How to hire an operation supervisor

How to hire an operation supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step operation supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an operation supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new operation supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an operation supervisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the operation supervisor you need to hire. Certain operation supervisor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An operation supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, operation supervisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of operation supervisors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Operation Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Operation Supervisor	An Operation Supervisor coordinates the daily activities of an operations unit. They determine the workflow and scheduling of workers, complete reports, and implement operational policies and procedures.	$17-41
   Regional Operation Manager	A regional operation manager is in charge of overseeing multiple stores or warehouses in a particular region, ensuring efficiency and profitability. Their responsibilities typically revolve around setting sales targets, devising marketing and workforce management strategies, and gathering extensive data to produce progress reports and presentations... Show more	$27-50
   Team Leader/Supervisor	A team leader or supervisor is a professional who leads and supervises a workgroup's functionality through instructions and guidance in an organization. Team leaders provide support to staff members by way of coaching and skills development... Show more	$15-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Logistics
   • Safety Procedures
   • OSHA
   • Payroll
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Patients
   • Cleanliness
   • Safety Standards
   • Employee Engagement
   • Ladders
   • Process Improvement
   • Direct Reports
   • Customer Issues

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage labor and operating expenses to meet budget goals by utilizing KRONOS.
   • Manage the safety, quality, productivity, OEE, yields, & continuous improvement.
   • Manage the proper preparation of equipment for mechanical work as well as proper utilization of LOTO system.
   • Serve as member of HAZMAT team and manage all training, orientation and safety programs for entire facility.
   • Manage all inbound and outbound of product/inventory, and keep accurate counts in AS400 P.K.M.S warehouse management software.
   • Manage daily activities of up to 15 staff and up to 50 students at youth rehabilitation boarding facility.

   More operation supervisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the operation supervisor job description is a good way to get more applicants. An operation supervisor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an operation supervisor in Tennessee may be lower than in Louisiana, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level operation supervisor. Additionally, an operation supervisor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average operation supervisor salary

   $57,279yearly

   $27.54 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level operation supervisor salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average operation supervisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Kansas	$74,632	$36
   2	District of Columbia	$72,089	$35
   3	California	$69,066	$33
   4	Mississippi	$67,693	$33
   5	Iowa	$67,597	$33
   6	Wisconsin	$65,417	$31
   7	New York	$64,526	$31
   8	Oklahoma	$64,315	$31
   9	Colorado	$64,297	$31
   10	Washington	$63,546	$31
   11	Texas	$62,621	$30
   12	North Dakota	$61,675	$30
   13	Oregon	$61,345	$29
   14	Nevada	$60,942	$29
   15	Massachusetts	$60,558	$29
   16	Illinois	$60,256	$29
   17	Minnesota	$59,797	$29
   18	Arizona	$59,273	$29
   19	Maryland	$59,257	$28
   20	Pennsylvania	$58,965	$28

   Average operation supervisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Ropes & Gray	$126,756	$60.94	4
   2	Apple	$121,542	$58.43	19
   3	Novartis	$114,669	$55.13	7
   4	MUFG EMEA	$114,333	$54.97
   5	eBay	$113,895	$54.76	13
   6	Intuitive Surgical	$111,880	$53.79	3
   7	BNY Mellon	$110,786	$53.26	13
   8	Nomura Securities	$110,311	$53.03	1
   9	Citi	$110,270	$53.01	4
   10	BNP Paribas	$109,172	$52.49
   11	RSM US	$107,971	$51.91	171
   12	WEC Energy Group	$107,962	$51.90
   13	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$107,274	$51.57	189
   14	Palo Alto Networks	$106,287	$51.10	35
   15	Western Asset Management	$106,082	$51.00
   16	Mayo Clinic	$105,434	$50.69	7
   17	Levi Strauss & Co.	$105,388	$50.67	80
   18	General Motors	$104,836	$50.40	126
   19	Orange County Sanitation District	$102,380	$49.22
   20	Pacifi	$101,955	$49.02	5

4. Writing an operation supervisor job description

   A job description for an operation supervisor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an operation supervisor job description:

   Operation supervisor job description example

   As a family company, we serve people and communities. When you work at Meijer, you're provided with career and community opportunities centered around leadership, personal growth and development. Consider joining our family - take care of your career and your community!
   Meijer Rewards
   Weekly pay Scheduling flexibility Paid parental leave Paid education assistance Care.com/back-up care assistance Team member discount Development programs for advancement and career growth
   
   Please review the job profile below and apply today!
   
   This position is responsible for planning the daily shipping and receiving activities of the unit to achieve department and organizational metrics. Determines job assignments and coordinates all aspects of receiving, selection, put-away, safety, inventory control and sanitation, ensuring productivity goals are met efficiently.
   .
   
   What You'll be Doing:
   
   Interviews, trains, develops and maintains appropriate staffing levels to meet daily operational goals. Works to identify high potential team members within their span of care that may be interested in further development opportunities, helping create a succession bench for leadership Foster positive working relationships with new and existing Team Members and Union representatives, where applicable, to promote Team Member satisfaction and increase retention Cultivate a positive and innovative work environment. Promotes a team environment that values, encourages and supports differences. Ensure adherence to Meijer policies, procedures and practices. Responsible to establish and maintain DC Scorecard metrics for productivity and efficiency for defined area of responsibility. Utilizes data-based analysis to identify opportunities for improved operating performance. Trains, coaches and leads work teams to achieve performance, quality, cost and service goals. Ensures their ability to safely operate material handling equipment to move materials to and from storage configurations. Manages team member concerns and leads all investigations. Provides recommendation on discipline if needed to their First Assistant and Human Resources representative for alignment. Monitor and track performance metrics for direct reports. Deliver coaching, retraining and disciplinary action to team members as necessary. Responsibility for continuous evaluation of warehouse processes. Identifies and provides recommendations to leadership for process improvements. Administrative duties related to production, shipping and quality performance. This job profile is not meant to be all inclusive of the responsibilities of this position; may perform other duties as assigned or required.
   
   What You Bring with You (Qualifications):
   Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management preferred. 3+ years of leadership and/or warehouse management experience. Proven analytical, problem solving and organizational skills. Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Conflict resolution and performance management.
   
   .
   
   .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find operation supervisors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your operation supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit operation supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit operation supervisors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new operation supervisor

   Once you've found the operation supervisor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new operation supervisor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an operation supervisor?