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Production Manager Job Description
Production manager job description: planning, staffing, quality and safety duties in manufacturing, management skills and qualifications to adapt.
The role in brief
A production manager runs the day-to-day production of a plant or production area so it meets its output, quality, cost and safety goals. The job covers staffing and scheduling, equipment use, production budgets, analysing production data, improving processes, overseeing quality control and keeping people safe. Production managers coordinate with sales, procurement, suppliers and other departments so the plant makes what customers need. Employers typically want a bachelor's degree, often in business or engineering, plus years of supervisory or leadership experience; some promote people with a high school diploma and extensive production experience. Certifications are optional. Name your process and plant size in the posting.
- Plan and schedule production to meet customer orders, output targets and delivery dates
- Decide staffing levels, shift patterns and equipment use to hit the plan within budget
- Monitor production data such as output, scrap, downtime and labour use, and act on problems
- Lead continuous improvement work to reduce waste, cost and cycle time
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Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →Responsibilities
- Plan and schedule production to meet customer orders, output targets and delivery dates
- Decide staffing levels, shift patterns and equipment use to hit the plan within budget
- Monitor production data such as output, scrap, downtime and labour use, and act on problems
- Lead continuous improvement work to reduce waste, cost and cycle time
- Oversee quality control: find defects, identify causes and put fixes in place
- Enforce health and safety rules, investigate incidents and promote a safety culture
- Coordinate with sales, procurement, maintenance, engineering and suppliers
- Manage, develop and appraise supervisors and production staff
- Prepare production budgets and report performance to senior management
Required skills
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Nice to have
Qualifications
- 1Bachelor's degree in business, engineering or a related field, or a high school diploma with extensive production experience
- 2Several years of supervisory or leadership experience in manufacturing
- 3Ability to wear required protective equipment on the production floor
- 4Ability to work occasional night or weekend shifts and be on call for emergencies
Work environment
Work environment
Career growth
Production managers move up to plant manager, operations manager, director of manufacturing or vice president of operations. Graduate study such as an MBA and company management training can help.
Common questions
What does a production manager do?
A production manager plans and runs production in a plant or area, managing staffing, schedules, equipment and budgets, analysing production data, overseeing quality and keeping the workforce safe.
What qualifications does a production manager need?
Most employers want a bachelor's degree, often in business or engineering, and several years of supervisory experience. Some promote people with a high school diploma and extensive production experience. Certification is optional.
What is the difference between a production manager and an operations manager?
A production manager focuses on making the product: output, quality and safety on the floor. An operations manager usually has a wider remit that can include supply chain, logistics, facilities and support functions.
What skills should be on a production manager resume?
Your process and plant size, teams led, improvements in output, scrap, downtime or safety you can verify, quality systems used and ERP or planning tools.
How do you assess a production manager candidate?
Give them a week of anonymised production data with a hidden bottleneck and ask what they see and what they would do first. Follow with a floor walk and ask what they notice about safety and flow.
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