What does an industrial engineering supervisor do?
Industrial engineering supervisor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real industrial engineering supervisor resumes:
- Manage projects of distribution and supply chain projects, including primary involvement with WMS implementation and administration.
- Review MRP messages, check availability of components and shortage reports.
- Redesign MRP system parameters to improve reporting/scheduling/loading/and shop floor visibility.
- Contribute to development of departmental budgets and capital budget expenditures using ROI analysis.
- Perform general facilities and equipment repairs and preventative maintenance including plumbing, electrical, mechanical, painting and drywall.
- Provide leadership and involvement to facility personnel on projects relate to ergonomics, safety, quality and material handling issues.
- Lead cross-functional teams to increase product quality, ergonomics, productivity, labor efficiency in different manufacturing and warehouse operation processes.
Industrial engineering supervisor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Industrial Engineering Supervisors are proficient in IE, Lean Manufacturing, and Safety Procedures. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Industrial Engineering Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- IE, 10%
Conduct, analyze and compile data to support work measurement and operating plan within IE to optimize PKG.
- Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Perform time studies to improve production efficiency and maintain a lean manufacturing environment.
- Safety Procedures, 8%
Performed Inmate Safety Training for all workers, ensured safety procedures were implemented by performed bi-weekly safety meetings.
- Motion Studies, 7%
Involved in methods improvement, time motion studies, production control/ inventory, mold design, and statistical process control analysis.
- Operations Management, 6%
Established annual operating and capital plan budgets, as well as operations management parameters.
- Cost Reduction, 6%
Managed team of engineers in improving manufacturing operations and cost reduction.
"ie," "lean manufacturing," and "safety procedures" are among the most common skills that industrial engineering supervisors use at work. You can find even more industrial engineering supervisor responsibilities below, including:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an industrial engineering supervisor to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." Industrial engineering supervisors often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "performed iso 2000 inventory, conducted red-tag (audits) consistent with iso 2000 guidelines. "
Listening skills. Many industrial engineering supervisor duties rely on listening skills. "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff," so an industrial engineering supervisor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways industrial engineering supervisor responsibilities rely on listening skills: "implemented lean concept, value stream mapping, identified wastes, designed solutions, and communicated lean concepts. "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of industrial engineering supervisors is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday industrial engineering supervisor duties, as "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "key achievements: successfully identified and resolved manpower planning problems resulting in 12% cost reduction. "
Speaking skills. industrial engineering supervisor responsibilities often require "speaking skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." This resume example shows what industrial engineering supervisors do with speaking skills on a typical day: "presented salon check-out process improvement idea to save $900k in labor savings. "
Writing skills. Another crucial skill for an industrial engineering supervisor to carry out their responsibilities is "writing skills." A big part of what industrial engineering supervisors relies on this skill, since "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." How this skill relates to industrial engineering supervisor duties can be seen in an example from an industrial engineering supervisor resume snippet: "worked on writing standard process and shop floor control documents. "
Math skills. While "math skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to industrial engineering supervisor responsibilities. Much of what an industrial engineering supervisor does relies on this skill, seeing as "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of industrial engineering supervisors: "performed statistics analysis of traffic flow with minitab and microsoft excel based on data mining. "
See the full list of industrial engineering supervisor skills
The three companies that hire the most industrial engineering supervisors are:
- Ross Stores2 industrial engineering supervisors jobs
- Siemens2 industrial engineering supervisors jobs
- Aegion
1 industrial engineering supervisors jobs
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Compare different industrial engineering supervisors
Industrial engineering supervisor vs. Project lead engineer
Project lead engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for leading other professionals in completing a particular project. These engineers must develop a project management framework to be implemented throughout the organization based on the inputs from internal stakeholders and team members. They are required to train junior team members so that they can provide proper technical support functions. Project lead engineers must also prepare and review cost estimates for a variety of projects during bidding, construction, and post-construction phases.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, industrial engineering supervisor responsibilities require skills like "ie," "lean manufacturing," "safety procedures," and "motion studies." Meanwhile a typical project lead engineer has skills in areas such as "project management," "renewable energy," "project execution," and "engineering design." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Project lead engineers really shine in the automotive industry with an average salary of $121,074. Comparatively, industrial engineering supervisors tend to make the most money in the transportation industry with an average salary of $88,212.On average, project lead engineers reach higher levels of education than industrial engineering supervisors. Project lead engineers are 5.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Industrial engineering supervisor vs. Packaging engineer
A Packaging Engineer plans and implements packaging designs to ensure product integrity and appeal. Their primary duties include supervising and managing the complete packaging development process, analyzing engineering drawings, and conducting periodic vendor reviews.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, industrial engineering supervisor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "ie," "safety procedures," "motion studies," and "operations management." Meanwhile, a packaging engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "project management," "solidworks," "astm," and "package design." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Packaging engineers may earn a higher salary than industrial engineering supervisors, but packaging engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $100,934. On the other hand, industrial engineering supervisors receive higher pay in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $88,212.packaging engineers earn similar levels of education than industrial engineering supervisors in general. They're 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Industrial engineering supervisor vs. Senior process engineer
A Senior Process Engineer assesses a process efficiency, effectiveness, safety, and quality. They also conduct process improvement initiatives and custom product developments.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from industrial engineering supervisor resumes include skills like "ie," "safety procedures," "motion studies," and "operations management," whereas a senior process engineer is more likely to list skills in "project management," "sigma," "process design," and "technical support. "
Senior process engineers earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $107,116. Comparatively, industrial engineering supervisors have the highest earning potential in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $88,212.Most senior process engineers achieve a higher degree level compared to industrial engineering supervisors. For example, they're 6.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 5.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Industrial engineering supervisor vs. Co-operations engineer
A Co-Operations Engineer ensures that operations-related activities are performed in compliance with company standards and regulations. They optimize the overall efficiency of business.
Types of industrial engineering supervisor
Updated January 8, 2025
