Career Overview
Plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications.
Also Known As
- Assembly Manager
- Manufacturing Manager
- Plant Manager
- Production Manager
Alternate Job Titles
- Area Plant Manager
- Assembly Manager
- Bulk Plant Manager
- Car Construction Superintendent
- Concrete Mixing Plant Superintendent
- Correctional Facility Industries Superintendent
- Factory Manager
- Factory Superintendent
- Food Processing Plant Manager
- Food Production Manager
- Gas Operations Manager
- Gas Operations Superintendent
- General Milling Superintendent
- General Production Manager
- Industrial Production Manager
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Production and Processing
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Time Management
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Learning Strategies
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Deductive Reasoning
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Information Ordering
- Problem Sensitivity
- Inductive Reasoning
- Speech Clarity
- Speech Recognition
- Fluency of Ideas
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Leadership Orientation
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Achievement Orientation
- Initiative
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Relationships
- Achievement
- Recognition
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Tools & Equipment
- Air samplers
- All terrain vehicles ATV
- Combustible gas monitors
- Desktop computers
- Diesel reciprocating engine generator sets
- Enclosed flares
- Forklifts
- Gas leak detectors
- Gas reciprocating engine generator sets
- Micro anemometers
- Multiple gas monitors
- Notebook computers
- Open flares
- Oxygen analyzers
- Personal computers
Work Environment
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Telephone Conversations
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $74,900 |
| Median | $121,440 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $197,310 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 234,380
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
General and Operations Managers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $102,950
Quality Control Systems Managers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $121,440
Biomass Power Plant Managers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $121,440
Biofuels Production Managers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $121,440
Supply Chain Managers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $102,010
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.