Management
Industrial production manager
Plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications.
Median pay
$126,060
Growth to 2035
+3%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
17,000
Time to qualify*
5 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Industrial production manager
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- 5 years or more
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Industrial production manager: 73% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
Also called: Area Plant Manager · Assembly Manager · General Production Manager · Manufacturing Coordinator · Manufacturing Manager · Plant Manager · Product Line Manager · Production Control Manager
Outlook and AI
Industrial production managers held 252,100 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 258,600 by 2035 (+3%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).