Entry Level Associate Team Leader Jobs
New grad associate team leader jobs welcome recent graduates and entry level candidates with limited experience, where internship work, campus leadership, or a strong track of team projects can carry more weight than years on a resume. Most openings are on-site roles across Retail, Healthcare & Medical Services, and Distribution & Wholesale, with employers like Target, Meijer, and American Eagle Outfitters hiring at this level now.
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Showing 5 of 124+ Entry Level Associate Team Leader jobs
Interior Assembly Team Leader – 2nd Shift
SMP Automotive Systems Alabama Inc. | Cottondale, AL
Position Overview
SMP Automotive Systems Alabama Inc., a leading Tier 1 automotive supplier to Mercedes-Benz, is seeking a motivated and results-driven Interior Assembly Team Leader – 2nd Shift to join our production team.
The Interior Assembly Team Leader is responsible for overseeing daily production activities within the Interior Assembly department, ensuring production targets, quality standards, and safety requirements are consistently achieved. This position provides hands-on leadership and direction to production team members while supporting operational efficiency, employee development, and continuous improvement initiatives.
The ideal candidate is a strong communicator with manufacturing leadership experience who can motivate a team, resolve production challenges, and maintain a positive, accountable work environment.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and coordinate daily production activities within the Interior Assembly department to meet established production schedules and customer requirements.
Supervise, coach, and develop production team members while promoting teamwork, accountability, and employee engagement.
Monitor production performance, including output, efficiency, scrap, downtime, and labor utilization.
Ensure products meet established quality standards and customer specifications.
Promote a safe working environment by enforcing company safety policies, procedures, and housekeeping standards.
Monitor attendance, job assignments, and staffing levels to ensure appropriate production coverage.
Identify and address production issues, escalating concerns to the Supervisor when necessary.
Ensure proper completion of production documentation, quality checks, and required reporting.
Support training and cross-training activities to develop employee capabilities and operational flexibility.
Work closely with Quality, Maintenance, Materials, and other departments to resolve operational issues.
Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, quality, cost reduction, and process efficiency.
Ensure smooth shift transitions through effective communication and handoff of production-related information.
Qualifications
High school diploma or GED required.
Previous experience in a manufacturing or automotive production environment preferred.
Previous team leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to motivate employees and maintain accountability in a fast-paced production environment.
Basic computer skills and ability to complete production-related documentation.
Ability to work 2nd shift and support additional hours as business needs require.
Work Environment
This position operates in a fast-paced automotive manufacturing environment and requires the ability to work on the production floor. The role involves frequent interaction with production team members, supervisors, and cross-functional departments.
Shift: 2nd Shift – 1:45 PM to 10:00 PM
Why Join SMP Automotive?
At SMP Automotive Systems Alabama, we believe our people are the foundation of our success. As part of the Motherson Group, one of the world's leading automotive suppliers, we offer opportunities to grow, develop, and contribute to a team committed to excellence.
Our Core Values guide everything we do:
Passion for Excellence
Accountability
Respect
Innovation
Teamwork
Integrity
Interior Assembly Team Leader – 2nd Shift
SMP Automotive Systems Alabama Inc. | Cottondale, AL
Position Overview
SMP Automotive Systems Alabama Inc., a leading Tier 1 automotive supplier to Mercedes-Benz, is seeking a motivated and results-driven Interior Assembly Team Leader – 2nd Shift to join our production team.
The Interior Assembly Team Leader is responsible for overseeing daily production activities within the Interior Assembly department, ensuring production targets, quality standards, and safety requirements are consistently achieved. This position provides hands-on leadership and direction to production team members while supporting operational efficiency, employee development, and continuous improvement initiatives.
The ideal candidate is a strong communicator with manufacturing leadership experience who can motivate a team, resolve production challenges, and maintain a positive, accountable work environment.
Key Responsibilities
Lead and coordinate daily production activities within the Interior Assembly department to meet established production schedules and customer requirements.
