Craft Development Instructor at SPC Mechanical in Elon, NC

Craft Development Instructor

Location: Elon, North Carolina

Job Summary:

The Craft Development Instructor supports SPC Mechanical's workforce development by delivering new hire training and ongoing skills training for field and fabrication shop employees across plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal trades. This role provides hands-on coaching at active jobsites, reinforces safety and quality standards in real time, and partners closely with the Talent Development Partner to ensure training programs align with SPC's operational needs. Strong communication, organization, and leadership skills are essential for supporting employee growth and consistency across the field and shop.

Responsibilities:

• New Hire Training: Deliver structured onboarding and hands-on skills training for new hires across plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal trades, establishing foundational trade skills, safety practices, and SPC standards from day one.
• Continuing Education & Skills Development: Develop and deliver ongoing training for field and fabrication shop employees to reinforce plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal installation and fabrication practices, introduce new techniques, and close identified skill gaps.
• Jobsite Coaching: Conduct regular jobsite visits to observe work in progress and coach employees on hard skills in real time, providing hands-on correction, guidance, and reinforcement of proper technique.
• Subject Matter Expertise: Serve as the subject matter expert across plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal practices, staying current on industry trends, codes, materials, and best practices to keep training content relevant and accurate.
• Curriculum & Material Development: Create and update training materials, lesson plans, and skill assessments that reflect SPC's standards and evolving field and shop needs.
• Performance Evaluation & Feedback: Evaluate trainee performance through hands-on assessments and field observation, providing constructive feedback to support skill development and readiness for independent field work.
• Mentorship & Team Development: Build strong working relationships with field and shop employees, acting as a mentor and resource to support long-term trade development and career growth within SPC.
• Weekly Training Reporting: Provide weekly reports to the Talent Development Partner summarizing training activities, attendance, and progress across new hire and continuing training programs.
• Ongoing Class Reporting: Track and report on the status of ongoing training classes, including completion rates, scheduling, and upcoming training needs.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Communicate effectively with field leadership, fabrication shop leadership, and the Talent Development Partner to align training priorities with project and shop needs.
• Safety Culture: Reinforce safety standards and practices during all training and coaching interactions, ensuring trainees understand and apply safe work practices in the field and shop.

Qualifications:

• 5-10 years of experience in plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal trade work, or equivalent experience as a trade instructor at the high school or college level. Experience across multiple trades is strongly preferred.
• Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) preferred, not required.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; comfortable coaching individuals and small groups, and providing direct feedback in the field.
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple training programs, schedules, and reporting requirements simultaneously.
• Demonstrated leadership and teaching ability, with a genuine interest in developing others.
• Ability to travel regularly and extensively across all SPC regions to support jobsite visits and training delivery; current driver's license required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and standard reporting tools for training documentation.
• Strong working knowledge of safety standards and practices across plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal trades.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This role involves a combination of office-based reporting work and extensive time spent at active construction jobsites and the fabrication shop, with required travel across all SPC regions. While in the field or shop, the employee may be exposed to outdoor weather conditions, moving equipment, and other construction-site hazards, and is required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as directed.

The employee must be able to travel regularly and extensively across all SPC regions, stand or walk for extended periods while conducting jobsite visits and training sessions, and occasionally lift or carry training materials and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds. This role also requires demonstrating hands-on trade technique across plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal trades, including the use of hand tools, power tools, and trade-specific fabrication equipment.