How to hire a planning supervisor

How to hire a planning supervisor, step by step

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

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

What does a planning supervisor do?

Post a planning supervisor job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the planning supervisor you need to hire. Certain planning 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

   A planning supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, planning 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 planning supervisors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Planning Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Planning Supervisor	Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.	$30-51
   Production Clerk	Production clerks are involved with parts, warehousing, and inventory management operations. Those who choose this career path will be required to review and distribute production, work, and shipment schedules, as well as confer with department supervisors in order to determine the progress of work and completion dates... Show more	$12-19
   Supply Chain Manager	A supply chain manager is an individual who takes responsibility for managing hardware, equipment, and any other logistical details of an organization. Supply chain managers work alongside the external partners for parts and raw material procurement... Show more	$34-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Continuous Improvement
   • Logistics
   • MRP
   • Material Planning
   • Production Planning
   • Strong Analytical
   • On-Time Delivery
   • Media Planning
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Direct Reports
   • ISO
   • ERP
   • Process Improvement
   • Inventory Control

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage inventories of FDA fine chemicals, glass bottles, caps, labels, and shipping materials.
   • Develop and manage dual eligible program for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
   • Prepare construction schedule in Primavera P6.
   • Develop expert knowledge in new ERP program, design and deliver training sessions, and develop ISO procedures.
   • Develop and implement appropriate measurement systems capable of assessing overall logistics performance, inventory turnover, and customer satisfaction.
   • Control sales orders / forecast vs. commit before and after loading into ERP system.

   More planning supervisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your planning supervisor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A planning supervisor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, planning supervisors' average salary in wyoming is 46% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level planning supervisors earn 40% less than senior-level planning supervisors.
   • Certifications. A planning supervisor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a planning supervisor's salary.

   Average planning supervisor salary

   $83,428yearly

   $40.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level planning supervisor salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average planning supervisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$100,253	$48
   2	Illinois	$95,731	$46
   3	Pennsylvania	$93,653	$45
   4	Colorado	$91,805	$44
   5	California	$90,211	$43
   6	Michigan	$89,209	$43
   7	Massachusetts	$86,330	$42
   8	New York	$86,070	$41
   9	North Carolina	$85,750	$41
   10	District of Columbia	$84,584	$41
   11	Minnesota	$84,176	$40
   12	Ohio	$83,004	$40
   13	Texas	$82,695	$40
   14	Indiana	$81,096	$39
   15	Maryland	$80,441	$39
   16	Georgia	$78,418	$38
   17	Oklahoma	$78,063	$38
   18	Montana	$78,037	$38
   19	Arizona	$77,566	$37
   20	South Dakota	$77,279	$37

   Average planning supervisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$111,541	$53.63
   2	Cargill	$110,094	$52.93	3
   3	Corning Incorporated	$101,941	$49.01	6
   4	OSI Systems	$100,477	$48.31
   5	Abbott	$94,246	$45.31	19
   6	W. R. Grace & Co	$93,504	$44.95
   7	Volvo Trucks	$93,460	$44.93
   8	Solectron Corp	$92,601	$44.52	6
   9	Sierra Nevada	$91,533	$44.01	8
   10	Ball	$91,324	$43.91	1
   11	Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.	$91,275	$43.88
   12	Boston Scientific	$90,992	$43.75	4
   13	Sierra Pacific Industries	$90,668	$43.59
   14	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$90,348	$43.44	10
   15	Beckman Coulter	$90,136	$43.33
   16	Spirit Airlines	$89,861	$43.20
   17	Smithfield Foods	$88,524	$42.56	3
   18	UPS	$88,059	$42.34	5
   19	American Electric Power	$87,066	$41.86	1
   20	Spark Foundry	$86,598	$41.63

4. Writing a planning supervisor job description

   A planning supervisor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a planning supervisor job description:

