Department supervisor vs head supervisor

The differences between department supervisors and head supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a department supervisor, becoming a head supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a department supervisor has an average salary of $47,300, which is higher than the $36,530 average annual salary of a head supervisor.

The top three skills for a department supervisor include store management, product knowledge and plumbing. The most important skills for a head supervisor are safety procedures, quality customer service, and payroll.

Department supervisor vs head supervisor overview

	Department Supervisor	Head Supervisor
Yearly salary	$47,300	$36,530
Hourly rate	$22.74	$17.56
Growth rate	6%	-
Number of jobs	216,893	47,469
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	43	46
Years of experience	6	2

Department supervisor vs head supervisor salary

Department supervisors and head supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Supervisor	Head Supervisor
Average salary	$47,300	$36,530
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $66,000	Between $26,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Lakewood, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Club	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between department supervisor and head supervisor education

There are a few differences between a department supervisor and a head supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Department Supervisor	Head Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	Stanford University

Department supervisor vs head supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between department supervisors' and head supervisors' demographics:

	Department Supervisor	Head Supervisor
Average age	43	46
Gender ratio	Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1%	Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between department supervisor and head supervisor duties and responsibilities

Department supervisor example responsibilities.

Achieve a high degree of customer relations, in-stock, and store appearance.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.
Maintain an ISO certify department.
Home depot sales associate , 2/2012 to7/1012
Obtain good working knowledge of EDI.
Assist customers, complete callbacks and diamond counts

Head supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage and implement merchandising strategy for POS marketing and display inventory.
Perform various administrative tasks including; payroll, annual evaluations, and disciplinary actions.
Study and acquire a certify CPR license
Practice first aid, CPR and water safety.
Train and develop new sales associates on POS sytems and key sales tactics.
Complete payroll operations for student supervisors and student workers.

Department supervisor vs head supervisor skills

Common department supervisor skills

Store Management, 21%
Product Knowledge, 19%
Plumbing, 18%
Math, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%
Store Sales, 6%

Common head supervisor skills

Safety Procedures, 26%
Quality Customer Service, 19%
Payroll, 9%
Performance Standards, 6%
Sales Floor, 5%
POS, 5%

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Department Supervisor
Department Supervisor vs Head Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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