Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks

Coordinate and expedite the flow of work and materials within or between departments of an establishment according to production schedule. Duties include reviewing and distributing production, work, and shipment schedules; conferring with department supervisors to determine progress of work and completion dates; and compiling reports on progress of work, inventory levels, costs, and production problems.

What you'd actually do

• Distribute production schedules or work orders to departments.
• Revise production schedules when required due to design changes, labor or material shortages, backlogs, or other interruptions, collaborating with management, marketing, sales, production, or engineering.
• Review documents, such as production schedules, work orders, or staffing tables, to determine personnel or materials requirements or material priorities.
• Arrange for delivery, assembly, or distribution of supplies or parts to expedite flow of materials and meet production schedules.
• Confer with establishment personnel, vendors, or customers to coordinate production or shipping activities and to resolve complaints or eliminate delays.
• Requisition and maintain inventories of materials or supplies necessary to meet production demands.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

The feel of the work

Time pressure is a real part of the job; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0% of production, planning, and expediting clerks are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, take-charge and hands-on.

Related careers

• Brokerage Clerks
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
• Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
• Postal Service Mail Carriers
• Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators
• Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Quick questions

How much does a production, planning, and expediting clerk make?

The median pay is $28.68 per hour — roughly $59,500 a year, with the real range running from about $19.27/hr (10th percentile) to $41.34/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a production, planning, and expediting clerk?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

What does a production, planning, and expediting clerk actually do all day?

Distribute production schedules or work orders to departments. Revise production schedules when required due to design changes, labor or material shortages, backlogs, or other interruptions, collaborating with management, marketing, sales, production, or engineering. Review documents, such as production schedules, work orders, or staffing tables, to determine personnel or materials requirements or material priorities.