Fabrication Center Production Planner and Scheduler 2 or 3

Northrop Grumman • Lake Charles, LA

10d • $59,600 - $110,900 • Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is hiring a Production Planner and Scheduler or Principal Production Planner and Scheduler to support its Fabrication Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Fabrication Center specializes in metal work, including sheet metal fabrication, large assembly, surface finishing, advanced-model CNC machining, and advanced inspection using NDI and 3D technologies. The team supports customers across defense departments and works collaboratively with Northrop Grumman sectors.

The role plans, prepares, issues, and controls production schedules, coordinating material requirements to maintain a controlled flow of approved materials and meet production needs. It monitors work in progress, material availability, and potential production problems, and helps ensure personnel, equipment, materials, and services are available. The position schedules equipment and personnel, confirms supply and demand, prepares work orders or purchase requests, and coordinates with quality assurance, manufacturing, purchasing, engineering, inventory control, and traffic teams. It also schedules and expedites parts movement through move orders, stock transfers, and shipping requests.

The position integrates schedule requests across programs into an executable production schedule, resolves competition for shared resources, tracks schedule status and productivity metrics, and integrates external customer or subcontractor activity. It analyzes production sequences and workflows to improve efficiency and utilization, and conducts studies related to cost and inventory control and production records. The role may be hired at either the Production Planner/Scheduler or Principal Production Planner/Scheduler level. Travel is 10% of the time. Relocation assistance may be available. A Secret clearance is not required to start, but the position requires the ability to obtain and maintain one if required by the program.

Requirements

• For the Production Planner/Scheduler level: 6 years of Planner/Scheduler-related experience with a high school diploma or equivalent; alternatively, a bachelor's degree and 2 years of related experience, or an associate's degree and at least 4 years of related experience.
• For the Principal Production Planner/Scheduler level: a high school diploma or equivalent and at least 9 years of Planner/Scheduler-related experience with an aviation background; alternatively, a relevant bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of experience, or an associate's degree and at least 7 years of related experience with an aviation background.
• High energy, results-oriented, self-motivated, self-directed, proactive, and able to work as a team player.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to learn from mistakes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to interface with and drive deliverables from people at all organizational levels.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to change shifts as required by the program.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance if required by the program.
• U.S. citizenship is required for positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Nice To Haves

• Current Secret clearance.
• Aviation experience as a Production Planner/Scheduler.

Responsibilities

• Plan, prepare, issue, and control production schedules, integrating multiple program requests into an executable schedule for production teams.
• Coordinate material requirements to ensure approved materials flow in time to meet production requirements.
• Resolve conflicts between competing programs for common resources.
• Advise management on work-in-progress status, material availability, and potential production problems.
• Schedule equipment and personnel, confirm material supply and demand, and prepare work orders or purchase requests based on the master production schedule, shop load, and inventory requirements.
• Use critical-path schedule network processing based on logic, durations, and date constraints.
• Work with IMP/IMS schedule structures and schedules based on Work Breakdown Structures.
• Export schedule data to Excel and work with responsible parties to gather and report schedule status and productivity metrics in weekly and monthly reporting cycles.
• Identify and analyze critical and driving paths.
• Resource-load schedules for labor and materials.
• Work independently with minimal supervision while contributing to the success of the program team and Master Production Scheduler role.
• Integrate external customer or subcontractor program activity into the master production schedule.
• Coordinate interdepartmental activity with quality assurance, manufacturing, purchasing, engineering, inventory control, traffic, and other groups.
• Schedule and expedite parts movement using move orders, stock transfers, and shipping requests.
• Analyze and design sequences of operations and workflows to improve efficiency in plant and production facilities and equipment layouts.
• Establish methods for maximum utilization of production facilities and personnel.
• Conduct studies related to cost control, cost reduction, inventory control, and production record systems, and develop and implement plans for facility modifications or operating-method revisions.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Savings plan.
• Company-paid holidays.
• Paid time off for vacation and/or personal business.
• Employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus, depending on the position.
• Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for long-term incentives.
• Relocation assistance may be available.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED