Pilot plant supervisor vs pilot plant operator

The differences between pilot plant supervisors and pilot plant operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a pilot plant supervisor, becoming a pilot plant operator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a pilot plant supervisor has an average salary of $88,732, which is higher than the $42,462 average annual salary of a pilot plant operator.

The top three skills for a pilot plant supervisor include R, GMP and safety training. The most important skills for a pilot plant operator are powerpoint, NAS, and federal aviation administration.

Pilot plant supervisor vs pilot plant operator overview

	Pilot Plant Supervisor	Pilot Plant Operator
Yearly salary	$88,732	$42,462
Hourly rate	$42.66	$20.41
Growth rate	3%	-7%
Number of jobs	36,271	37,804
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	2	6

Pilot plant supervisor vs pilot plant operator salary

Pilot plant supervisors and pilot plant operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pilot Plant Supervisor	Pilot Plant Operator
Average salary	$88,732	$42,462
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $131,000	Between $27,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between pilot plant supervisor and pilot plant operator education

There are a few differences between a pilot plant supervisor and a pilot plant operator in terms of educational background:

	Pilot Plant Supervisor	Pilot Plant Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Chemical Engineering	Chemical Engineering
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Cincinnati

Pilot plant supervisor vs pilot plant operator demographics

Here are the differences between pilot plant supervisors' and pilot plant operators' demographics:

	Pilot Plant Supervisor	Pilot Plant Operator
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 97.4% Female, 2.6%	Male, 79.0% Female, 21.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	11%

Differences between pilot plant supervisor and pilot plant operator duties and responsibilities

Pilot plant supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage daily operations of USDA facility.
Maintain an OSHA compliant work environment, enforce affirmative attendance policy, maintain complete inventory records and met/exceed production goals.
Verify and insure satisfactory operation of process exhaust scrubbers.

Pilot plant operator example responsibilities.

Develop and manage a comprehensive vendor qualification program to support the GMP manufacture of vaccine products.
Set up and maintain distillation columns.
Utilize GC's for routine process analysis.
perform corrective and preventative maintenance of DCS.
Perform LOTO procedures and issue hot work and confine entry permits.
Operate and maintain the batch plant including drycast and wetcast mixers.

Pilot plant supervisor vs pilot plant operator skills

Common pilot plant supervisor skills

R, 50%
GMP, 11%
Safety Training, 10%
Pilot Plant Equipment, 10%
EHS, 5%
Production Schedules, 3%

Common pilot plant operator skills

PowerPoint, 19%
NAS, 13%
Federal Aviation Administration, 13%
Voice Commands, 11%
Air Traffic Control, 10%
GMP, 5%

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Pilot Plant Supervisor
Pilot Plant Supervisor vs Pilot Plant Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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