Manufacturing Supervisor

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

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Potential job titles in this career

Assembly Supervisor, Line Supervisor, Manufacturing Supervisor, Molding Supervisor, Plant Supervisor, Production Manager, Production Supervisor, Quality Assurance Supervisor (QA Supervisor)

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.

What will I 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.

Direct and coordinate the activities of employees engaged in the production or processing of goods, such as inspectors, machine setters, or fabricators.

Conduct employee training in equipment operations or work and safety procedures, or assign employee training to experienced workers.

In this career, it is important to know

Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Personnel and Human Resources - Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

It's useful to be good at

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Employment trends

Location	Pay period	2022
Location	Pay period	10%	25%	Median%	75%	90%
United States	Hourly	$19.32	$23.80	$30.53	$38.74	$49.07
United States	Yearly	$40,180	$49,510	$63,510	$80,580	$102,070
Arizona	Hourly	$20.84	$24.07	$30.42	$39.38	$48.55
Arizona	Yearly	$43,350	$50,060	$63,260	$81,920	$100,990

2022 Median%
United States	$30.53 Hourly	$63,510 Yearly
Arizona	$30.42 Hourly	$63,260 Yearly

Employment (2022)

681,700 employees

Projected growth (2022 - 2032)

Little or no change

Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)

63,300

* Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

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Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

3 year programs

These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

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Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

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Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

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The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.