Production Control Analyst

About AOI
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) is a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced optical and HFC networking products - the building blocks that power AI datacenters, CATV broadband, telecom, and fiber access networks around the world. Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, AOI is a vertically integrated company that designs and manufactures everything from semiconductor laser chips to finished optical transceivers, serving tier-one customers across cloud computing, broadband, and telecom. With R&D operations in Atlanta, GA and global manufacturing presence in Taiwan and China, AOI is publicly traded on the Nasdaq (AAOI) and is actively expanding its U.S.-based manufacturing operations in Sugar Land to meet accelerating demand in the AI datacenter market.

Summary

We're seeking a Production Control Analyst to support manufacturing execution - production planning and scheduling, production-order coordination, material-readiness follow-up, expedite coordination, and operational reporting. You'll work closely with Purchasing Planners, Material Control, Global Sourcing, Engineering, Production, Shipping, and Inventory to keep sales demand, production plans, material readiness, and customer delivery commitments aligned.

Reporting to the Manager of Procurement, you'll evaluate demand, build delivery plans, issue and track production orders, coordinate expedites, and confirm material readiness. This role partners with the rest of the procurement and sourcing teams to keep production on schedule. The ideal candidate is organized, analytical, detail-oriented, and comfortable coordinating across teams in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Job Responsibilities

Production Planning & Scheduling

• Evaluate customer demand, sales orders, and internal requirements to build production and delivery plans; issue and adjust production orders as capacity and priorities change.
• Monitor work-order status, production schedules, and capacity to keep delivery commitments on track - maintaining visibility from demand review through shipment.
• Work closely with the Material Control team to confirm material readiness against sales demand and the manufacturing plan.
• Communicate delivery schedules and production status to Marketing, Purchasing Planners, and other internal teams, flagging changes early.

Intercompany & External Partner Coordination

• Coordinate production order activity with internal manufacturing teams, overseas production sites, intercompany partners, and external manufacturing partners as needed.
• Support order creation, order confirmation, component consignment follow-up, inventory visibility, and shipping instruction coordination for applicable production activity.
• Partner with overseas manufacturing teams, Global Sourcing, Engineering, Material Control, and external partners to align schedules, material readiness, and delivery timelines.
• Track activity and escalate delays, discrepancies, material-readiness concerns, or shipment-timing risks promptly.

Cross-Functional Coordination & Expedite Support

• Drive expedite coordination across Marketing, Production, Shipping, Inventory, Material Control, and Purchasing Planners when orders need to move faster.
• Spot production-flow issues - material gaps, scheduling conflicts, shifting priorities, bottlenecks - and work cross-functionally on practical fixes.
• Escalate risks and delays early, communicating clearly with stakeholders at all levels.

Data Analysis, Reporting & Process Improvement

• Analyze production, work-order, inventory, and schedule data, and prepare reports for management - production status, delivery planning, material-readiness concerns, and expedite activity.
• Surface trends, recurring issues, and planning gaps, and recommend improvements to production efficiency and on-time delivery.
• Maintain accurate records, schedules, and documentation, using Excel and other Office tools to organize and report on activity.
• Perform other production control, planning, or operational duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 3+ years in production control, production planning, production scheduling, manufacturing operations coordination, or supply chain operations.
• Working knowledge of production planning, scheduling, work-order management, material-readiness follow-up, and delivery coordination.
• Familiarity with ERP, MRP, or work-order systems, and the ability to adjust plans as capacity, inventory, priorities, and material readiness shift.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with high attention to detail.
• Clear written and verbal communication, with comfort coordinating across Production, Material Control, Inventory, Shipping, Engineering, Global Sourcing, and Purchasing Planners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including multi-sheet formulas, sorting/filtering, PivotTables, conditional formatting, and analysis of production, inventory, and scheduling data.
• Ability to work independently under general supervision in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred

• 5+ years in production planning, production control, manufacturing coordination, or supply chain operations.
• Manufacturing experience, ideally in electronics, optical components, semiconductor, or telecom.
• Experience coordinating with overseas, intercompany, or outsourced / contract manufacturing partners.
• Hands-on ERP/MRP experience, including exporting data into Excel and building reports with PivotTables, conditional formatting, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, charts, or dashboards.
• Six Sigma certification or process-improvement experience.
• Experience in high-priority, or fast-changing production environments.
• Mandarin Chinese proficiency, to support communication with Taiwan- and China-based teams and partners.

Location & Work Environment

This position is full-time onsite and based in Sugar Land, Texas. This role is primarily a normal office position with regular interaction across production, inventory, shipping, and related manufacturing functions. Occasional travel to other AOI plants or facilities in the Houston area may be required based on business needs.

Expected business hours are generally Monday through Friday during standard business hours of 9am - 6pm CT. Flexibility is required based on production needs, delivery timelines, expedite requests, and operational priorities. Occasional after-hours or on-call support may be required as business needs arise.

Why AOI?
In addition to competitive salary, AOI offers:

• Flexible and competitive health (medical, dental, vision) plans offer the employee with the right options to meet individual and family needs
• Employer matching on 401(k) deferrals
• Generous PTO policy, with unused PTO payout at end of the year
• Relocation packages available within the United States.

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc (AOI) is committed to providing equal opportunity in all of our employment practices, including hiring, placement, promotion, training, transfer and compensation, to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, veteran status, age, disability, marital status, or any other category protected by State or U.S. Federal law. Moreover, we endeavor to treat our employees fairly.

We do not accept unsolicited proposals from third-party recruiters or agencies. Contacting hiring managers directly may result in disqualification of submissions.