Line leader vs shift production supervisor

The differences between line leaders and shift 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 shift production supervisor. Additionally, a line leader has an average salary of $36,217, which is higher than the $35,127 average annual salary of a shift production supervisor.

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

Line leader vs shift production supervisor overview

	Line Leader	Shift Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$36,217	$35,127
Hourly rate	$17.41	$16.89
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	130,588	132,563
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
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 shift production supervisor do?

A shift production supervisor is in charge of overseeing business operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach production standards and production targets, supervising and assessing staff performance, delegating tasks, managing schedules, and prioritizing customer satisfaction. They may also produce progress reports and presentations, address and resolve any issues or concerns, and train new workforce members. Furthermore, as a supervisor, it is essential to lead and encourage team members, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Line leader vs shift production supervisor salary

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

	Line Leader	Shift Production Supervisor
Average salary	$36,217	$35,127
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $55,000	Between $22,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Greeley, CO
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Wyoming
Best paying company	Microsoft	Vicor
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between line leader and shift production supervisor education

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

	Line Leader	Shift Production Supervisor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Line leader vs shift production supervisor demographics

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

	Line Leader	Shift Production Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 5.6% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between line leader and shift 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.

Shift production supervisor example responsibilities.

Set and ensure production rates, troubleshoot process issues, and manage downtime in a safe and effective manner.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.
Involve in daily USDA inspections, FDA audits, monitoring HACCP program and maintaining OSHA standards within the plant.
Train on FDA and GMP practices require for the pharmaceutical industry.
Maintain and set-up RF equipment.
Inspect product for quality issues to ISO standards.

Line leader vs shift 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 shift production supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 13%
Lean Manufacturing, 12%
Production Schedules, 4%
OSHA, 4%
Lean Six Sigma, 4%
Quality Standards, 3%

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Line Leader
Line Leader vs Shift Production Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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