding, electrical systems, facility services, contractors, utilities, cranes, hoists, or plant infrastructure projects.