Production Manager

The Production Manager is the senior operational lieutenant to the Line Producer. Where the Line Producer holds strategic + budget accountability, the Production Manager runs the production office, executes against the schedule, and is the operational contact for the crew, suppliers, and locations.

What the role does

• Manages the production office day-to-day — staff, processes, paperwork
• Owns the shooting schedule in detail — daily calls, location plans, breakdown by department
• Coordinates with the first AD on the shoot-day execution of the schedule
• Manages crew contracts + start paperwork — deals, terms, NDAs, start packs
• Oversees supplier + facility relationships during the shoot — chasing deliveries, resolving issues
• Approves purchase orders within authority limits delegated by the Line Producer
• Coordinates travel and accommodation for cast + crew (often with a dedicated Travel & Accommodation Coordinator)
• Liaises with the Production Accountant on payroll cycles + supplier payments

Position in the production

Reports to the Line Producer. The Production Coordinator reports in; below that the Assistant Production Coordinator and Production Trainee.

The Production Manager is the operational face of the Production department to crew and suppliers — the person crew call when they have a logistical question.

Career progression

The SI Competency Framework places Production Manager at Level 4 — Expert. Typical path: Production Trainee → Assistant Production Coordinator → Production Coordinator → Production Manager → Line Producer.

Many Production Managers progress to Line Producer after 3–5 years in the Production Manager role on increasingly complex productions.

Working pattern

Freelance. Engaged for the full prep + shoot + post cycle, with the heaviest workload during prep and shoot.

Related guild / professional body

• Production and Accounts Guild of Ireland (PAGI)

How Togra supports this

The Production-department surfaces in Togra — Crew + Schedule + Cashflow + Budget — are tooled for the Production Manager's daily operational work. The cross-company hub for Production Managers (similar to the Production Accountant and Sustainability Lead patterns) lets freelance Production Managers see every production they're assigned to across multiple producer-clients.