Lead Jeweler

R2Net is a diamond bridal jewelry company with a technology soul. R2Net Inc. is an innovative technology company that provides e-commerce and supply chain platforms to connect the entire span of the diamond industry’s ecosystem, including manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.  

The Production Lead – Jewelry is responsible for overseeing team members and workflow within the jewelry department, including assembly, cast cleaning, and other metalsmithing processes. This role supports the efficient and timely completion of work while collaborating closely with factory leadership to coordinate efforts across departments and align with overall production goals. 

The position focuses on managing the department’s daily and weekly operational needs, including work order management to optimize on-time completion, providing technical guidance on the production floor, supporting quality standards, facilitating clear communication, and coaching team members. In addition, the Production Lead represents the jewelry team within the broader factory environment, serving as a key point of contact between Assigning, QA, and Production teams for jewelry-related matters, and supporting broader R2Net initiatives. 

Responsibilities: 

• Follow and track job orders with jewelers to ensure we are meeting production lead times, and prioritizing effectively  

• Answer any questions jewelry team members may have to ensure the work is completed in a timely manner 

• Move, jobs, communicate deadlines, and take action as needed to ensure work is completed  

• Support the department team members on individual jobs to overcome technical hurdles and concerns.  

• Assist and guide jewelers through all jewelry related jobs, addressing surface preparation, techniques for assembly, tool conditioning, and finish optimization. 

• Bridge communication between Assigning, QA and production team members when there are problems, questions or feedback 

• Document job status, root causes, and escalate critical concerns. 

• Troubleshoot metalsmithing-specific job order issues, maintain a knowledge base of best practices, defects, and solutions 

• Advocate for jewelry staffing, tools, training, and procedures. 

• Lead and mentor jewelers, including onboarding new team members, identifying skills gaps and coordinating targeted training. 

• Support broader R2Net initiatives and communication  

• Communicate clearly and consistently to the jewelry team, sharing updates, activities and other broader communications 

• Communicate clearly and consistently with the rest of the factory around updates, concerns or questions coming from the jewelry department 

• Help department team members navigate broader R2Net requirements, events, training, and Workday. 

• Define cast cleaning, assembly specifications and inspection criteria; monitor quality metrics and drive improvements. 

• Documentation and traceability- Use data metrics (throughput, defects, rework, finish quality) and communicate progress to leadership. 

• 5+ years on the jewelry bench as a production jeweler 

• Need to have deep knowledge of jewelry cast cleaning, assembly (soldering/ laser welding) and repair techniques 

• 1+ year in a related role with leadership/mentorship experience preferred. 

• Strong problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills, anticipate bottlenecks  

• Track record of excellent performance – quality, communication and attendance 

• Basic computer skills including comfort with word, email, excel, and slack, and the ability to use them every day and support team members  

• Hands-on problem solving, proactively identifying solutions, takes action and prevents issues from escalating.  

• Translate business needs to action items for the polishing team  

• Bilingual in Spanish