Main Responsibilities and Required Skills for Production Manager

production supervisor working in factory

A Production Manager is a professional who monitors the production processes and adjusts schedules as needed. They develop and maintain teamwork effectiveness in production and ensure compliance to company policies and government regulations. In this blog post we describe the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for Production Managers.

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Main Responsibilities of Production Manager

The following list describes the typical responsibilities of a Production Manager:

Adhere

Adhere to all security procedures for ensuring confidentiality of donor information.

Administer

Administer ERP / MRP system, creating BoMs, Work Orders, Operations, etc. as needed.

Analyze

  • Analyze, optimize, and control production costs.

  • Analyze Production Coordinators production reports.

  • Analyze sales trends and patterns to anticipate future needs.

Anticipate

Anticipate and communicate issues with potential solutions or dependencies.

Apply

Apply and executes policies and standards.

Approve

Approve worker performance metrics and results.

Assist with / Assist in

  • Assist engineering with problem-solving.

  • Assist Supervisors in any situations that arise requiring additional assistance or approval.

  • Assist with vetting and interviewing new production hires as needed.

Attend

  • Attend occasional press checks for printed material.

  • Attend press checks (as needed).

Audit

Audit and report inventory while making recommendations on which items to order and restock.

Begin

Begin the day with inspection of par levels and ingredients.

Build

  • Build production books & timelines (e.g. post schedule, shoot request calendars).

  • Build Purchase Orders for talent, directors and other service providers.

Coach

  • Coach and train existing and new supervisors.

  • Coach Shift Supervisors as needed.

Co-chair

Co-chair publication meetings.

Co-develop

Co-develop, analyzes and improves financial models to support profitability.

Co-lead

Co-lead Safety Committee program.

Collaborate

  • Collaborate with fulfillment team to ensure accurate on hand inventory levels.

  • Collaborate with H.R. Manager to enforce policies and procedures.

  • Collaborate with leadership.

  • Collaborate with supply chain on the production schedule to meet demand.

Communicate

  • Communicate changes to all applicable people.

  • Communicate with maintenance for proper set-up of equipment.

  • Communicate with other employees to ensure production is completed on time and efficiently.

Conduct

  • Conduct daily meetings with plant group to review any plant or customer issues.

  • Conduct other responsibilities as required by management.

Confirm

Confirm crew & equipment rentals.

Control

Control labor and raw material costs.

Controller

Controller and schedule as directed.

Coordinate

  • Coordinate and execute resourcing plans as it relates to staffing, equipment, and raw materials.

  • Coordinate and manage shipments to various channels alongside the supplier.

  • Coordinate communications which lead to positive results.

  • Coordinate reviews and edits of marketing materials between internal client and design teams.

  • Coordinate with key internal and external production stakeholders.

  • Coordinate with shipping for the incoming materials and outgoing orders.

Create

  • Create and maintain inventory and maintenance log.

  • Create, manages, and provides weekly reporting on efficiency, timeliness and quality.

  • Create mutual communication and collaboration on projects, processes and initiatives.

  • Create procedures and a culture that rewards smooth, fast, safe and quality work.

  • Create production schedules.

Define

Define required supplies, tools and equipments for operations.

Deliver

Deliver weekly, monthly and quarterly forecasts and metrics.

Determine

Determine effective work processes.

Develop

  • Develop and coach employees in order to retain and grow organizational talent.

  • Develop and implement cost reduction initiatives.

  • Develop and maintain effective cross functional working relationships and partnerships.

  • Develop and maintain metrics that drive improved quality.

  • Develop and maintain teamwork effectiveness in production.

  • Develop and motivate direct reports with consistent feedback and recognition.

  • Develop key metrics to measure success and communicate performance to the team.

  • Develop production program and guidelines to support company objectives.

Drive

  • Drive a continuous improvement culture by instilling Plan, Do, Check, Act methodology.

  • Drive continuous improvement roadmap, increasing build productivity.

  • Drive Lean Initiatives, Continuous Improvement and 5S.

  • Drive operational performance and challenge team to meet goals and objectives on time.

  • Drive unit performance through effective use of meetings, KPIs and resolution of variances.

Empower

Empower, coach direct staffs for people development.

Enforce

Enforce Studio policies and protocols on-set in conjunction with production management.

Ensure

  • Ensure accident investigations are competed in a timely manner.

  • Ensure compliance to company policies.

  • Ensure compliance to government regulations, farm practices and SOPs.

  • Ensure employee compliance of all policies and procedures.

  • Ensure machine inspection reports are being completed.

  • Ensure overall management of the day to day operations and maximizes productivity.

  • Ensure planned KPI's of quality, efficiency and performance are met or exceeded.

  • Ensure regulatory compliance across a range of federal, state, and local agencies.

