How to become a manufacturing manager

Official title: Manufacturing manager

Also called: Chemical production manager, Clothing operations manager, Electricity power plant manager, Factory production manager, Food production manager, Gas works manager, Incineration plant manager, Industrial production manager, Manufacturing director, Manufacturing operations manager, Manufacturing plant manager, Manufacturing production manager

Manufacturing manager plans, directs and coordinates activities concerned with the production of goods, the production and distribution of electricity, gas and water, and the collection, treatment and disposal of waste. He/she may manage the production department of large enterprise or be the manager of small manufacturing company.

Main tasks

• Determining, implementing and monitoring production strategies, policies and plans
• Planning details of production activities in terms of output quality and quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements
• Controlling the operation of production plant and quality procedures through planning of maintenance, designation of operating hours and supply of parts and tools
• Establishing and managing budgets, monitoring production output and costs, and adjusting processes and resources to minimise costs
• Consulting with and informing other managers about production matters
• Overseeing the acquisition and installation of new plant and equipment
• Controlling the preparation of production records and reports
• Coordinating the implementation of occupational health and safety requirements

Ways in

• University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 6 universities in Singapore

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Construction manager
• Supply and distribution/Logistics/Warehousing manager
• Procurement/Purchasing manager
• Transport/Technical operations manager (excluding port and shipping operations)
• Postal service manager
• Port/Shipping operations manager

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Questions people ask

How do I become a manufacturing manager?

Ways in include: Business & Commerce degrees.

Will AI change the work of a manufacturing manager?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026