Department supervisor vs sales supervisor

The differences between department supervisors and sales supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department supervisor and a sales supervisor. Additionally, a department supervisor has an average salary of $47,300, which is higher than the $40,860 average annual salary of a sales supervisor.

The top three skills for a department supervisor include store management, product knowledge and plumbing. The most important skills for a sales supervisor are ladders, sales floor, and inventory control.

Department supervisor vs sales supervisor overview

	Department Supervisor	Sales Supervisor
Yearly salary	$47,300	$40,860
Hourly rate	$22.74	$19.64
Growth rate	6%	-
Number of jobs	216,893	424,088
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a department supervisor do?

A department supervisor's role is to oversee and ensure a business operation's efficiency in a particular area. Acting as a leader, it is their responsibility to develop strategies on meeting goals within a timeline and ensure that the workforce is functioning effectively in a harmonious environment. Furthermore, a department supervisor is in charge of setting goals such as budget and results, evaluating employees' performances and activities, training new members of the workforce, handling and resolving issues, and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a sales supervisor do?

A sales supervisor is an individual who is responsible for the daily activities of sales representatives in promoting and selling a product by phone or email. He/She needs to track the weekly and monthly performances of his/her sales representatives. The minimum requirement of being a sales supervisor is a high school diploma. However, he/she is required to have two years of working experience. One of the skills required of a sales supervisor is to have the ability to multitask and time management.

Department supervisor vs sales supervisor salary

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

	Department Supervisor	Sales Supervisor
Average salary	$47,300	$40,860
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $66,000	Between $31,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Lakewood, NJ	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Club	ServiceNow
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between department supervisor and sales supervisor education

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

	Department Supervisor	Sales Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Department supervisor vs sales supervisor demographics

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

	Department Supervisor	Sales Supervisor
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1%	Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between department supervisor and sales 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

Sales supervisor example responsibilities.

Create and lead staff development sessions on solution selling techniques/running effective promotions/POS execution/trade math.
Train new employees and insurance agents about Medicare and AlohaCare's procedures in promoting its senior plans.
Assist in visual merchandise, floor moves, inventory, stock, mark downs, POS transactions, online orders and delivery
Increase availability and visibility of brands on POS of assign territory.
Approve and reject billing documentation base on Medicare or payer qualifications.
Certify excellent overall cleanliness of the store to provide customers with exceptional visual presentations and easy-to-navigate store layouts.

Department supervisor vs sales supervisor skills

Common department supervisor skills

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

Common sales supervisor skills

Ladders, 18%
Sales Floor, 10%
Inventory Control, 7%
Sales Training, 7%
Loss Prevention, 4%
Drive Sales, 4%

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Department Supervisor
Department Supervisor vs Sales Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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