First-line production supervisor vs production leader

The differences between first-line production supervisors and production leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a first-line production supervisor and a production leader. Additionally, a first-line production supervisor has an average salary of $63,366, which is higher than the $44,563 average annual salary of a production leader.

The top three skills for a first-line production supervisor include safety procedures, safety policies and production processes. The most important skills for a production leader are customer service, continuous improvement, and safety procedures.

First-line production supervisor vs production leader overview

	First-Line Production Supervisor	Production Leader
Yearly salary	$63,366	$44,563
Hourly rate	$30.46	$21.42
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	114,014	107,578
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

First-line production supervisor vs production leader salary

First-line production supervisors and production leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First-Line Production Supervisor	Production Leader
Average salary	$63,366	$44,563
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $88,000	Between $31,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City	Greenville, SC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	The Chemours Company	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between first-line production supervisor and production leader education

There are a few differences between a first-line production supervisor and a production leader in terms of educational background:

	First-Line Production Supervisor	Production Leader
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

First-line production supervisor vs production leader demographics

Here are the differences between first-line production supervisors' and production leaders' demographics:

	First-Line Production Supervisor	Production Leader
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2%	Male, 70.6% Female, 29.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 5.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between first-line production supervisor and production leader duties and responsibilities

First-line production supervisor example responsibilities.

Lead Kaizen identifying changeover/set-up issues.
Execute leadership and supervision skills in guiding daily operations of eight staff and training 10 personnel in meteorological and navigational systems.
Utilize TPS techniques to standardize process/methods, identify waste, methodically eliminate waste and standardize the new process/ methods.

Production leader example responsibilities.

Manage PC production line personnel.
Manage the operation of three alkalize systems from a PLC.
Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Maintain maximum yields in accordance with company policies and USDA food and safety guidelines.
Maintain the facilities organization, appearance, and cleanliness.
Operate and maintain general manufacturing equipment and perform production in accordance with QSR, ISO and establish written procedures.

First-line production supervisor vs production leader skills

Common first-line production supervisor skills

Safety Procedures, 24%
Safety Policies, 12%
Production Processes, 9%
Lean Manufacturing, 8%
Production Schedules, 6%
FDA, 5%

Common production leader skills

Customer Service, 11%
Continuous Improvement, 7%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Customer Orders, 5%
Production Process, 3%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
First-Line Production Supervisor
First-Line Production Supervisor vs Production Leader

Updated January 8, 2025

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