Assistant Project Manager

Focus•Cicero, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an energetic, detail-oriented Assistant Project Manager (APM) to join our manufacturing team. This role is a direct career development pathway: we will provide hands-on training on our internal processes, methodologies (such as Work Breakdown Structures), and systems, with the explicit goal of advancing you to a full Project Manager within approximately 9 months. From day one, you will support the entire project lifecycle-from order intake and ERP transaction to shop floor flow, inventory control, and final delivery. Acting as a key bridge between Engineering, Quality, Purchasing, Shipping/Warehouse, and our clients, you will help keep production on schedule, manage material availability, control costs, and ensure customer requirements are met every time.

Requirements

1-3 years of experience in project coordination, inventory control, material handling, or production support in a custom manufacturing or fabrication environment.
Hands-on experience with ERP systems (Epicor experience is a strong plus) and proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).
Familiarity with job planning, inventory cycle counts, blueprint reading, and general shipping/receiving processes.
Excellent written/verbal communication skills; highly organized with strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving under deadlines.
Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Management, or equivalent practical shop-floor experience.

Nice To Haves

Epicor experience is a strong plus

Responsibilities

Track custom manufacturing orders from initial gate reviews through shop-floor operations to final shipping and delivery.
Review project scopes, travelers, and timelines against original quotes to verify production standards and promise dates align before work begins.
Learn and apply core WBS frameworks to break complex orders into manageable tasks and milestone tracking.
Participate actively in 15-minute morning stand-up meetings to align daily priorities, boost team morale, and highlight key production wins.
Use Epicor to transact manufacturing orders (release, pick, close), monitor Work in Process (WIP), and track material availability.
Partner with Warehousing, Purchasing, and Production to ensure raw materials and components arrive on time, are positioned properly on the shop floor, and that surplus/obsolete inventory risks are mitigated.
Drive and execute expedite orders on the shop floor, identifying potential production roadblocks early and proactively working with department heads to keep jobs moving.
Assist with monitoring inventory levels, participating in cycle count routines, and resolving material discrepancies.
Ensure special customer requirements (e.g., material certs, PPAP packages, white-glove/aesthetic handling, tight tolerances) are clearly stated in gate review notes, traveler documents, and communicated to Quality Control.
Serve as the client point-of-contact during Return Material Authorizations (RMAs) or non-conformances. Track the product through the shop rework process to ensure rapid turnarounds or prompt credit issuance.
Monitor jobs during production for added, unquoted operations (e.g., extra grinding, plugging, custom packing) and work to update quote baselines to protect margins on subsequent runs.
Serve as a responsive contact for client engineers, buyers, and project managers. Communicate early regarding print discrepancies, tight tolerances, outside vendor delays, or schedule updates.
Track Purchase Orders with Purchasing for outside services (plating, heat treating, powder coating) to verify vendor delivery dates meet our internal production timeline.
Manage Engineering Change Notifications (ECNs) and client design changes. Ensure no scope or drawing changes are implemented without formal customer approval.
Maintain required tracking logs (such as short-shipment matrices), record shop-floor recommendations for re-runs, and document lessons learned to optimize future production runs.