Production Coordinator
A Production Coordinator plays a vital role in overseeing the efficiency and productivity of goods in various manufacturing and industrial processing facilities. Also known as manufacturing supervisors or production managers, they are responsible for ensuring that production and processing work orders are met in a timely and cost-effective manner while adhering to quality specifications and safety regulations. Typically positioned at the management level, Production Coordinators must maintain constant communication with their teams and upper management, monitoring processes and suggesting improvements as needed.
These professionals work across diverse industries, including textiles, chemicals, and food processing, and may face unique challenges, such as working outdoors in agricultural settings. Candidates for this role generally possess strong leadership and communication skills and a keen awareness of potential issues in workflows and team dynamics. While a bachelor's degree in a relevant field can enhance job prospects, substantial related work experience remains crucial. Overall, the position combines technical know-how with interpersonal skills, making it essential for successful production operations.
Production Coordinator
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Architecture & Construction, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales & Service, Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
Interests: Business management, manufacturing, industrial processing, quality control, facility supervision
Earnings (Yearly Median): $116,970 per year $56.24 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 2% (As fast as average)
Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Related Work Experience 5 years or more
On-the-job Training None
Overview
Sphere of Work. Production coordinators oversee the efficiency and productivity of goods at manufacturing and industrial processing facilities. They are also known as manufacturing supervisors, plant supervisors, and production managers. The production coordinator is traditionally a management-level position. A coordinator’s primary responsibility is to ensure that production, processing, or manufacturing work orders are met in a cost-efficient and timely manner. They also ensure that products are created according to quality specifications and customer expectations and with respect to worker safety.
Work Environment. Production coordinators are employed in all facets of industrial manufacturing and processing. They work in processing facilities and manufacturing complexes that produce such goods as fabricated metal, textiles, transportation equipment, chemicals, computers, and electronic products. Production coordinators in the agricultural, livestock, and food-processing industries may be required to work outdoors and in inclement conditions, depending on their particular realm of industry.
Occupation Interest. Professionals who are drawn to a career as a production coordinator are traditionally team players who possess the ability to convey instructions and complex systems in an informed but easily understandable manner. Production coordinators are also often innately sensitive to the potential for problems, both within systems and in relationships between workers. They possess a keen ability to handle situations and relationships in a manner that is beneficial to organizational productivity.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. Production coordinators have numerous daily responsibilities that are made more complex by the fact that they are traditionally the sole senior representative of a production branch within a particular company or organization. Production coordinators must stay in constant contact with their supervisors, co-coordinators, and team of subordinates, keeping them informed of successes and failures in the production processes, suggesting areas for improvement, and ensuring that all necessary equipment maintenance and facility upkeep is completed.
In addition to routinely monitoring the production process and its materials, procedures, and surroundings, production coordinators are also responsible for making sure each process is undertaken in the most efficient and productive way. It is the responsibility of production managers to suggest improvements to processes. These changes are done through systematic changes, the inclusion of new or updated equipment, or the elimination of steps coordinators deem unnecessary or redundant.
Production coordinators work closely with account management and sales teams to ensure that clients are satisfied with the goods and services they order. Similarly, they are often the key point of contact for outside vendors who sell supplies and ingredients to manufacturing facilities. They also oversee plant safety and quality control and ensure all production systems and related equipment are operating within the specifications of local, state, and federal regulations.
Customer Service Coordinators (221.167-026). Customer Service Coordinators coordinate with customers’ requirements and confer with customers throughout job production to keep them informed of the status of the job. They determine the materials to be used for the job, plan and draw the layout of the job, and route the materials to the proper work areas.
Production Clerks (221.382-018). Production Clerks compile data from customers’ orders, production estimates, and perpetual (continuing) inventory to prepare production schedules, records, and reports.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. Production coordinators work primarily in industrial and manufacturing facilities. However, the position is required in any workflow that results in an end product, including publishing, agriculture, food services, and communications.
Human Environment. Strong collaboration and management skills are required for all production coordinator positions. Production coordinators are required to direct and motivate their staff on a daily basis and often act as the point person in production departments to other senior management staff.
Technological Environment. The technological parameters of each production coordinator position vary from industry to industry. However, familiarity with basic technological and mechanical processes is required.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. High school students can best prepare for a career as a production coordinator by engaging in coursework such as algebra, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, physics, rhetorical communication, and computer science. Advanced Placement classes in these subjects are especially recommended. Drafting, industrial arts, and creative arts classes can also serve as important precursors related to systems design.
Participation in team sports, student government, and other intramural or extracurricular activities can also lay the groundwork for future leadership positions.
Postsecondary. Postsecondary education was not traditionally a requirement for production coordinator vacancies, which often placed more emphasis on the professional experience of candidates, particularly their experience in supervisory or management roles within their specific trade or industry. However, applicants seeking production coordinator roles within specific industries benefit tremendously from the skills and experience gained by completing a bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field.
Related Occupations
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Bibliography
"Industrial Production Managers." Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 6 Sept. 2023, www.bls.gov/ooh/management/industrial-production-managers.htm. Accessed 8 Sept. 2023.
"Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023 11-3051 Industrial Production Managers." US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 3 Apr. 2024, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes113051.htm. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.