Supervisor, Promotional Apparel

Job Summary: Supervise inmate workers in two sewing plants – PRI Promotional apparel and/or PRI Garment Correctional Institution, Ocala, Florida. Train and supervise inmate workers to produce various inmate clothing as well as other sewing products. Requires strong supervisory skills for directing and training inmates working and assessing their skills.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities: 

1. Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
2. Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
3. Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.
4. Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
5. Remove holding devices and finished items from machines. 
6. Match cloth pieces in correct sequences prior to sewing them and verify that dye lots and patterns match.
7. Cut excess material or thread from finished products. 
8. Select supplies such as fasteners and thread, according to job requirements.
9. Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using rulers.
10. Start and operate or tend machines, such as single or double needle serging and flatbed felling machines, to automatically join, reinforce, or decorate material or articles.
11. Record quantities of materials processed.
12. Turn knobs, screws, and dials to adjust settings of machines, according to garment styles and equipment performance.
13. Attach tape, trim, appliques, or elastic to specified garments or garment parts, according to item specifications.
14. Repair or alter items by adding replacement parts or missing stitches.
15. Perform equipment maintenance tasks such as replacing needles, sanding rough areas of needles, or cleaning and oiling sewing machines.
16. Mount attachments, such as needles, cutting blades, or pattern plates, and adjust machine guides according to specifications.
17. Cut materials according to specifications, using blades, scissors, or electric knives.
18. Inspect garments and examine repair tags and markings on garments to locate defects or damage, and mark errors, as necessary.
19. Attach buttons, hooks, zippers, fasteners, or other accessories to fabric, using feeding hoppers or clamp holders.
20. Position material or articles in clamps, templates, or hoop frames prior to automatic operation of machines.
21. Draw markings or pin appliques on fabric to obtain variations in design.
22. Tape or twist together thread or cord to repair breaks.
23. Baste edges of material to align and temporarily secure parts for final assembly.

Education and Experience: High school/GED. Three (3) years of experience in sewing plant. Prefer one-year supervisory experience.

Language Skills: Good verbal, written, and electronic communication skills.

Mathematical Skills: Basic math skills.

Reasoning Ability: Reading comprehension.

Specialized Knowledge and/or Skill: Proficient in operating sewing machines. Ability to assemble parts of a garment. 

• Proficient in operating sewing machines.
• Ability to assemble parts of a garment
• Self-starter
• Understand quality control awareness and management
• Safety management
• Ability to foster teamwork
• Detail-oriented
• Handle stress and conflict resolution skills

Other Skills and Abilities: Demonstrates strong people and leadership abilities, effective personal time management, and consistently displays honesty, dependability, straightforward communication, a pleasant demeanor, and adaptability.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools etc. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision. Employee on feet and moving around supervising.

Work Environment: While performing the duties of this job, the employee works inside a room where noise level is low, and temperature regulated.

Principal Contacts: Sewn Product staff, Production Manager, corporate staff, & FDC staff.