How To Become An Electrical Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an electrical supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Fred Garber Ph.D.

Electrical supervisors are trained and experienced electricians in charge of a team of electricians. They coordinate their day-to-day work, ensuring that they carry out their duties according to the safety codes. They provide technical guidance and support as the team installs, maintains, and repairs the electrical systems. Electrical supervisors also review electrical engineering drawings, highlight issues requiring changes, and then assign work as per the electrical project schedule.

Electrical supervisors should have extensive knowledge of tools and equipment used by electricians. They should also have an in-depth understanding of electrical codes and standards. Successful electrical supervisors should have the relevant technical skills, analytical skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and attention to detail, and should be up to date with the latest techniques and equipment to do the job.

Electrical supervisors work full time 40 hours per week from Monday to Friday between 9 and 5. Since their work is mostly on-site, they may work extra hours in the evenings and during the weekends in order to meet deadlines.

What general advice would you give to an electrical supervisor?

Fred Garber Ph.D.

Professor, Electrical Engineering, Wright State University

I think the primary question, in the minds of those who are yet to graduate or are still searching, is in regard to the strength of the technical job market, especially the local job market. But you are in a position to definitively answer that question.

In you article, I would ask that you address the following:
Number of employers looking to fill and number of job offerings in the region (by engineering and computer science major) compared to last year and to the previous five years.

Any noticeable differences in job descriptions Zippia is receiving relative to work environment, benefits, starting salaries, etc.

Many of our soon-to-graduate students would be very interested in these quantitative and qualitative comparisons. Additionally, vast numbers of potential students would benefit from such information to guide their career choices.

ScoreElectrical SupervisorUS Average

Salary

7.1

Avg. Salary $90,972

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 2.09%

Black or African American 8.13%

Hispanic or Latino 15.56%

Unknown 4.50%

White 68.48%

Gender

female 4.28%

male 95.72%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an electrical supervisor

Explore electrical supervisor education requirements

Most common electrical supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

33.7 %

Associate

27.7 %

High School Diploma

16.4 %

Start to develop specific electrical supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Electrical Systems	9.48%
PLC	7.04%
Electrical Equipment	5.84%
Preventive Maintenance	5.84%
Control Systems	5.10%

Complete relevant electrical supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New electrical supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an electrical supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real electrical supervisor resumes.

Research electrical supervisor duties and responsibilities

Manage electrical & technical crew, supervise ABB DCS & gauging system and entire maintenance department, as needed.
Design and implement layouts for electrical projects using ladders, aerial lifts and other equipment.
Start switchgear and circuit breaker maintenance and testing on schedule outages.
Diagnose problems with bad encoders and feedback equipment on CNC machines.

Prepare your electrical supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your electrical supervisor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an electrical supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable electrical supervisor resume templates

Build a professional electrical supervisor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your electrical supervisor resume.