  • Ensure staff training records are complete and current.

  • Ensure that all products are dated coded according to company procedures.

  • Ensure that safe conditions exist at all times within the work environment.

  • Ensure training of staff according to training plans and to continue to develop their competencies.

Establish

  • Establish and maintain high standards in relation to Environmental Health & Safety work practice.

  • Establish procedures, metrics and processes to drive productivity and optimization.

Evaluate

Evaluate practices, procedures and facilities to assess risk and adherence to the law.

Execute

Execute logistics plan to move products and packages to reach destinations on schedule.

Hire

Hire crew and cast for all shoots.

Identify

  • Identify and Implement New Proccess, Technologies and Systems.

  • Identify and implement operational improvements.

  • Identify criteria and use customer-centric methods to prioritize backlog items.

  • Identify production issues and proactively loopback this information to the producer.

Implement

  • Implement and maintain production standards and quality controls.

  • Implement effective problem-solving systems.

Improve

Improve upon existing metrics as appropriate.

Influence

Influence and provide innovative ideas to continuous improvement.

Inform

Inform the team on the advancement of the deliverables (planned versus actual) and address gaps.

Insist

Insist on ethical conduct and maintain the values that underlie the corporate culture.

Interact

Interact with vendors and suppliers.

Interpret

Interpret specifications and make judgments about the acceptability of production process.

Investigate

Investigate production issues and develop resolutions.

Keep

  • Keep a weekly synopsis of discipline and / or sequence accomplishments and next steps.

  • Keep your "finger on the pulse” of the production floor.

Lead

  • Lead and coach employees, while supporting all training initiatives.

  • Lead and motivate a team of production workers.

  • Lead development of new creations in keeping with traditional lines.

  • Lead projects and key initiatives, set standards, and train staff.

Learn

Learn, over time, how to operate all plant machines, and how to trouble shoot including PLC etc..

Look

Look for continuous improvements to ensure customer satisfaction.

Maintain

  • Maintain accurate vendor records, following Purchase Ordering Systems.

  • Maintain and operate the machines.

  • Maintain and promote strong work ethics and uphold all KTP policies and procedures.

  • Maintain and update departmental Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

  • Maintain a safe, clean and organized workplace.

  • Maintain / assist in the development of records.

  • Maintain employee engagement through communication and team building.

  • Maintain focus on KPIs including safety, quality, and on time delivery to manage the business.

  • Maintain functional knowledge of all production equipment operation.

  • Maintain par level for raw ingredients.

Make

  • Make great tasting speciality coffee accessible to coffee lovers across the UK.

  • Make sure governance rules are followed and responsibilities are carried out.

  • Make sure production targets are met.

Manage

  • Manage all stakeholder communication between other ILM sites and with productions.

  • Manage and motivate subordinates, encourage communication, and create harmony in workplace.

  • Manage and report all issues and challenges to the Head of Operations.

  • Manage and train employees to execute day-to-day responsibilities.

  • Manage approximately 2 direct report supervisors and indirectly 4 leads and 20 to 35 employees.

  • Manage budget of assigned department in accordance with annual productivity improvement targets.

  • Manage client, vendor and team communication.

  • Manage, develop and guide a team of six Supervisors.

  • Manage High Precision Assembly of Electro-Mechanical Components.

  • Manage production budget, comparing the budget to actual variances and gross margin targets.

  • Manage project flow and workload with retouchers and prepress throughout the production process.

  • Manage strategic Instructor photo shoot booking around class programming.

  • Manage weekly time sheets, production output and bonus structure for production team members.

  • Manage workflow across the creative and marketing teams to ensure a seamless process.

Meet

Meet and greet clients & talent during auditions and at start of sessions.

Monitor

  • Monitor and deliver improvement plans based on Key Performance Indicators.

  • Monitor ANDON occurrences.

  • Monitor content production with the internal studio, publish and liaise with the media agency.

  • Monitor crew attendance and managing vacation requests.

  • Monitor pre-construction deadlines & liaise with internal departments.

  • Monitor production levels and pick rates for associates.

  • Monitor productivity of the injection molding process and production scrap.

  • Monitor standard work for OSS / Team Leads and operators.

  • Monitor the production processes and adjust schedules as needed.

Optimize

Optimize your supplier's capabilities with the product strategy.

Organize

Organize and develop staff to ensure a high performing team.

Oversee

  • Oversee daily performance against established standards and schedules.

  • Oversee department payroll by scheduling, approving and processing hourly employee hours.

  • Oversee the stores operation including the supervision of the Stores supervisor.

  • Oversee the corrigenda process in conjunction with the Production Assistant.

  • Oversee the planning, setup and leading of these productions.

