Operations Support Service Lead, Production Control

Role Overview

The OSS Lead is a key leadership role within the Production Control organization responsible for driving execution of the production plan and ensuring material, work orders, priorities, and operational support are aligned to meet manufacturing commitments.

This role leads the Operations Support Services (OSS) team and serves as a critical link between Production Control, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, and other supporting functions. The OSS Lead is responsible for identifying and resolving constraints that threaten production flow, establishing clear priorities, driving recovery actions, and ensuring the factory has the information and support required to execute the schedule.

The successful candidate will be a highly engaged operations leader who combines strong production-control discipline with a hands-on understanding of aerospace manufacturing. This individual must be comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment, managing competing priorities, escalating risks, and driving issues to closure.

WhatYou’llDo...

• Lead the OSS organization supporting day-to-day execution of the manufacturing production plan.
• Translate the master production schedule and Production Control priorities into clear, executable actions for the OSS team and manufacturing organization.
• Maintain visibility to production status, schedule attainment, shortages, work-in-process (WIP), constraints, and recovery requirements.
• Partner closely with Production Control leadership to identify schedule risks and establish priorities based on customer commitments, production requirements, and overall factory needs.
• Drive resolution of material shortages, work-order constraints, documentation issues, nonconforming material impacts, and other barriers affecting production flow.
• Coordinate cross-functional recovery activities with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Planning, and other support organizations.
• Establish daily operating rhythms for reviewing production status, constraints, priorities, and corrective actions.
• Ensure critical production issues have clear ownership, actions, due dates, and escalation paths.
• Monitor aging WIP and stalled work orders and drive actions necessary to restore production flow.
• Support shortage management and material allocation decisions to maximize schedule attainment and minimize disruption to critical production requirements.
• Identify systemic causes of production disruption and partner with appropriate functions to implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain standard work, visual management, and performance metrics for the OSS organization.
• Use ERP/MRP and manufacturing execution data to identify risks, prioritize work, and support fact-based operational decisions.
• Provide clear and timely communication to Production Control and Operations leadership regarding schedule risk, recovery status, and significant production constraints.
• Support production recovery plans, surge activities, schedule changes, and other high-priority manufacturing initiatives.
• Lead, develop, and coach OSS team members, establishing clear expectations for accountability, responsiveness, communication, and execution.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing production interruptions, improving material availability, reducing WIP aging, and increasing schedule predictability.
• Ensure activities are performed in accordance with applicable aerospace quality requirements, company procedures, safety requirements, and regulatory obligations.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance may be measured through a combination of:

• Production schedule attainment and on-time completion

• Work-order and WIP aging

• Material shortage reduction and shortage recovery

• Number and duration of production holds or stalled jobs

• Constraint response and resolution time

• Past-due production requirements

• Manufacturing throughput and flow

• Recovery-plan execution

• Inventory and WIP accuracy

• Escalation effectiveness and action closure

• Continuous improvement results

You have...

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required (Supply Chain, Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field preferred)

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing, production support, supply chain, operations, or related field
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, Manufacturing, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• Relevant experience in production control, manufacturing operations, materials management, supply chain, planning, or a related manufacturing function.

• Previous experience leading teams in a complex manufacturing environment.

• Demonstrated experience managing production priorities, material constraints, WIP, work orders, and schedule recovery.

• Working knowledge of ERP/MRP systems and production planning concepts.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and decision-making skills.

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional issue resolution and influence organizations outside of direct reporting relationships.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to operate effectively in a dynamic manufacturing environment with changing priorities and customer requirements.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Basic analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Strong communication skills with ability to work across multiple teams

• Ability to follow structured processes and support production priorities

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment

• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Excel (data entry, simple reporting, basic formulas)

• Strong sense of urgency and willingness to learn on the job

• Ability to work collaboratively with supervisors, technicians, engineers, and support functions

• Interest in manufacturing operations, production planning, or supply chain coordination
• The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Nice to have...

• Experience within aerospace, defense, aviation, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.

• Knowledge of aerospace manufacturing processes, configuration control, traceability, and quality requirements.

• Experience with ERP/MRP and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), such as SAP, Oracle, Epicor, or similar platforms.

• Experience with Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, root-cause analysis, and structured problem-solving methodologies.

• Experience developing production-control dashboards, KPIs, and visual management systems.

• Demonstrated experience leading production recovery or schedule-improvement initiatives.

• APICS/ASCM certification, Lean/Six Sigma certification, or related professional certification is beneficial.