Project Planner

EXPANSIA; Hollywood (MD); On-site; USD 41,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

EXPANSIA is seeking a Junior Project Planner to join our Hollywood, MD team. The role focuses on developing, maintaining, and communicating project schedules across manufacturing, ensuring materials and resources align with deadlines.

You will collaborate with Engineering, Production, Quality, Material Control, and Logistics to keep projects on track and meet customer requirements. A Secret clearance is preferred and prior experience in defense manufacturing is a plus.

Qualifications

• Must have experience in project planning, production control, manufacturing, or logistics.
• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Maintain project schedules, production plans, milestones, and delivery dates.
• Track projects from release through manufacturing, inspection, shipping, and final delivery.
• Coordinate priorities across Engineering, CNC Machining, Fabrication, Welding, Electrical, finishing, Quality, Material Control, and Logistics.
• Review drawings, BOMs, travelers, and other project documentation for planning.
• Verify materials, tooling, and outside services are available when required.
• Update project status in Planner, Teams, Excel, ERP systems.
• Lead or participate in production and project-status meetings.
• Communicate schedule changes and risks to leadership.

Skills

Strong organizational

Written and verbal communication

Schedule risk identification

Attention to detail

Read production schedules/BOMs/draws

Department collaboration

Defense/manufacturing experience

ERP/MRP/Microsoft Project

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel/Teams/Outlook/Planner)

Job description

Start Date: Immediate

JHNA, CTSi, and EXPANSIA have come together to form a Defense Technology platform named Aether Aerospace focused on delivering high-impact technologies, technology-enabled services and advanced manufacturing solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense and related national security customers. Backed by Falfurrias Management Partners, the platform brings together deep domainexpertiseacross Army, Navy, and Air Force and Space Force programs, digital engineering, systems integration, and specialized manufacturing capabilities.

The combined organizationoperatesas a multi-entity aerospace and defense technology and tech-enabled services and manufacturing enterprise positioned for scalable growth, operational excellence, and long-term value creation.

OVERVIEW

Full-time/Permanent Employee

Location: Hollywood, MD

Aether Aerospace is currently seeking a Junior Project Planner to join our growing team in the Hollywood, MD area. The Project Planner is responsible for developing, maintaining, and communicating project schedules throughout the manufacturing process. This position coordinates with Project Management, Engineering, Production, Quality, Material Control, and Logistics to ensure project requirements, materials, documentation, and resources are available when needed.

The Junior Project Planner monitors progress, identifies schedule risks, and provides accurate status updates to help projects remain on schedule and meet customer requirements.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain project schedules, production plans, milestones, and delivery dates.
• Track projects from initial release through manufacturing, inspection, shipping, and final delivery.
• Coordinate priorities and schedules across Engineering, CNC Machining, Fabrication, Welding, Electrical, Finishing, Quality, Material Control, and Logistics.
• Review drawings, bills of material, travelers, purchase requirements, and other project documentation for planning purposes.
• Verify that materials, hardware, drawings, tooling, and outside services are available when required.
• Monitor production progress and regularly update project status in Microsoft Planner, Teams, Excel, ERP systems, or other tracking tools.
• Lead or participate in production and project-status meetings.
• Communicate schedule changes, material shortages, capacity concerns, and other risks to leadership and Project Management.
• Work with department leads to establish realistic completion dates and resolve scheduling conflicts.
• Track long-lead materials, subcontracted processes, customer-furnished materials, and outside services.
• Coordinate with Logistics to support packaging, shipping, delivery, and customer deadlines.
• Identify potential delays and develop recovery plans with the appropriate departments.
• Assist with workload forecasting and resource-capacity planning.
• Ensure project information is handled in accordance with company security, quality, and CUI requirements.
• Perform other project-planning and coordination duties as assigned.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

Clearance: Ability to obtain Secret clearance
Experience and Education: Experience in project planning, production control, manufacturing, logistics, or a related position and a High School diploma or equivalent.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to identify schedule risks and follow action items through completion.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Teams, Outlook, and Planner.
• Ability to read and understand production schedules, bills of material, drawings, and manufacturing documentation.
• Ability to work effectively with employees across multiple departments.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in a machine shop, fabrication facility, or defense-manufacturing environment.
• Experience supporting Department of Defense or government contracts.
• Familiarity with CNC machining, fabrication, welding, electrical assembly, finishing, and inspection processes.
• Experience using ERP, MRP, Microsoft Project, SharePoint, or production-planning software.
• Understanding of material lead times, manufacturing capacity, and supply-chain coordination.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001, AS9100, CMMC, or similar quality and security requirements.

$19.77 - $24.72 an hour

There are a host of factors that can influence final salary including, but not limited to, Federal Government contract labor categories and contract wage rates, relevant prior work experience, specific skills and competencies, geographic location, education, and certifications.

Aether Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic.