Manufacturing Supervisor job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

O*NET-SOC 51-1011.00

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$74,450

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers (O*NET-SOC 51-1011.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Manufacturing Supervisor” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Enforce safety and sanitation regulations. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked. importance 4.2 of 5
3. Inspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Read and analyze charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine production requirements and to evaluate current production estimates and outputs. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Confer with other supervisors to coordinate operations and activities within or between departments. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Interpret specifications, blueprints, job orders, and company policies and procedures for workers. importance 4.0 of 5
8. Observe work and monitor gauges, dials, and other indicators to ensure that operators conform to production or processing standards. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Direct and coordinate the activities of employees engaged in the production or processing of goods, such as inspectors, machine setters, or fabricators. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Conduct employee training in equipment operations or work and safety procedures, or assign employee training to experienced workers. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Evaluate employee performance. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Confer with management or subordinates to resolve worker problems, complaints, or grievances. importance 4.0 of 5
13. Determine standards, budgets, production goals, and rates, based on company policies, equipment and labor availability, and workloads. importance 3.9 of 5
14. Calculate labor and equipment requirements and production specifications, using standard formulas. importance 3.9 of 5
15. Recommend or implement measures to motivate employees and to improve production methods, equipment performance, product quality, or efficiency. importance 3.8 of 5
16. Maintain operations data, such as time, production, and cost records, and prepare management reports of production results. importance 3.8 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings and Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials.

Knowledge areas: Production and Processing, Administration and Management, Personnel and Human Resources, English Language and Computers and Electronics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, SAP software, Autodesk AutoCAD. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among manufacturing supervisors surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (33%).

Job title: Manufacturing Supervisor
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Manufacturing Supervisor.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Enforce safety and sanitation regulations.
- Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked.
- Inspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions.
- Read and analyze charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine production requirements and to evaluate current production estimates and outputs.
- Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals.
- Confer with other supervisors to coordinate operations and activities within or between departments.
- Interpret specifications, blueprints, job orders, and company policies and procedures for workers.
- Observe work and monitor gauges, dials, and other indicators to ensure that operators conform to production or processing standards.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in time management, management of personnel resources and active listening
- Working knowledge of Production and Processing and Administration and Management
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers, the median annual wage was $74,450 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $35.79. BLS estimates about 673,430 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 61,000 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real manufacturing supervisor posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Enforce safety and sanitation regulations”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only manufacturing supervisor work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (time management and management of personnel resources): a real situation, what you did and what changed.