Supervise, coach, and develop production team members while promoting teamwork, accountability, and employee engagement.
Monitor production performance, including output, efficiency, scrap, downtime, and labor utilization.
Ensure products meet established quality standards and customer specifications.
Promote a safe working environment by enforcing company safety policies, procedures, and housekeeping standards.
Monitor attendance, job assignments, and staffing levels to ensure appropriate production coverage.
Identify and address production issues, escalating concerns to the Supervisor when necessary.
Ensure proper completion of production documentation, quality checks, and required reporting.
Support training and cross-training activities to develop employee capabilities and operational flexibility.
Work closely with Quality, Maintenance, Materials, and other departments to resolve operational issues.
Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, quality, cost reduction, and process efficiency.
Ensure smooth shift transitions through effective communication and handoff of production-related information.
Qualifications
High school diploma or GED required.
Previous experience in a manufacturing or automotive production environment preferred.
Previous team leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to motivate employees and maintain accountability in a fast-paced production environment.
Basic computer skills and ability to complete production-related documentation.
Ability to work 2nd shift and support additional hours as business needs require.
Work Environment
This position operates in a fast-paced automotive manufacturing environment and requires the ability to work on the production floor. The role involves frequent interaction with production team members, supervisors, and cross-functional departments.
Shift: 2nd Shift – 1:45 PM to 10:00 PM
Why Join SMP Automotive?
At SMP Automotive Systems Alabama, we believe our people are the foundation of our success. As part of the Motherson Group, one of the world's leading automotive suppliers, we offer opportunities to grow, develop, and contribute to a team committed to excellence.
Our Core Values guide everything we do:
Passion for Excellence
Accountability
Respect
Innovation
Teamwork
Integrity
See All 124+ Entry Level Associate Team Leader Jobs
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Find JobsEntry Level Associate Team Leader Job Market
Who's Hiring
- Target25
- Meijer21
- American Eagle Outfitters17
- Giant Eagle10
- Whole Foods Market9
Top Industries Hiring
- Retail62
- Healthcare & Medical Services25
- Distribution & Wholesale21
- Automotive4
- Insurance2
Entry Level Associate Team Leader Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an entry level associate team leader job?
Focus on demonstrating leadership in contexts you already have: group projects, volunteer coordination, club officer roles, or internships where you guided others. Employers hiring at this level look for communication skills, the ability to motivate a small team, and comfort with scheduling or workflow tools. Tailoring your resume to show those moments of ownership, even on a small scale, gives you a clear edge over candidates who list only task-based experience.
Which companies hire entry level associate team leaders?
Companies hiring entry level associate team leaders right now include Target, Meijer, and American Eagle Outfitters, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. The mix tends to include retail chains, logistics and fulfillment operations, food service groups, and customer-facing businesses that promote from within or build structured junior leadership pipelines for new graduates.
Are there remote entry level associate team leader jobs?
Yes, though most of these roles are on-site because they involve supervising in-person teams. About 2% of entry level associate team leader openings are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, and those positions typically sit in customer support, operations coordination, or project-based roles where team oversight happens through digital tools rather than a shared physical space.
Are these new grad associate team leader jobs?
Yes, many of these postings are new grad and junior roles that explicitly welcome candidates with zero to two years of experience, recent graduates entering the workforce, and applicants whose main leadership exposure comes from internships or campus activities. A new grad friendly posting usually signals this by listing a degree as the core requirement, omitting a minimum years-of-experience threshold, or calling out internship experience as acceptable in place of full-time work.
Which industries hire the most entry level associate team leaders?
Entry Level associate team leader roles concentrate in Retail, Healthcare & Medical Services, and Distribution & Wholesale, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors tend to drive hiring at the junior level because they rely on frontline team structures with frequent turnover, predictable shift-based operations, and internal promotion paths that make an entry level leadership title a practical starting point rather than a stretch.