How to hire a senior manufacturing manager

How to hire a senior manufacturing manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior manufacturing 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 senior manufacturing manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior manufacturing manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior manufacturing manager do?

Post a senior manufacturing manager job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior manufacturing manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior manufacturing manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A senior manufacturing manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior manufacturing managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior manufacturing managers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Manufacturing Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Manufacturing Manager	Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or paper products.	$48-103
   Production Administrator	Production administrators support all artistic and production functions with expert administrative support to the entire production team. Part of their responsibilities includes maintaining the annual production expenses and production calendar, researching potential venues and maintaining a venue database, and preparing expense reports for artists and production staff... Show more	$12-28
   Plant Superintendent	Plant superintendents must have skills in operations, productions, and management. They also need a 4-year degree in business or industrial management... Show more	$32-64

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Continuous Improvement
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Sigma
   • SR
   • Project Management
   • GMP
   • Production Schedules
   • Process Improvement
   • FDA
   • Logistics
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Product Quality
   • Quality Standards
   • Direct Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead and support CAPA, NCR investigations
   • Lead the group to develop process improvement strategies following GMP guidelines.
   • Manage manufacturing operations cross functionally with quality, logistics operations, procurement, finance, sales, and marketing.
   • Lead kaizen event to improve the new assembler hiring and training process, which significantly increase new hire retention rates.
   • Lead productivity improvement program, OEE improvement initiatives, and suggestion program.
   • Manage global automation projects within high-volume, discrete semiconductor manufacturing and PCB assembly line for hybrid modules.

   More senior manufacturing manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior manufacturing manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior manufacturing 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 senior manufacturing manager in Louisiana may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior manufacturing manager. Additionally, a senior manufacturing manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior manufacturing manager salary

   $146,889yearly

   $70.62 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior manufacturing manager salary

   $100,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average senior manufacturing manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$188,714	$91
   2	Connecticut	$171,335	$82
   3	Pennsylvania	$164,725	$79
   4	Ohio	$164,604	$79
   5	Virginia	$162,979	$78
   6	Utah	$162,388	$78
   7	New York	$156,113	$75
   8	Washington	$152,262	$73
   9	Massachusetts	$145,564	$70
   10	Arizona	$140,934	$68
   11	Indiana	$138,601	$67
   12	Texas	$138,464	$67
   13	Illinois	$137,962	$66
   14	Oklahoma	$136,330	$66
   15	Wisconsin	$136,060	$65
   16	Maryland	$133,599	$64
   17	Delaware	$133,576	$64
   18	New Jersey	$133,215	$64
   19	District of Columbia	$131,744	$63
   20	Michigan	$130,873	$63

   Average senior manufacturing manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The Walt Disney Company	$198,615	$95.49	14
   2	Tesla	$190,119	$91.40	65
   3	Palo Alto Networks	$189,964	$91.33	6
   4	Lucid Motors	$188,147	$90.46	43
   5	Rivian	$187,881	$90.33	7
   6	Accenture	$182,397	$87.69	669
   7	Amazon	$181,675	$87.34	240
   8	Avanade	$180,192	$86.63
   9	Rheem Manufacturing	$177,971	$85.56	8
   10	Welch's	$175,245	$84.25	2
   11	Starbucks	$172,253	$82.81	2
   12	Emergent BioSolutions	$171,969	$82.68
   13	Fitbit	$169,847	$81.66
   14	Medtronic	$169,196	$81.34	12
   15	Ernst & Young	$168,770	$81.14	505
   16	Biogen	$167,172	$80.37	5
   17	Intuitive Surgical	$167,126	$80.35	12
   18	Sarepta Therapeutics	$165,547	$79.59	1
   19	Pwc	$164,202	$78.94	555
   20	Sanofi US	$164,071	$78.88	12

4. Writing a senior manufacturing manager job description

   A senior manufacturing 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior manufacturing manager job description:

   Senior manufacturing manager job description example

   This position will report to the Senior Director, Gene Therapy Commercial Manufacturing and will be responsible for oversight of all aspects of manufacturing (make, assess and release) at the CMO to ensure clinical and commercial drug supply needs are met. This also includes oversight of contract deliverables.
   This position is located in Maryland and requires 5 days a week on site.
   
   Primary Responsibilities Include:
   Participating in the cross-functional working team to support GMP production at CMO partners, including all activities from initial cell banking through bulk drug substance. Building business processes and cross-functional relationships with internal/external partners. This includes applicable metrics and program- tracking. Ensuring that all contractual obligations with our CMOs are met to Sarepta Quality standards, including on-time manufacturing, QC testing, QMS record closure and batch disposition. Authoring and/ or review of Quality System documentation, including technical reports, deviations and change controls. Provide manufacturing technical expertise in meetings related to QMS documentation. Provide front-line support for process or equipment related issues at the CMO and ensure cross-functional engagement internally. This includes person-in plant (PIP) responsibilities.Lead or drive the resolution of major and critical deviation investigations. Partner with Process Development and Quality for tech transfer as well as to qualify and validate the manufacturing processes and QC methods. Review of SOPs, batch records and supporting documentation as needed.
   
   Desired Education and Skills:
   Degree in Engineering or Life Sciences, with 8+ years of relevant industry experience.Experience with technology transfer/vendor management and process characterization/ validation preferred.Strong working knowledge of FDA regulations (GMPs) and industry standards. Experience with Gene Therapy or biologics BDS/ DP production. Strong project management and organizational skills. Excellent communication skills and ability to influence across multiple functions. 20% travel anticipated.
   
   Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S.
   Sarepta Therapeutics offers a competitive compensation and benefit package.
   Sarepta Therapeutics is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and participates in e-Verify.
   #LI-Remote

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior manufacturing manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior manufacturing managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior manufacturing managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior manufacturing 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 senior manufacturing manager

   Once you've found the senior manufacturing manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a senior manufacturing manager?