Line leader vs production supervisor

The differences between line leaders and production 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 line leader and a production supervisor. Additionally, a production supervisor has an average salary of $63,391, which is higher than the $36,217 average annual salary of a line leader.

The top three skills for a line leader include continuous improvement, customer service and safety procedures. The most important skills for a production supervisor are lean manufacturing, safety procedures, and production schedules.

Line leader vs production supervisor overview

	Line Leader	Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$36,217	$63,391
Hourly rate	$17.41	$30.48
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	130,588	83,529
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a line leader do?

Production line leaders or production team leaders typically work in the manufacturing industry. These leaders undertake both mental and physical work, including filing reports and paperwork, helping in order completion, and managing production assembly lines. They physically contain construction materials to ensure correct handling. Also, they oversee the varying activities within the organization or department. Among their tasks include inventory control, data entry, and product quality.

What does a production supervisor do?

Production supervisors are employees who oversee the production process, usually handling activities directly related to people management. They manage employees by ensuring that the production floor employees are doing their work well and are motivated. Production supervisors guide employees and ensure that everyone is working towards company goals. They properly communicate these goals as well as the strategies to meet the set goals. Production supervisors have a direct hand in the hiring and subsequent training of employees. They should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and leadership skills.

Line leader vs production supervisor salary

Line leaders and production supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Line Leader	Production Supervisor
Average salary	$36,217	$63,391
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $55,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Microsoft	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between line leader and production supervisor education

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

	Line Leader	Production Supervisor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Line leader vs production supervisor demographics

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

	Line Leader	Production Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 4.7% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between line leader and production supervisor duties and responsibilities

Line leader example responsibilities.

Lead Kaizen event to establish best practices for estimating methodology and reporting templates.
Manage and develop associates base on organizational and developmental needs/conduct monthly one-on-ones with each employee to provide guidance and leadership.
Gain knowledge of USDA, OSHA, HACCP, VPP, and ISO regulations and requirements within a manufacturing environment.
Walk with QA and USDA around floor to ensure are that all areas are up to standards and ready for production.
Used SMT to place capacitors onto PCB.
Develop and maintain a safe manufacturing environment by assuring compliance with OSHA and CFR applicable as company policies.

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Production supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage an run extruders an injection molds.
Utilize MRP system to monitor and manage raw material and finish goods inventory.
Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Manage departments responsible for beginning raw material production process using automate CNC control plasma cutting machines.
Lead targeted decision-making across fast-pace production operations for this growth-orient USDA food factory producing quality meat products.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.

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Line leader vs production supervisor skills

Common line leader skills

Continuous Improvement, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Safety Procedures, 8%
Quality Checks, 6%
Assembly Line, 5%
GMP, 4%

Common production supervisor skills

Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Production Schedules, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
ISO, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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