  • Oversee the uploading of content / Proofreading and compliance with deadlines and client brief.

  • Oversee the workforce of production supervisors and their teams in all aspects of manufacturing.

Participate in

  • Participate actively with knowledge & improvement ideas to continuous improvement program.

  • Participate in continuous improvement process.

  • Participate in planning personnel safety and plant protection activities.

  • Participate in product teardowns for root cause failure analysis, DOE, 5Y, 8D, etc..

Perform

  • Perform any other related duties as required.

  • Perform method analysis with the supervisors and implement lean concepts wherever possible.

  • Perform proactive cost comparison and analysis as requested.

  • Perform special projects as needed.

Pitch

Pitch, plan, shoot and edit videos independently and as a team.

Prepare

  • Prepare and conduct weekly Safety Meetings and Safety Inspections.

  • Prepare and distribute clash reports to facilitate the coordination process.

  • Prepare reports to update upper management on food production activities.

Prioritize

Prioritize opportunities to improve the service and drive improvement initiatives.

Process

Process and cleaning validation strategy.

Provide

  • Provide coaching and performance communication to support development.

  • Provide input and support in creation and furtherance of capital projects.

  • Provide motivation, support, and guidance to all team members.

  • Provide regular formatted reports to management.

  • Provide training and coaching to ensure compliance with Safety standards and incident prevention.

Purchase

Purchase of raw material and special items.

Receive

Receive assignments in task and objective oriented terms.

Recognize

Recognize potential problems and recommends solutions.

Report

Report back to Executive Producer & Series Producers.

Represent

Represent MAC Renovations in a professional and respectful manner.

Request

Request capital expenditures where appropriate.

Resolve

Resolve issues as needed to construction sites within the division.

Review

  • Review, communicate and respond to Social Media reviews.

  • Review locations, models, and styling of all photoshoots to ensure high-quality production.

  • Review, streamline and implement new processes.

Supervise

  • Supervise and motivate a team of workers.

  • Supervise and manage all plant operations and activities related to the manufacturing processes.

  • Supervise special projects that relate to loan production arena.

Support

  • Support client-centered delivery performance results.

  • Support Supervisors and Leads in managing crew.

  • Support the Head of Supply Chain with special projects as needed.

  • Support the team as challenges arise or when volume demands.

Tag

Tag photo and video assets for public facing channels with an eye towards SEO.

Take

Take ownership for the customer service resolution process in their departments.

Train

  • Train and supervise production staff.

  • Train and monitors employees on proper work procedures to ensure.

Travel

Travel locally to visit clients and vendors as and when necessary.

Update

Update cost information in price file.

Work with

  • Work across disciplines to find smart ways to deliver on the product's promise.

  • Work closely with Maintenance Department to ensure ongoing assessment for equipment.

  • Work closely with online course providers to ensure successful delivery of our online courses.

  • Work on every aspect of the product, being responsible for the production process.

  • Work with departments to implement social distancing protocols for office / work spaces.

  • Work with editors and authors on data visualization projects.

  • Work with management staff to improve performance of the unit.

  • Work with management team to implement the company's policies and goals.

Most In-demand Hard Skills

The following list describes the most required technical skills of a Production Manager:

  1. MS Excel

  2. Manufacturing

  3. Production Management

  4. MS Word

  5. Project Management

  6. Management

  7. Manufacturing Environment

  8. Supervisory

  9. Production

  10. Outlook

  11. MS Office

  12. MS Powerpoint

  13. ERP

  14. SAP

  15. Lean Manufacturing

  16. Line Management

  17. Animation

  18. Operations Management

  19. Health And Safety

  20. Change Management

  21. Shotgun

  22. Materials Management

  23. Bending

  24. Business Objectives Alignment

  25. Customer Service

  26. Product Management

  27. Plant

  28. VFX

  29. Wearing Steel Toe Shoes

  30. Extended Periods of Prolonged Standing

  31. Lifting

  32. Reaching

  33. Working on your Feet

Most In-demand Soft Skills

The following list describes the most required soft skills of a Production Manager:

  1. Written and oral communication skills

  2. Leadership

  3. Organizational capacity

  4. Problem-solving attitude

  5. Interpersonal skills

  6. Attention to detail

  7. Time-management

  8. Organized

  9. Analytical ability

  10. Planning

  11. Detail-oriented

  12. Team player

  13. Multi-task

  14. Decision-making

  15. Positive

  16. Team leadership

  17. Presentation

  18. Resourceful

  19. Innovative

  20. Creative

  21. Negotiation

  22. Self-starter

  23. Ability to manage multiple tasks

  24. Entrepreneurial mindset

  25. Flexible

  26. Self-motivated

  27. Driven

  28. Innovation

  29. Bilingualism

  30. Decision-making skills

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