Industrial Production Managers

What the job really is

Plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications.

At a glance

• Sector: Management
• O*NET-SOC code: 11-3051
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Set and monitor product standards, examining samples of raw products or directing testing during processing, to ensure finished products are of prescribed quality.
• Direct or coordinate production, processing, distribution, or marketing activities of industrial organizations.
• Review processing schedules or production orders to make decisions concerning inventory requirements, staffing requirements, work procedures, or duty assignments, considering budgetary limitations and time constraints.
• Review operations and confer with technical or administrative staff to resolve production or processing problems.
• Hire, train, evaluate, or discharge staff or resolve personnel grievances.
• Develop or implement production tracking or quality control systems, analyzing production, quality control, maintenance, or other operational reports to detect production problems.
• Prepare and maintain production reports or personnel records.
• Review plans and confer with research or support staff to develop new products or processes.
• Develop budgets or approve expenditures for supplies, materials, or human resources, ensuring that materials, labor, or equipment are used efficiently to meet production targets.
• Maintain current knowledge of the quality control field, relying on current literature pertaining to materials use, technological advances, or statistical studies.
• Coordinate or recommend procedures for facility or equipment maintenance or modification, including the replacement of machines.
• Initiate or coordinate inventory or cost control programs.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Word

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• General and Operations Managers
• Quality Control Systems Managers
• Biomass Power Plant Managers
• Biofuels Production Managers
• Supply Chain Managers
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
• Geothermal Production Managers
• Construction Managers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Industrial Production Managers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.