Production Controller in Herndon, Virginia at FIBERTEK, INC.

Herndon, VA - Herndon, VA 20171 US (Primary)

We are seeking a hands-on, proactive 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, actively driving work orders, removing blockers, coordinating materials, and keeping 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 Work Order Control (≥50% in cleanroom labspace)

• Move between work centers and cleanroom labs constantly, ensuring work is progressing smoothly.
• 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 & Proactive 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 team when progress slows or stops.
• Maintain accurate dates, serial numbers, routing, attachments, and status updates within 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 & Configuration Control

• Ensure every assembly being built is using the correct BOM, router, and work instructions.
• Collaborate with program team on ECO/ECN cut-ins to minimize disruption to active builds.
• Ensure build records are up to date.

Metrics & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain daily dashboards for work-in-progress aging, shortage status, and schedule adherence.
• Identify inefficiencies on the floor and propose improvements to layout, flow, or documentation.

Minimum Qualifications

• 4-8 years of experience in production control or manufacturing planning for aerospace/spaceflight hardware.
• Hands-on work order tracking experience in Costpoint or 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

Salary Range: The annual base salary range for this position is $72,000-$96,000. This range reflects the compensation Fibertek reasonably expects to offer for this role. Placement within the range will depend on factors such as the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s experience, education and training, key skills, and relevant market and business considerations.