Director of Production

Skills at this level

Production Operations Management

— Oversees the full manufacturing lifecycle of a production area or plant, ensuring output is efficient, cost-effective, on time, within budget, and to required quality standards.

Machine Operation Oversight

— Directs and troubleshoots production machinery — CNC machines, injection molders, packaging lines, and fabrication tools — and ensures pre-run equipment checks and staged materials before line start.

Production Budget Management

— Manages and tracks production budgets and expenditures for a department or plant — the dividing line that distinguishes a Production Manager from a supervisor.

Lean and Six Sigma Improvement

— Leads structured continuous-improvement initiatives such as Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing to eliminate bottlenecks, cut scrap, and raise throughput on the floor.

Shift and Line Supervision

— Supervises operators and technicians across shifts, sequencing crew and machines against order priority and enforcing safety and housekeeping standards.

Shift Handoff Communication

— Communicates equipment status, open issues, and output progress across shift handoffs and with maintenance, quality, and process engineering teams.

Production Planning Coordination

— Coordinates with planning, quality control, and logistics to sequence orders, allocate capacity, and align production output to demand.

Quality and SOP Enforcement

— Verifies work against SOPs and quality standards through in-line inspection and process documentation to hold output to specification.

Workforce Development and Performance Management

— Trains production staff, manages performance, fosters a safe and motivated work environment, and builds team production expertise.

Strategic Production Planning

— Shapes the broader strategic direction and operational efficiency of a plant or division, including capacity, capital, and multi-plant footprint decisions.