How to hire an engineering supervisor

How to hire an engineering supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step engineering supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an engineering supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new engineering supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an engineering supervisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The engineering supervisor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An engineering supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, engineering supervisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of engineering supervisors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Engineering Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Engineering Supervisor	Architectural and engineering managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities in architectural and engineering companies.	$34-62
   Research And Development Manager	A research and development manager is responsible for supervising project development procedures to support business operations and identify business opportunities that would pave the way for more revenue resources and profits. Research and development managers monitor the production plans from the conceptualization to the final outputs, inspecting inconsistencies and flaws in every phase and revising strategies as needed to achieve the required specifications and requirements... Show more	$37-83
   Research And Development Director	A research and development director spearheads and oversees the research and development initiatives and projects in a company. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, establish timelines and budgets, direct and manage different departments, liaise with internal and external parties, gather and analyze data to implement solutions against problem areas, and utilize expertise in developing strategies to optimize company operations... Show more	$45-96

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • HVAC
   • Plumbing
   • Project Management
   • Preventive Maintenance
   • Customer Service
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Direct Reports
   • UL
   • CAD
   • OSHA
   • Engineering Projects
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Sigma
   • Cost Savings

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead Kaizen initiatives to continue improving fulfillment operations.
   • Implement and maintain ISO certification; become first industrial boiler manufacturer to achieve certification.
   • Achieve exceptional productivity and quality performance by deploying data analytics and localizing operational KPI metrics.
   • Manage QA for research orient development efforts and for high visibility, production focuse development efforts tie to revenue generation.
   • Ensure adherence to UL, NEC, CE and OSHA regulations and guidelines, in addition to company's design policies.
   • Authorize to troubleshoot equipment, debug controllers, and oversee robotic programming.

   More engineering supervisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your engineering supervisor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An engineering supervisor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an engineering supervisor in Kansas may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineering supervisor usually earns less than a senior-level engineering supervisor. Additionally, an engineering supervisor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average engineering supervisor salary

   $97,535yearly

   $46.89 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level engineering supervisor salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average engineering supervisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$131,241	$63
   2	Washington	$110,540	$53
   3	Texas	$102,432	$49
   4	Oregon	$99,611	$48
   5	Michigan	$99,178	$48
   6	Maryland	$97,719	$47
   7	New Jersey	$97,668	$47
   8	Georgia	$97,033	$47
   9	Arizona	$95,142	$46
   10	Virginia	$94,893	$46
   11	Massachusetts	$94,834	$46
   12	Alabama	$92,532	$44
   13	Ohio	$92,226	$44
   14	Wisconsin	$91,111	$44
   15	Nevada	$90,571	$44
   16	New York	$90,471	$44
   17	Minnesota	$87,842	$42
   18	South Carolina	$87,500	$42
   19	New Mexico	$84,811	$41
   20	Colorado	$83,329	$40

   Average engineering supervisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$150,505	$72.36	205
   2	American Tower	$140,507	$67.55	2
   3	Macy's	$137,991	$66.34	3
   4	Karma Automotive	$136,399	$65.58
   5	Koch Industries	$133,417	$64.14
   6	Orange County Sanitation District	$132,073	$63.50
   7	Exxon Mobil	$130,322	$62.65	1
   8	Texas Instruments	$128,343	$61.70	53
   9	Marathon Oil	$127,656	$61.37
   10	Marathon Petroleum	$127,296	$61.20	46
   11	Energy Northwest	$125,387	$60.28
   12	Ford Motor	$125,373	$60.28	102
   13	Medline	$124,582	$59.90	6
   14	GILLIG	$123,019	$59.14
   15	Tesla	$123,016	$59.14	53
   16	TechnipFMC	$122,973	$59.12
   17	NBCUniversal	$122,758	$59.02	13
   18	ConocoPhillips	$122,559	$58.92
   19	Haas Automation	$122,551	$58.92
   20	BD	$121,322	$58.33	5

4. Writing an engineering supervisor job description

   A job description for an engineering supervisor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an engineering supervisor job description:

   Engineering supervisor job description example

   At Materion, everyone is included, respected and offered opportunity to grow. Join us!
   
   Excited to grow your career?
   
   Under the direction of the Pebble Plant Operations Manager, the Engineering Supervisor is responsible for identifying and driving improvements in the overall operation of the Pebble Plant, including reducing EHS risk, increasing OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness), improving quality, and reducing costs. This position is also required to perform all supervisory responsibilities over the Pebble Plant Engineering Staff.
   
   You will have the opportunity to:
   Lead identification and implementation of projects to increase capacity, improve OEE, improve quality and yields, and reduce costs. Manage improvement project pipeline.Identify and implement improvements to lower EHS risk.Establish rituals to monitor the health of the processes and to keep processes on aim.Strengthen training program for Pebble Plant personnel. Establish goals and objectives for members of the Engineering Team. Ensure process is in place to track progress and provide regular feedback.Provide personal training and development for members of the Engineering Team.
   
   REQUIREMENTS:
   Bachelor's degree in Engineering required. Chemical Engineering preferred.Minimum of 5 years of process experience in an industrial environment required. Chemical environment preferred.Knowledge of typical process manufacturing equipment (pumps, valves, agitators, etc.) and control systems.Ability to read and interpret process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, pipe isometrics.Experience in writing Standard Operating Procedures, Work Instructions, and developing Operator Training Materials.Experience with SAP and Microsoft Office Products.Prefer experience with AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and other modeling software.Prefer working knowledge of Process Safety Management (PSM).
   
   The selection of the person to be hired for this position is contingent on the candidate having export compliance eligibility for access to U.S. controlled technology which comes under the licensing jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of State, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
   
   The candidate selected will have to qualify as either a U.S. citizen, a U.S. National, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a Person Admitted into the U.S. as an Asylee or Refugee., a National of a country that is not prohibited from having access to U.S. controlled technology (via a letter of assurance), or a Person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction.
   
   The selection of the person to be hired for this position is contingent on the candidate having export compliance eligibility for access to U.S. controlled technology which comes under the licensing jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of State, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
   
   The candidate selected will have to qualify as either a U.S. citizen, a U.S. National, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a Person Admitted into the U.S. as an Asylee or Refugee., a National of a country that is not prohibited from having access to U.S. controlled technology (via a letter of assurance), or a Person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on Materion's determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with Materion's business requirements.
   
   Materion Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) is an equal employment opportunity employer. It is the Company's policy to not unlawfully discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances. The Company also prohibits harassment of applicants and employees based on any of these protected categories. It is also the Company's policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws respecting consideration of unemployment status in making hiring decisions. The information collected by this application is solely to determine suitability for employment, verify identity and maintain employment statistics on applicants.
   Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on the Company. Please inform the Company's personnel representative if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.
   
   Please provide complete information. An incomplete application may affect your consideration for employment.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right engineering supervisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with engineering supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit engineering supervisors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your engineering supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit engineering supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting engineering supervisors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new engineering supervisor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the engineering supervisor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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