What does an engineering supervisor do?
An engineering supervisor is responsible for monitoring the engineering operations of an organization, developing strategic processes and techniques to improve staff's performance, and facilitating training and programs to maximize productivity. Engineering supervisors evaluate technology procedures and reports to identify and design new opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues and profits. They also meet with clients and handle their business requirements and specifications, informing them of other services that the company offers. An engineering supervisor resolves project complaints and implements business plans to achieve high-quality deliverables.
Engineering supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real engineering supervisor resumes:
- 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.
- Modify hardware and PCB's to meet UL standards.supervise test and assembly personnel.
- Supervise production control lab, environmental and FDA lab, and process/ceramic engineers.
- Handle mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, RF engineers, and software engineers.
- Implement the first PSM program in the corporation for the ammonia refrigeration systems.
- Used ProE and SolidWorks to design enclosures for digital, RF and microwave electronics assemblies.
- Analyze the product manufacturing process to identify and resolve potential design problems; edit auto cad drawings.
- Assign all associates their duties, and inspect work for conformance to prescribe company/franchise standards of cleanliness.
- Work with CNC, stereo-lithography, rubber molding, vacuum forming, laser machining and spray metal mold processes.
- Create real-time monitoring, alerting and visualization for data-driven decisions.
Engineering supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Engineering Supervisors are proficient in HVAC, Plumbing, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Engineering Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- HVAC, 9%
Provided management of maintenance and construction contracts for HVAC, janitorial, landscaping, roofing and parking lots.
- Plumbing, 8%
Supervised construction rigging operations and performance of electrical and plumbing services on construction and repair projects.
- Project Management, 7%
Performed project management of engineering scope for large capital projects where engineering is primarily subcontracted.
- Preventive Maintenance, 6%
Minimized risk of customer outages by coordinating efforts with operations and construction departments to successfully manage preventive maintenance and regulatory compliance.
- Customer Service, 5%
Directed a team of engineering personnel resolving engineering related manufacturing and customer service issues, including product modifications and enhancements.
- Continuous Improvement, 5%
Cultivated operational transformation initiatives to facilitate firm-wide continuous improvement programs.
Common skills that an engineering supervisor uses to do their job include "hvac," "plumbing," and "project management." You can find details on the most important engineering supervisor responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an engineering supervisor to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what engineering supervisors do because "architectural and engineering managers evaluate information to solve problems." Additionally, an engineering supervisor resume shows how engineering supervisors use analytical skills: "performed project feasibility analysis comparing ge frame series to lm product line to the customer specification and expectations. "
Communication skills. Many engineering supervisor duties rely on communication skills. "architectural and engineering managers must effectively convey information and expectations related to projects.," so an engineering supervisor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways engineering supervisor responsibilities rely on communication skills: "provided excellent customer service while demonstrating effect communication skills to army and civilian personnel. "
Math skills. engineering supervisor responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "architectural and engineering managers use calculus and other mathematics to develop new products and processes." This resume example shows what engineering supervisors do with math skills on a typical day: "negotiated with tribes and company executives to optimize game math to maximize game revenue per day while maintaining customer loyalty. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for engineering supervisor responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of engineering supervisors all the time, as "architectural and engineering managers keep track of many workers, schedules, and budgets simultaneously." An excerpt from a real engineering supervisor resume shows how this skill is central to what an engineering supervisor does: "managed and provided engineering support for all organizational elements of plant decommissioning and demolition (closure). "
The three companies that hire the most engineering supervisors are:
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Compare different engineering supervisors
Engineering supervisor vs. 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. They delegate tasks to the staff, oversee progress, and conduct research and development programs to maximize productivity and team efforts.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an engineering supervisor are more likely to require skills like "hvac," "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," and "continuous improvement." On the other hand, a job as a research and development manager requires skills like "patients," "c++," "c #," and "visualization." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Research and development managers tend to make the most money working in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $143,083. In contrast, engineering supervisors make the biggest average salary, $114,222, in the automotive industry.research and development managers tend to reach higher levels of education than engineering supervisors. In fact, research and development managers are 7.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Engineering supervisor vs. 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. Moreover, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while promoting the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that engineering supervisor responsibilities requires skills like "hvac," "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," and "customer service." But a research and development director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "fda," "oversight," "business development," and "strategic direction."
On average, research and development directors earn a higher salary than engineering supervisors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, research and development directors earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $167,250. Whereas engineering supervisors have higher pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $114,222.In general, research and development directors achieve higher levels of education than engineering supervisors. They're 7.9% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 6.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Engineering supervisor vs. Design manager
A design manager is responsible for creating graphic and digital designs, following clients' specifications, and managing project deliverables efficiently. Design managers work closely with the marketing and public relations department, developing strategies to promote the brand to the target audience. They coordinate with the creative team and present the design ideas to the management, ask for final approval, perform revisions as needed, and follow the budget goals. A design manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the design team's concerns and needs.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an engineering supervisor is likely to be skilled in "plumbing," "preventive maintenance," "continuous improvement," and "ul," while a typical design manager is skilled in "sketch," "visualization," "user experience," and "powerpoint."
Design managers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $121,279. Engineering supervisors earn the highest pay from the automotive industry, with an average salary of $114,222.When it comes to education, design managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to engineering supervisors. In fact, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Engineering supervisor vs. Vice president of engineering
A Vice President Of Engineering manages all aspects of the company's engineering product development activities. They are responsible for strategic planning, production designing, quality assurance, and problem resolution.
Types of engineering supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
