Production Manager Job Description: Top Duties and Requirements

A Production Manager, or Production Supervisor, is someone who keeps a company functioning at the highest level of efficiency to minimize risk and maximize profit. Their primary duties are creating policies and procedures, scheduling, and acting as a team leader to ensure staff meet their potential and the team functions at peak efficiency.

 

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What does a Production Manager do?

A Production Manager is the person who makes sure the company runs like a well-oiled machine. This job involves managing a company’s resources to improve productivity and minimize downtime, while at the same time increasing profits and reducing costs. It’s a position that involves meeting goals, creating workflow policies and procedures, creating schedules, and encouraging staff to put their best foot forward at all times so that the entire operation functions at peak efficiency.

 

Production Manager duties and responsibilities

The responsibilities and duties of a Production Manager are broad and varied, and can change not just from day to day, but from minute to minute. They include:

  • Overseeing the employee workforce in the department
  • Managing scheduling for maximum workforce efficiency
  • Evaluating, adjusting,  and creating new policies and procedures as needed for effective operations
  • Ensuring that health and safety guidelines are followed
  • Acting as a liaison between management and workers
  • Managing risk to minimize losses and maximize profits
  • Leading and encouraging staff to operate at a high level of effectiveness

 

Production Manager skills and qualifications

To effectively perform the daily duties of a Production Manager, a variety of skills and qualifications are necessary. These include:

  • A strong working knowledge of safety regulations related to the business
  • Project management skills
  • Advanced knowledge in software packages appropriate to the business
  • Employee training skills and knowledge
  • Leadership abilities to mentor and coach employees and boost morale

 

Production Manager experience requirements

The specific experience requirements for a given Production Manager job will depend on the business. In general, however, these jobs require at least five years of experience in manufacturing operations and at least two years of experience in a supervisory or management capacity. In many cases, however, Production Managers often work their way up from lower-level positions.

 

Production Manager education and training requirements

While some people work their way up to a Production Manager job, most job descriptions for this position require at minimum a bachelor’s degree. Some Production Managers seek higher-level master’s degrees in business administration. While not strictly necessary, there are certifications that can be helpful in a Production Manager career, and which may be asked for in a job description. These can include CSCP, or Certified Supply Chain Professional; PMI-ACP, or PMI-Agile Certified Practitioner; AIPMM Certified Product Manager, or CPM; and Certified Innovation Leader, or CIL

 

Production Manager salary expectations

No Salary data could be found on ca.indeed.com/salaries .

 

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Production Manager FAQs

 

Who does the Production Manager report to?

Who the Production Manager reports to can vary greatly from company to company. In general, they will report to some level of management, whether it’s a manager on a given project or team or a mid- to upper-level executive within the company. Part of the Production Manager’s job is to keep management informed of how the team is performing on a given task. This could mean reporting to an immediate Supervisor who will then carry the report upstairs, or it could mean delivering information directly to the Department Head or even higher.

 

Is a Production Manager the same as a Project Manager?

Though they may share some similar responsibilities, a Production Manager is not the same as a Project Manager. In fact, the Production Manager may report to the Project Manager on a given job. In such a circumstance, the Production Manager may head up one or more teams on a project that is overseen by the Project Manager.

 

Is Production Manager a good career?

Production Manager is a good career if you are passionate about organization, are a good leader, and can handle fast-paced and high-pressure situations. This position fulfills an important organizational role within a company, and as online work becomes more important, the job will become more in demand. It’s vital to have supervisors and coordinators at all levels to ensure that each project and task runs smoothly and efficiently, and that’s the job of the Production Manager, particularly in the manufacturing industry.

 

What industries do Production Managers serve?

Production Managers can be found in almost any industry where projects and production need to run at an efficient level. They are most commonly found in the industrial, technology, automotive, environmental, and government sectors. They can also help to manage warehouses and conduct important oversight in office settings, where they are closely related to warehouse managers and logistics managers.

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