Production Control Specialist / Expeditor

For almost 30 years, SQA Services has been a premier leader in providing managed supplier quality services for audits, assessments, remote surveillance assessments, corrective actions, remediation, inspections, and engineering to manufacturers within all industries. We deliver services by deploying associates who are located throughout the United States and in 90+ countries around the world to your supplier sites. Our associates are expert quality assurance professionals with broad experience and local knowledge who can represent our clients on-demand and on-site faster than our competitors.

We are looking for a resource local to Woodinville, WA - leading with professionalism and documentation to ensure we are properly supporting improvements to the production process.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the client’s eyes and ears on site at a manufacturer in Woodinville, WA, following up and expediting deliveries of rod, strut and cable assemblies to an aerostructures client’s plants supporting commercial aircraft programs.
• Take day-to-day direction from the client’s UK-based supply chain team on priorities, shortages, required delivery dates and task assignments, within the program’s agreed operating charter.
• Hold regular (target daily) follow-up meetings with the supplier on the open order book; record delivery commitments and owners for each priority line.
• Follow priority parts through their actual routing (raw material, machining, swaging, chemical processing, NDT, assembly, final inspection and packing) using shop travelers and work-order status, and verify progress on the floor where authorized rather than relying on reported status alone.
• Identify and explain bottlenecks in technical terms (e.g. material availability, machine capacity, special-process queues, sub-tier suppliers, nonconformance holds, FAI or documentation gaps) so the client can make informed decisions.
• Expedite critical parts as directed, and confirm committed parts are packed, documented (e.g. certificate of conformity) and dispatched as agreed; follow shipments through to delivery at the client’s plant.
• Report back to the client daily in the client’s format, including first-hand observations at the supplier (capacity, staffing, material, quality and delivery risks).
• Communicate with the end customer’s (aircraft OEM) US team on priorities, progress and issues within the protocol set by the client, and escalate issues per the agreed path.
• Submit a weekly activity and accomplishment log and timesheet to SQA, and take part in SQA’s weekly check-in with the client.
• Represent the client professionally without committing to PO, price or schedule changes on the client’s behalf.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in aerospace production control, expediting, supplier delivery management or buyer/planner roles.
• Experience in, or working directly with, a manufacturer of machined, formed or assembled metallic aerospace components.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, shop travelers/routers and work orders, and to understand how operation sequences and special processes (heat treatment, chemical processing, NDT) drive lead time.
• Working knowledge of purchase orders, open order books, lead times and ERP/MRP data.
• Familiarity with AS9100 manufacturing environments and aerospace documentation, including certificates of conformity, material certifications and AS9102 first article inspection.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the ability to maintain accurate trackers and written reports.
• Fluent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate clearly and diplomatically with supplier management and client stakeholders across time zones.
• Able to work on-site daily in Woodinville, WA (Seattle metropolitan area) for an initial six (6) week assignment, with availability to start on short notice.
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation to the supplier site.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of control rods, struts, hold-open rods, flight control mechanisms or swaged cable assemblies, including rod ends, swaging and length adjustment/rigging.
• Experience with PCC operations or comparable Tier-2/Tier-3 aerospace suppliers in the Puget Sound region.
• Prior experience as a customer-resident representative or source inspector at a supplier site.
• APICS/ASCM CPIM or similar production and inventory management certification.

SQA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment is based on merit and qualifications and is not influenced by race, color, religion, gender, national origin, veteran status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

This position requires access to ITAR-controlled technical data and/or defense articles. As such, the candidate must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder) to comply with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Applicants who do not meet these criteria will not be considered for this role.