Post job

Maintenance manager vs supervisor

The differences between maintenance managers and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a maintenance manager, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a maintenance manager has an average salary of $72,269, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.

The top three skills for a maintenance manager include OSHA, customer service and plumbing. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.

Maintenance manager vs supervisor overview

Maintenance ManagerSupervisor
Yearly salary$72,269$53,902
Hourly rate$34.74$25.91
Growth rate7%-
Number of jobs61,748224,920
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age4946
Years of experience42

What does a maintenance manager do?

A maintenance manager's role is to lead and oversee the workflow and workforce involved in the upkeep of a building or establishment. Duties include ensuring that all aspects are operational and in good condition. Some of the responsibilities of a maintenance manager are to supervise all installation and repairs in the building, arrange schedules for regular inspection, devise strategies, obtain cost-effective materials, and hire trustworthy contractors. Furthermore, maintenance managers must coordinate with all workforce involved and ensure that all operations adhere to the company's policies and regulations.

What does a supervisor do?

Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.

Maintenance manager vs supervisor salary

Maintenance managers and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Maintenance ManagerSupervisor
Average salary$72,269$53,902
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $109,000Between $31,000 And $92,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyAlaska
Best paying companyBP America IncReed Smith
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between maintenance manager and supervisor education

There are a few differences between a maintenance manager and a supervisor in terms of educational background:

Maintenance ManagerSupervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at AlfredStanford University

Maintenance manager vs supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between maintenance managers' and supervisors' demographics:

Maintenance ManagerSupervisor
Average age4946
Gender ratioMale, 94.0% Female, 6.0%Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage4%6%

Differences between maintenance manager and supervisor duties and responsibilities

Maintenance manager example responsibilities.

  • Select, contract, and manage vendors for MRO supplies or specialize maintenance services.
  • Maintain OEE on all equipment to achieve run performance goals and to produce 500MM pounds of finish product a year.
  • Arrange and schedule preventative and predictive maintenance activities to ensure maximum plant operational effectiveness using the CMMS system.
  • Reduce conversion expenses for plant maintenance by developing and implementing cost control strategies and the implementation CMMS base preventive maintenance program.
  • Implement vending machines plant wide for small electronic switches and cables.
  • Head of the maintenance department for a busy plastics sheeting extrusion plant.
  • Show more

Supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Lead continuous process improvement and six sigma teams to meet ISO 9001 and QS 9000 standards.
  • Manage and implement merchandising strategy for POS marketing and display inventory.
  • Lead comprehensive training for each new volunteer or court-mandate worker regarding OSHA regulations and warehouse procedure.
  • Organize care with 6 CNAs.
  • Coordinate lifeguard duty schedule for all pools.
  • Maintain cleanliness throughout kitchen, coolers, and freezer areas.
  • Show more

Maintenance manager vs supervisor skills

Common maintenance manager skills
  • OSHA, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Plumbing, 6%
  • HVAC, 6%
  • Continuous Improvement, 5%
  • CMMS, 4%
Common supervisor skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • POS, 9%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Payroll, 5%

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs