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Boston Career Explorer

Office and Administrative Support

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.

Also called: Expeditor, Inventory Control Specialist, Material Requirements Planner (MRP), Materials Coordinator, Materials Planner, Production Assistant

Median pay in Greater Boston
$61,490
$29.56/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
4,130
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−1.0%
560 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$39,940$49,630$61,490$75,250$83,510

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure70 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 62
  • Language-model AIOE 65
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 83

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, and observed AI use is some. AI tools can help with reviewing schedules and work orders, drafting reports, and updating plans. Talking with supervisors, vendors, and customers to solve delays and weigh trade-offs still depends on people, and federal projections say technology gains may reduce the number of these jobs.

Likely to change

  • Reviewing schedules and work orders
  • Compiling progress and inventory reports

Still relies on people

  • Talking with teams to resolve delays
  • Judging priorities when plans suddenly change

What federal projections say

“Productivity change, demand change - share decreases as productivity enhancements due to technology more than offset the increased demand for logistical services.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

    Your scheduling and coordination skills carry over to leading production crews, a role with lower AI exposure and a Boston median pay of $82,660.

    Pay difference
    +$21,170 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +3.6%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

    Reading plans, tracking progress, and coordinating people and materials fit construction supervision, which pays $99,890 in Boston and is projected to grow.

    Pay difference
    +$38,400 median
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    MA growth
    +7.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

    Coordinating work and checking progress with departments builds toward supervising repair and installation teams, with higher pay and lower AI exposure.

    Pay difference
    +$33,480 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
    +5.1%
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    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

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