How to hire a plant and production manager

How to hire a plant and production manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step plant and production manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a plant and production manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new plant and production manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a plant and production manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The plant and production manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect plant and production manager also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of plant and production manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Plant And Production Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Plant And Production Manager		$8-40
   Assembly Supervisor	Assembly Supervisors oversee and coordinate employees' work on assembly-lines. The supervisors assign personnel to stations or tasks and prepare their work schedules... Show more	$19-44
   Manufacturing Supervisor	A manufacturing supervisor is a management-level employee who takes responsibility for the daily operations of the production processes in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing supervisors execute different roles as sponsors, coaches, directors, counselors, and educators... Show more	$26-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Quality Standards
   • Safety Committee
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Production Supervisors
   • Production Facility
   • OSHA
   • Plant Operations
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Production Schedules
   • Cost Reduction
   • Safety Program
   • R
   • Logistics
   • On-Time Delivery

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage supervisory personnel in GMP production environment.
   • Manage all shipping & receiving logistics before creating position of shipping supervisor.
   • Enforce company safety policies and practices, HACCP procedures, GMP's /SSOP's and other company policies.
   • Assist safety manager with the implementation of company safety program according to OSHA requirements.
   • Maintain a good working relationship with USDA.
   • Review FDA paperwork and quality records on daily basis.

   More plant and production manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the plant and production manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A plant and production manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a plant and production manager in Utah may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level plant and production manager. Additionally, a plant and production manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average plant and production manager salary

   $38,729yearly

   $18.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level plant and production manager salary

   $17,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average plant and production manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$66,464	$32
   2	Maryland	$54,147	$26
   3	California	$49,101	$24
   4	Arizona	$39,316	$19
   5	Indiana	$38,878	$19
   6	North Carolina	$34,928	$17
   7	Illinois	$34,693	$17
   8	Iowa	$33,856	$16
   9	Nevada	$33,270	$16
   10	Hawaii	$33,185	$16
   11	Florida	$32,993	$16
   12	Texas	$29,523	$14
   13	Washington	$28,608	$14
   14	Kentucky	$28,597	$14
   15	Kansas	$28,333	$14
   16	Alabama	$28,331	$14
   17	Tennessee	$28,276	$14
   18	Oregon	$27,978	$13
   19	Missouri	$26,894	$13

   Average plant and production manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ball	$104,593	$50.29	24
   2	Catapult Systems	$90,240	$43.38
   3	LANXESS Americas	$88,122	$42.37	2
   4	Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co	$41,789	$20.09	4
   5	Tyson Foods	$37,199	$17.88	61
   6	Albertsons	$34,746	$16.70	10
   7	Oldcastle Infrastructure	$32,003	$15.39	332
   8	Randstad North America, Inc.	$31,916	$15.34	7
   9	SFS intec, Inc.	$30,513	$14.67
   10	Webber Group Inc	$30,399	$14.61
   11	ZOOK Enterprises	$29,972	$14.41
   12	Schreiber Foods	$29,897	$14.37	24
   13	Northpoint	$28,953	$13.92
   14	The Reserves Network	$28,114	$13.52	20
   15	Leprino Foods	$27,239	$13.10	11
   16	Luckie & Company	$26,224	$12.61	1
   17	Campbells	$26,016	$12.51	7

4. Writing a plant and production manager job description

   A plant and production manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a plant and production manager job description:

   Plant and production manager job description example

   HIROTEC AMERICA is the world's leading comprehensive engineering company; providing state of the art tooling, production, and engineering services and products to automotive manufacturers across the world with Headquarters located in the heart of Auburn Hills.
   Currently, we are seekinga Production Plant Manager to become a part of the HIROTEC team.
   
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
   
   Responsible for overseeing all production operations including assembly, inventory control, production control, maintenance, and quality in support of the overall achievement of the established business plan goals and objectives.
   
   Develop, review, and maintain budgets and expenses for materials, equipment, personnel, etc. Review the business plan frequently and address variances.
   
   Plans production operations and staffing requirements, establishing priorities and sequences for manufacturing products.
   
   Develops and implements operating methods and procedures designed to eliminate operating problems, optimize productivity, and improve product quality.
   
   Reviews and analyzes production, quality control, maintenance, and operational reports to determine causes of nonconformity with product specifications and operating or production problems for resolution to ensure lowest costs of operations and prevent operational delays.
   
   Maintain the optimum profit levels consistent with customer requirements, company policies, and effective employee relations.
   
   Responsible for 5S, Quality, On-time delivery, Safety, Kaizen, and lean manufacturing activities.
   
   Other duties and projects may be assigned based on the operational objectives of the company.
   
   Ideal candidate should have a bachelor's degree and four years in senior management role in automotive/manufacturing environment. Equivalent combination of education and/or experience. Excellent written and oral communication and negotiation skills, in addition to proven computer skills required. Strong interpersonal skills with all levels of employees. Strong organizational, teamwork, and leadership skills. Must have a sound technical aptitude with a thorough understanding of stamping, automation, and manufacturing applications. SAP experience is preferred. A willingness to travel and work weekends/holidays if necessary.
   
   If you are hardworking, dependable, and enjoy a group environment,
   
   come join the HIROTEC America team.
   
   An excellent work environment and benefits await you!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find plant and production managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your plant and production manager job on Zippia to find and recruit plant and production manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit plant and production managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new plant and production manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the plant and production manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new plant and production manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a plant and production manager?