How to hire a plant superintendent

How to hire a plant superintendent, step by step

Here's a step-by-step plant superintendent hiring guide:

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

What does a plant superintendent do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a plant superintendent, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect plant superintendent also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents plant superintendent salaries for various positions.

   Type of Plant Superintendent	Description	Hourly rate
   Plant Superintendent	Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or paper products.	$32-64
   Value Stream Manager	A value stream manager is responsible for monitoring supply chain management operations and enhancing logistics performance to prevent operational delays and minimize waste loss. Value stream managers determine the strengths and weaknesses of every process within the supply chain and identify opportunities that would increase efficiency and growth, delivering high-quality outputs, and generating more resources for revenues... Show more	$37-71
   Production Control Manager	A project control manager is an executive who manages, develops, and coordinates the schedules of production in the industrial environment. Production control managers make sure of the flow of parts, materials, and assemblies within or between departments... Show more	$25-70

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Plant Safety
   • Production Supervisors
   • OSHA
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Plant Operations
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Production Schedules
   • Corrective Action
   • Human Resources
   • Quality Standards
   • Asphalt
   • Production Equipment
   • Safety Program
   • Direct Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
   • Establish safety training program and documentation to satisfy OSHA requirements.
   • Direct and monitor plant personnel in accordance with OSHA regulations and company safety program.
   • Function as plant buyer, scheduler, maintenance, and QC lab tech.
   • Assist machine shop employee's adherence to GMP regulations and completing all necessary paperwork.
   • Organize training programs for the production personnel GMP, safety compliance and S.O.P's.

   More plant superintendent duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your plant superintendent job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A plant superintendent salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a plant superintendent in Arkansas may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level plant superintendent usually earns less than a senior-level plant superintendent. Additionally, a plant superintendent with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average plant superintendent salary

   $95,149yearly

   $45.74 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level plant superintendent salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average plant superintendent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$117,168	$56
   2	Washington	$99,752	$48
   3	Oregon	$99,672	$48
   4	Texas	$94,753	$46
   5	Wisconsin	$93,660	$45
   6	New York	$90,919	$44
   7	Maryland	$90,821	$44
   8	Arizona	$86,715	$42
   9	Illinois	$82,719	$40
   10	Colorado	$72,558	$35
   11	Florida	$71,266	$34

   Average plant superintendent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Koch Industries	$125,973	$60.56	1
   2	Crown Holdings	$107,640	$51.75	20
   3	Granite Construction	$104,704	$50.34	38
   4	Babcock Power	$102,860	$49.45
   5	Lear	$101,964	$49.02	14
   6	JENNMAR	$100,428	$48.28	38
   7	Praxair	$97,412	$46.83
   8	Ball	$96,698	$46.49	7
   9	Oldcastle Infrastructure	$96,312	$46.30	165
   10	Anheuser-Busch	$93,547	$44.97	5
   11	El Paso Electric	$93,086	$44.75
   12	Xcel Energy	$93,074	$44.75	12
   13	Sid Richardson Carbon & Energy	$92,690	$44.56
   14	Garney Holding Company	$91,573	$44.03	138
   15	ADM	$88,973	$42.78	42
   16	EMD Millipore	$82,866	$39.84
   17	Crest Industries	$81,420	$39.14	4
   18	WestRock	$81,319	$39.10	37
   19	Bolta Werke	$80,541	$38.72
   20	International Paper	$80,436	$38.67	9

4. Writing a plant superintendent job description

   A job description for a plant superintendent 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 a plant superintendent job description:

   Plant superintendent job description example

   Perdue Foods is part of Perdue Farms, a family-owned company heading into it's second century of growth and innovation. With a goal of becoming the most trusted name in premium proteins, we create products for consumers and for retail and foodservice customers around the globe, while changing the way animals are raised for food.
   **Summary**
   
   Responsible for plant effectiveness and efficiency for a section of a processing and/or cook plant. Provides direction, training, coaching, directing to Team Leaders and indirectly to hourly production associates. Works to achieve company established goads on production activities. Provides a safe and secure working environment for all associates utilizing company-approved processes. Promotes a positive working relationship with the production and support staff to make the company the Employer of Choice.
   
   **Principal and Essential Duties & Responsibilities**
   
   Establishes, measures and is accountable for operating, as well as capital budgets for the assigned area in a manner to enable the operation to maintain a competitive position in the industry.Meets all facility operational plans, to ensure yield, birds per man-hour, pounds per man-hour, line efficiency, CSI, QI requirements are met.Ensures processes are in place to continuously reduce turnover, improve safety results as measured by the Safety Scorecard, and create the environment that will make the facility the Employee of Choice in the area.Ensures processes are in place to continually provide training to improve supervisory skills of staff, and improve the skill set of the hourly production associates to maximize the results of individual and team efforts.Constantly develops new ideas and methods to improve operational performance and improve product quality and customer reliability.Supports and promotes the Company's annual People, Products, Profitability and Planet goals through effective planning, communication, emphasizing the requirement for all team members to be efficient and effective in their respective responsibilities.
   
   **Minimum Education**
   
   Bachelors degree in Poultry Science, Animal Science, Agriculture, Engineering or related discipline or equivalent work experience
   
   **Experience Requirements**
   
   3-5 years work experience. Should be computer literate with skills in Microsoft Office. Requires experience with various industry accepted procedures, including HACCP, SPC, etc. and plant efficiency as it relates to yield, lbs./birds, pmh, line speeds and automatic process equipment. Proven track record demonstrating ability to lead people and get results. Must be able to organize multiple protocols/projects and complete on schedule. Requires prior supervisory experience. Knowledge of and ability to provide strong customer orientation. Must be able to communicate to all levels of the organization; possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Must be able to travel to other facilities and plants for meetings and/or company business.
   
   **Experience Preferred**
   
   **Environmental Factors and Physical Requirements**
   
   1. May need to move light equipment or supplies from one place to another. 2. May need to access files, supplies and equipment. 3. When in a plant environment: Exposure primarily consists of wet and moist floors which include metal and plastic grating surfaces. May be exposed to temperatures of 28 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit with both ambient and 100% humidity. May handle product 25 degrees to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. May be exposed to noise ranges of 50 db to 110 db. May be exposed to all chemicals used in poultry, food, processing facility. Must wear and use protective and safety equipment required for the job as directed by the Company.
   
   _Perdue Farms, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status._

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find plant superintendents for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any plant superintendents they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level plant superintendents with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting plant superintendents requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 plant superintendent

   Once you've selected the best plant superintendent 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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