Lead operator vs planting supervisor

The differences between lead operators and planting supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lead operator and a planting supervisor. Additionally, a lead operator has an average salary of $88,429, which is higher than the $41,894 average annual salary of a planting supervisor.

The top three skills for a lead operator include customer service, HR and process improvement. The most important skills for a planting supervisor are OSHA, safety procedures, and preventative maintenance.

Lead operator vs planting supervisor overview

	Lead Operator	Planting Supervisor
Yearly salary	$88,429	$41,894
Hourly rate	$42.51	$20.14
Growth rate	7%	-
Number of jobs	87,338	59,990
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a lead operator do?

Lead operators are responsible for the direction and supervision of the day-to-day activities in facilities. As machine operators, they control machines and take charge of industrial operations. They handle and move objects, monitor processes, and inspect materials, structures, and equipment. Also, they may serve as mentors for the new production employees concerning occupational health and safety. They must be skilled in safety procedures, heavy equipment, preventive maintenance, and other things related to machine operations.

What does a planting supervisor do?

Planting Supervisors are responsible for administering the operations of cultivating and growing plants, be it for food, materials, comfort, or decorative beauty. Their duties include monitoring plants' health, ensuring proper feeding and watering of plants, supervising the mowing, trimming, fertilizing, mulching, edging, and weeding gardens, and facilitating trees and bushes pruning and trimming. Planting Supervisors are also involved in husbandry, managing disease and pest programs, budgeting, and updating work progress reports. They must keep abreast of the current horticulture developments in their area of specialty.

Lead operator vs planting supervisor salary

Lead operators and planting supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lead Operator	Planting Supervisor
Average salary	$88,429	$41,894
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $142,000	Between $27,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Juneau, AK
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Lakeland Electric
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between lead operator and planting supervisor education

There are a few differences between a lead operator and a planting supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Lead Operator	Planting Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Lead operator vs planting supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between lead operators' and planting supervisors' demographics:

	Lead Operator	Planting Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%	Male, 92.4% Female, 7.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lead operator and planting supervisor duties and responsibilities

Lead operator example responsibilities.

Plan, organize, and lead Kaizen activities as well as managed the cost reduction activities from idea to implementation.
Contact potential REO listing brokers achieving the highest return call rate.
Create UAT scripts and utilize statistical process controls to manage loan process quality and ensure consistency.
Achieve goals in various metrics, from sales to plan, payroll, additional services, print center.
Manage and organize incoming records and publications for use on SharePoint.
Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.

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Planting supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage and perform training per GMP and AIB standards.
Manage the USDA paperwork and daily inspections of the plant.
Manage all aspects such as payroll, vacation, discipline, training and safety issues for 118 plant employees.
Need to make sure that the facility are inspection ready at all times with USDA and FDA audits.
Help with plant inspections including SQF and HACCP.
Assist and troubleshoot in any operation that may have cause down time.

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Lead operator vs planting supervisor skills

Common lead operator skills

Customer Service, 18%
HR, 10%
Process Improvement, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 4%

Common planting supervisor skills

OSHA, 9%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Preventative Maintenance, 5%
Plant Operations, 5%
Lean Manufacturing, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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