What does a production director do?
Production directors work with production teams to manage the operation workflow, quality, and schedule adherence. They also monitor production activities to make necessary adjustments to the schedule to ensure that all deliverables are delivered on time, develop ideas for process improvements, and optimize production speed while maintaining the quality of the products. There are a few skills that most employers look for in production directors, like analytical skills, leadership skills, and creativity which are very helpful in fulfilling this role.
Production director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real production director resumes:
- Manage numerous departments within both boys and girl's wovens and denim.
- Prepare RFQ's, manage quotes, review and evaluate all bids.
- Manage UX and development teams, from inception to delivery of CMS platform.
- Manage theatrical release masters and digital content for Netflix, DVD / BluRay release.
- Manage 22 staff in all aspects of plastics injection / extrusion production and plant maintenance engineering.
- Lead all budgeting efforts as related to implementation of print packaging, whether FDA mandate or market driven.
- Manage vendor relationships to provide critical oversight and ensure high quality standards.
- Implement regulatory policies for the EPA, ATF, OSHA and HAZMAT.
- Produce and cast shows for major networks, including NBC, ABC, and MTV.
- Maintain production department for WXYV FM.
- Lead HD conversion for NBC billboards.
- Update station website and Facebook page daily.
- Produce videos for station website and YouTube page.
- Develop and create original content for telefilms ABC.
- Receive electronic PDF files to format, edit and send to digital printers.
Production director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Production Directors are proficient in Video Production, Project Management, and Oversight. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Leadership skills, and Time-management skills.
We break down the percentage of Production Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Video Production, 10%
Developed in-house video production department and content delivery system that drastically reduced company production expenses.
- Project Management, 8%
Developed management team.- Developed project management process and tools, including budgeting, pricing, job costing, and profitability management.
- Oversight, 6%
Provided health and safety coordination and oversight for soil and groundwater remediation activities.
- Production Process, 6%
Increased project turnover by streamlining reporting and production processes to enhance efficiency; reduced requirement meetings prior to submission.
- Audio Production, 5%
Led all audio production of informational and continuing professional education content for international publisher.
- Production Operations, 4%
Managed day-to-day commercial production operations, voiced and produced commercials, promotional content and imaging.
Common skills that a production director uses to do their job include "video production," "project management," and "oversight." You can find details on the most important production director responsibilities below.
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a production director to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "because a script may be interpreted in different ways, directors must decide on their approach and on how to represent the script’s ideas for the production." Additionally, a production director resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "interpret client ideas to translate them into effective and creative video productions. "
Leadership skills. Many production director duties rely on leadership skills. "directors instruct actors and help them portray their characters in a believable manner," so a production director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways production director responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "provided leadership and guidance in the areas of business development, strategic planning, and best practices. "
Communication skills. A big part of what production directors do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to production director responsibilities because "producers and directors must convey information and ideas clearly in order to coordinate many people to finish a production on time and within budget." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical production director tasks: "trained new and existing staff in quality control, production processes and communication/negotiation. "
The three companies that hire the most production directors are:
- Live Nation Entertainment6 production directors jobs
- Nexstar Media Group6 production directors jobs
- Sysco6 production directors jobs
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Compare different production directors
Production director vs. Technical account manager
A technical account manager is primarily responsible for providing technical support to clients through calls and correspondence, securing sales and ensuring customer satisfaction. Aside from assisting clients, a technical account manager may conduct an assessment to determine the needs of a client, perform follow up calls, offer upgrades and add-ons, answer inquiries, troubleshoot, and even provide extensive and detailed instructions to customers on using their products or services. Furthermore, a technical account manager must monitor the delivery of services and report progress to managers or supervisors.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, production director responsibilities require skills like "video production," "oversight," "production process," and "audio production." Meanwhile a typical technical account manager has skills in areas such as "cloud," "database," "technical support," and "customer service." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Technical account managers earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $105,616. On the other hand, production directors are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $113,409.technical account managers tend to reach similar levels of education than production directors. In fact, technical account managers are 3.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Production director vs. Member, technical staff
A member, technical staff's role will vary depending on the organization or company. Most of the responsibilities may revolve around developing new applications or systems, conducting research and analysis, performing numerous testing activities, and designing strategic methods to improve technical aspects of a particular project. Furthermore, they can take charge of a team and oversee operations, ensuring that all processes are efficient and running smoothly. Most of the work will be in a group setting with time-sensitive tasks; therefore, it is crucial to coordinate at all times.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that production director responsibilities requires skills like "video production," "project management," "oversight," and "production process." But a member, technical staff might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "java," "python," "debugging," and "tcp ip."
On average, members, technical staff earn a lower salary than production directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, members, technical staff earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $114,493. Whereas production directors have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $113,409.members, technical staff earn similar levels of education than production directors in general. They're 4.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Production director vs. Assistant technical manager
The director of technical development is primarily responsible for the prosperous creation and distribution of the company's merchandise to the marketplace. The directors control the technical uncertainty and opportunities, develop key software design, and execute decisions with the development teams. Also, they schedule tasks that include managing change requests, tracking dependencies, and ensure the quality of deliveries as well as teaching the team on technical best performances. Their responsibilities include defining the technological strategy in relation to the development team of each project and evaluating technical risk and reduction plans.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from production director resumes include skills like "video production," "project management," "oversight," and "production process," whereas an assistant technical manager is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "technical support," "air filters," and "customer vehicles. "
Assistant technical managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $86,130. Comparatively, production directors have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $113,409.When it comes to education, assistant technical managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to production directors. In fact, they're 2.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Production director vs. Director technical development
Types of production director
Updated January 8, 2025
