Production Manager (manufacturing)

Typical Salary

£20,000 To £40,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Production Manager (manufacturing)

You can get into this job through:

a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly

College / University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in manufacturing. Courses at university often specialise in a particular industry, for instance food processing, motor vehicles or pharmaceuticals.

1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

You'll usually need:

1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course

Apprenticeship

You can complete a degree apprenticeship in management.

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start as an engineering technician or quality control officer in a manufacturing company. You could then become a team leader and shift supervisor before moving into production management.

You could apply for a place on a management training scheme with a manufacturing company. They usually ask for a degree but you may be able to start without university qualifications if you can show you've enough relevant industry experience.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

leadership skills
knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
the ability to use your initiative
excellent verbal communication skills
thinking and reasoning skills
the ability to organise your time and workload
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

Your tasks will depend on what type of production you're managing and could include:

planning - preparing orders, setting quality standards and estimating timescales and costs
controlling - monitoring production schedules and adjusting them if problems occur
supervising - managing supervisors, organising staff and making sure targets are met
reporting - putting together production reports for factory managers and clients

Working Environment

You could work in an office or in a factory.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could move into overall factory management or strategic planning roles at regional or national level.

If you work for a large national or international company, you may have the opportunity to work overseas.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Knowledge of quality management methods, like Lean and Six Sigma, might be useful.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in production management from The Chartered Institute for Logistics and Transport.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.