This job is posted on behalf of Butler Recruitment Group by Top Echelon.
Junior Production Controller
Location: Herndon, VA 20171
Salary Range: $55,000 - $72,000 annually (dependent on experience)
Job Description We are seeking a hands-on, proactive Junior Production Controller to support space flight hardware manufacturing in our ISO class 6-8 clean laboratory environments.
This role requires daily physical presence on the shop floor and in cleanroom labs. You will actively drive work orders, remove blockers, coordinate materials, and keep production flowing. The ideal candidate has experience with aerospace or space-flight systems and thrives in a dynamic, build-focused environment.
Key Responsibilities
Cleanroom Lab & Shop-Floor Control (≥50% in cleanroom)
- Move between work centers and cleanroom labs constantly to ensure smooth workflow.
- Verify readiness by physically checking materials, tooling, travelers, and documentation.
- Partner directly with technicians to confirm next steps, priority sequencing, and quality gates.
Work Order Tracking & Issue Resolution
- Manage and track work orders from release through completion using Costpoint.
- Identify schedule risks early through daily in-person monitoring of WIP.
- Drive immediate resolution with Procurement, Quality, Engineering, and program teams when progress slows.
- Maintain accurate dates, serial numbers, routing, attachments, and status updates within the ERP.
Material Coordination & Shortage Management
- Run daily shortage reviews and physically validate material presence at assembly locations.
- Track incoming parts, inspection status, and Non-Conformance impacts.
- Push cross-functional owners for recovery actions and escalate blockers quickly.
Documentation, Metrics & Continuous Improvement
- Ensure every assembly uses the correct BOM, router, and work instructions.
- Collaborate with the program team on ECO/ECN cut-ins to minimize disruption to active builds.
- Ensure build records are completely up to date.
- Maintain daily dashboards for work-in-progress aging, shortage status, and schedule adherence.
- Identify inefficiencies on the floor and propose layout, flow, or documentation improvements.
Minimum Qualifications
- 1-3 years of experience in production control or manufacturing planning for aerospace/spaceflight hardware.
- Hands-on work order tracking experience in Costpoint or an equivalent ERP/MRP system.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing flows, routers, BOMs, travelers, and configuration management.
- Experience working in cleanroom environments.
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings and manufacturing documentation.
- Proactive mindset with strong cross-functional communication skills.
- Basic proficiency in MS Office applications.
- U.S. Citizenship required (ITAR/export compliance).
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with space flight hardware (avionics, propulsion, mechanisms, structures, or payload subsystems).
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree.