Production Control & Purchasing Assistant

Position Summary: 

The Production Control & Purchasing Assistant provides administrative and operational support to the Production Control and Purchasing departments. As a cross-trained resource, the employee may support either department based on workload, coverage needs, production priorities, and business requirements. The role helps maintain the flow of materials, information, and documentation from purchasing through production control. Key responsibilities include creating and maintaining work orders and purchase orders; entering and reviewing information in the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system; monitoring material and job status; following up on supplier commitments; maintaining records; and communicating potential shortages or delays to the appropriate team members.

The Production Control & Purchasing Assistant requires an induvial with manufacturing awareness, strong attention to detail, accurate data entry, effective follow-through, and the ability to shift priorities while supporting two fast-paced departments. The role requires a team-oriented individual who demonstrates Phoenix Manufacturing, Inc.’s core values of Passion, Integrity, Determination, and Empathy.

Essential Functions: 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The essential functions of this position include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Create, issue, revise, release, update, print, and maintain purchase or work orders in the ERP system in accordance with established procedures and requirements.
• Prepare requests for quotation and distribute them to approved or prospective suppliers as directed.
• Request and document supplier pricing, lead times, delivery commitments, and order-status updates.
• Review purchasing documentation for accuracy, including part numbers, quantities, pricing, delivery dates, shipping instructions, certifications, and applicable purchase-order requirements.
• Monitor open purchase orders and follow up with suppliers regarding acknowledgements, late deliveries, partial shipments, revised commitments, and other order-status concerns.
• Maintain supplier correspondence, quotations, purchase orders, acknowledgements, delivery information, and related purchasing records in paper or electronic form.
• Communicate supplier delays, pricing discrepancies, material shortages, or other concerns to the appropriate buyer, planner, or manager.
• Review work-order information for completeness and accuracy, including part numbers, quantities, due dates, routing information, materials, and related documentation.
• Assist with maintaining production schedules, priority lists, job-status reports, and visual production boards.
• Assist with purchasing raw materials, components, tooling, and supplies in accordance with company procedures and assigned authority.
• Assist with establishing daily and weekly production priorities based on direction from Production Control or Operations.
• Assist with identifying scheduling conflicts, bottlenecks, shortages, and past-due work, and promptly escalate concerns to the appropriate manager or planner. 
• Monitor the status of open work orders and identify jobs that may be affected by material shortages, outside processing, missing information, quality holds, or other constraints.
• Perform shop-floor follow-up to obtain job status, confirm the location of work-in-progress, and communicate updates to the appropriate team members.
• Enter and maintain accurate job, schedule, commitment-date, and production-status information in the ERP system.
• Support the preparation of production-status reports, schedules, performance information, and other routine reports.
• Provide departmental coverage and administrative support during employee absences, peak workloads, or other business needs.
• Collaborate with other departments on production control and purchasing requirements while developing formal partnerships with Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality.
• Regular verbal or written communication to internal and external stakeholders, customers, or vendors utilizing both electronic and analog systems. 
• Participate in the operation of and compliance with all safety, hazardous material handling, and disposal requirements in accordance with government regulations and company procedures. 
• Utilization of office machines including copiers, scanners, phone systems, computers (including email), and other standard equipment.
• Perform all tasks within Quality Management System (QMS) specifications and requirements.
• Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (i.e., shoes, eyewear, gloves, masks, shields, and coats) if needed. 
• Comply with all company and safety rules and regulations. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Experience, Education and Qualifications:   

• High School Diploma or Equivalent Education. 
• Minimum of two (2) years of administrative, production control, purchasing, material coordination, inventory, order-entry, or related experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience creating or processing work orders, purchase orders, sales orders, requisitions, or similar business documents.
• Experience entering and maintaining information in an ERP, inventory, purchasing, or production control system.
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple assignments while responding appropriately to changing production needs.
• Ability to read and accurately interpret basic manufacturing documents, including part numbers, quantities, due dates, purchase orders, work orders, routers, bills of material, and related job documentation.
• Ability to work independently within established procedures and collaboratively as part of a cross-functional team.
• Experience in aerospace, machining, precision manufacturing, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience with Global Shop or a comparable manufacturing ERP system.
• Familiarity with AS9100, ISO 9001, or another formal quality management system.
• Familiarity with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) and EAR (Export Administration Regulations) for handling sensitive technical data.
• Familiarity with raw material purchasing, inventory control, work-in-progress tracking, or production scheduling.
• Experience working with suppliers and following up on quotations, purchase orders, and delivery commitments.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook, Excel, and Word.
• Strong data-entry skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and follow-up skills.