   Planning supervisor job description example

   GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: Within the Emergency Management Agency, to perform analytical and supervisory work in developing State and Local mitigation plans or providing oversight for a major emergency program in the Planning Branch of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency; to plan and organize their unit's planning or program activities; coordinate projects and negotiate programs with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local government; and participate in major preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation operations; to be responsible for independently developing Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) applications for submittal to FEMA from the State of Rhode Island while maintaining statewide scope and visibility on potential, ongoing, and past projects; and do related work as required. SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Works under the administrative direction of a superior with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment and initiative in supervising and organizing the branch's planning or program activities; work is subject to review through consultations and/or written reports for satisfactory performance and conformance to laws, policies, directives, rules and regulations. SUPERVISION EXERCISED: Plans, assigns, supervises and reviews the work of a professional and technical staff.ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK PERFORMED To work with municipalities, state agencies, and nonprofits across the entire state to develop both small and complex multi-stakeholder HMGP applications, designing and independently implementing outreach activities from HMGP application opportunities, and coordinating FEMA-applicant correspondence regarding HMGP program developments, and individual application needs. To independently maintain HMGP and Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) project database and files, and is independently responsible for submitting to FEMA, tracking, and bringing to award multiple millions of dollars in HMGP applications. To coordinate the technical assistance RIEMA staff and contractors provide to HMGP applications. To independently review municipal and regional Local Hazard Mitigation Plans (LHMP) for compliance with FEMA requirements. To coordinate the statewide support to municipalities and Regional Planning Commissions for LHMPs, including developing and implementing outreach for local officials is expected. To oversee and provide guidance to temporary staff, interns, and private contractors fulfilling Hazard Mitigation program technical assistance. To plan, coordinate, and perform informational work at a technical level involving the provision of hazard mitigation planning support REIMA. To act as the State Hazard Mitigation Officer. To interact with emergency management and governmental officials at the regional, state and local levels and governmental officials at the regional, state, and local levels. To coordinate the State Hazard Mitigation Plan update process including the State Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee, Regular Correspondence with State of RI Congressional delegation and Agency of Administration staff regarding HMGP status reports. To participate in state mitigation and resiliency conducted by partner organizations, and state and federal agencies. To participate in exercises and drills as well as actual emergencies at the SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) that require outside of normal business hours participation. To do related duties as required.KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND CAPACITIES: A thorough knowledge of hazard inventory and risk assessment of strategies; a thorough knowledge of the Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs; a thorough knowledge of and ability to understand federal financial services and guidance related to 404 and 406 Mitigation Programs; a thorough knowledge of and ability to explain and conduct Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA) in support of Mitigation projects; a thorough knowledge of state and federal hazard mitigation programs; a thorough knowledge of and ability to communicate effectively through a variety of media; a thorough knowledge of and ability to analyze problems, interpret data, determine alternatives, and propose solutions; a thorough knowledge of and ability to prepare and present oral reports of considerable complexity with clarity and persuasiveness; a thorough knowledge of and ability to prepare federal assistance requests and OEM grant proposals/applications; a working knowledge of and ability to prepare and administer mitigation projects budgets; a working knowledge of and ability to understand financial guidance and assistance to local jurisdictions that receive pass-through federal money; a working knowledge of and ability to process emergency grant proposals; a working knowledge of and ability to approve payments to disaster recipients; a working knowledge of and ability to review and approval of project worksheets; a working knowledge of and ability to manage contract approvals with sub grantees; a working knowledge of and ability to develop mitigation projects and strategies; a working knowledge of information dissemination practices and techniques; a working knowledge of personal computers and database management software; the ability to liaison with local and Federal officials; the ability to interpret Federal Guidance and OMB Circulars; the ability to administer mitigation funds; the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships; and related capacities and abilities. Must be familiar with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) processes and software.
   
   EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Education: Such as may have been gained through: Possession of a Bachelor's degree in Emergency Management, Homeland Security, Fire and Life Safety, or related field such as risk management or continuity planning; and Experience: Such as may have been gained through: Considerable employment in emergency management in a private, local, state or federal emergency management agency similar public safety related organization. Or, any combination of education and experience that shall be substantially equivalent to the above education and experience.
   SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
   
   At the time of appointment:
   
   1. Must obtain and maintain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator's license.
   
   Within six (6) months of appointment (subject to course availability):
   
   1. Must obtain and maintain certificates of training for ICS 100, 200, 300, 400, 700, and 800.
   
   2. Must obtain and maintain completion of FEMA Professional Development Series.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right planning supervisor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with planning supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit planning supervisors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your planning supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit planning 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 planning 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 planning supervisor

   Once you've selected the best planning supervisor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   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 planning 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a planning supervisor?