Inventory control supervisor vs materials supervisor

The differences between inventory control supervisors and materials supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an inventory control supervisor, becoming a materials supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a materials supervisor has an average salary of $67,592, which is higher than the $43,925 average annual salary of an inventory control supervisor.

The top three skills for an inventory control supervisor include customer service, RF and pallets. The most important skills for a materials supervisor are continuous improvement, safety procedures, and logistics.

Inventory control supervisor vs materials supervisor overview

	Inventory Control Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Yearly salary	$43,925	$67,592
Hourly rate	$21.12	$32.50
Growth rate	-3%	6%
Number of jobs	62,015	61,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	47	46
Years of experience	6	2

What does an inventory control supervisor do?

An inventory control supervisor is responsible for overseeing and coordinating various administrative and clerical activities and functions of an organization. In this role, you will be responsible for training the staff and supervising their work to ensure that policies, procedures, deadlines, and quality standards are complied with. Other tasks that you will perform include training staff on payroll processes, overseeing the work of inventory control staff, and working closely with the inventory control manager. As an inventory control supervisor, you will also be responsible for managing inventory transactions and providing feedback to the team.

What does a materials supervisor do?

The job of a materials supervisor is to oversee the shipping, receiving, handling, and warehousing of materials. You will supervise the transport of materials and ensure that the material needs of an organization are met. Typical job duties include overseeing the daily business operations of the group, ensuring best practices in safety, productivity, housekeeping. The supervisors ensure that attendance is being followed and monitoring routine operations in materials management, including logistics and planning. As a materials supervisor, you are also expected to mentor team members for professional and personal development.

Inventory control supervisor vs materials supervisor salary

Inventory control supervisors and materials supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inventory Control Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average salary	$43,925	$67,592
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $58,000	Between $51,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Elkhart, IN
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Wyoming
Best paying company	Elbit Systems of America	Mercy Corps
Best paying industry	Automotive	Manufacturing

Differences between inventory control supervisor and materials supervisor education

There are a few differences between an inventory control supervisor and a materials supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Inventory Control Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California State University - Bakersfield	Stanford University

Inventory control supervisor vs materials supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between inventory control supervisors' and materials supervisors' demographics:

	Inventory Control Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average age	47	46
Gender ratio	Male, 70.8% Female, 29.2%	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between inventory control supervisor and materials supervisor duties and responsibilities

Inventory control supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage and implement KPI s to analyze and improve departmental and personal performance.
Manage control measures to ensure mistakes, inaccuracies and discrepancies are highlight, addressed and resolve.
Conduct inventory moves and consolidations in various areas as required using WMS RF gun.
Maintain inventory accuracy, balancing inventory variances, inventory placement, product setup in WMS in over 22,000 bin locations.
Collaborate on process improvement and train-the-trainer programs to implement a WMS.
Make sure all load moves for raw materials are done and done correctly in AS400 system.

Materials supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the inventory of electrical parts and component using KANBAN.
Manage a free BOM scrubber design to review manufacturer's current part lists.
Develop, implement, and manage logistics of outsource manufacturing operations to sister companies in Canada and Italy.
Establish procedures that manage critical factors such as moisture sensitivity, electrostatic discharge, storeroom temperature and FIFO inventory staging system.
Implement new inventory management system into MRP.
Implement OSHA forklift safety standards to ensure safe and efficient warehouse operations when unloading freight trucks.

Inventory control supervisor vs materials supervisor skills

Common inventory control supervisor skills

Customer Service, 11%
RF, 7%
Pallets, 7%
Logistics, 6%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 5%

Common materials supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Inventory Control, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%
MRP, 4%

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Inventory Control Supervisor
Inventory Control Supervisor vs Materials Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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