Industrial Production Managers
Management
The job is to keep a manufacturing operation running to cost, quality, and quantity specs. That includes reviewing production orders and schedules, deciding staffing and inventory needs under budget and time limits, and setting product standards—checking samples or directing tests during processing. When something goes wrong, the work is conferring with technical or administrative staff to fix it, and building tracking or quality-control systems from operational reports. Hiring, training, evaluating, and sometimes dismissing staff is part of the role, as is keeping production and personnel records. It suits people who like coordinating many moving parts, tracking performance, and making timely decisions with a team.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$126'060
Median Wage Market Position
$126'060
What you might do
- Check product samples against quality standards
- Direct production to meet cost and quantity goals
- Plan staffing and inventory from production orders
- Meet with staff to fix processing problems
- Hire, train, and evaluate plant workers
- Set up systems that track output and quality
Skills that matter
- Product-standard checks on samples
- Schedule decisions on staff and inventory
- Joint problem-solving with plant staff
- Tracking of output, quality, and maintenance
- Conferring on new products and processes
- Time planning within budget and deadlines
AI & the future of this role
Scheduling and process-optimization software may absorb more planning work, but floor coordination, equipment issues, and workforce calls still need on-site judgment. Hands-on manufacturing oversight tends to hold up better than purely desk-based roles.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details