Process leader vs production supervisor

The differences between process leaders and production supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a process leader and a production supervisor. Additionally, a process leader has an average salary of $88,400, which is higher than the $63,391 average annual salary of a production supervisor.

The top three skills for a process leader include customer service, cleanliness and sales floor. The most important skills for a production supervisor are lean manufacturing, safety procedures, and production schedules.

Process leader vs production supervisor overview

	Process Leader	Production Supervisor
Yearly salary	$88,400	$63,391
Hourly rate	$42.50	$30.48
Growth rate	11%	-
Number of jobs	71,467	83,529
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a process leader do?

A process leader is responsible for overseeing the operational processes of an organization to support business functions and client requirements. Process leaders evaluate the efficiency of workflow procedures, identifying inconsistencies, and revising processing techniques as needed to improve deliverables and maximize productivity. They also train new employees, share best practices, and address their difficulties by organizing a specific learning approach. A process leader must have excellent communication and organizational skills, such as writing progress reports and identifying opportunities that would drive revenue resources for the business.

What does a production supervisor do?

Production supervisors are employees who oversee the production process, usually handling activities directly related to people management. They manage employees by ensuring that the production floor employees are doing their work well and are motivated. Production supervisors guide employees and ensure that everyone is working towards company goals. They properly communicate these goals as well as the strategies to meet the set goals. Production supervisors have a direct hand in the hiring and subsequent training of employees. They should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and leadership skills.

Process leader vs production supervisor salary

Process leaders and production supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Leader	Production Supervisor
Average salary	$88,400	$63,391
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $132,000	Between $43,000 And $91,000
Highest paying City	Jersey City, NJ	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	BP America Inc	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between process leader and production supervisor education

There are a few differences between a process leader and a production supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Process Leader	Production Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Process leader vs production supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between process leaders' and production supervisors' demographics:

	Process Leader	Production Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 58.8% Female, 41.2%	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 5.4% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between process leader and production supervisor duties and responsibilities

Process leader example responsibilities.

Lead process cost, capacity, and ROI forecasting
Manage the movement of work in progress (WIP) through the departments.
Manage day-to-day logistics of work orders to ensure they are progressing as scheduled and customer commitments are being meet.
Design, build, train and manage new cross site data team to support integrate ERP system for change control.
Initiate supplier - kitting, Kanban and vendor manage inventory processes of hardware, pipe, fittings and expense items.
Plan and facilitate Kaizen events that lead to significant business improvement results.

Show more

Production supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage an run extruders an injection molds.
Utilize MRP system to monitor and manage raw material and finish goods inventory.
Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Manage departments responsible for beginning raw material production process using automate CNC control plasma cutting machines.
Lead targeted decision-making across fast-pace production operations for this growth-orient USDA food factory producing quality meat products.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.

Show more

Process leader vs production supervisor skills

Common process leader skills

Customer Service, 13%
Cleanliness, 8%
Sales Floor, 8%
Continuous Improvement, 7%
Project Management, 6%
Process Improvement, 6%

Common production supervisor skills

Lean Manufacturing, 9%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Production Schedules, 6%
Quality Standards, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
ISO, 4%

Process Leader vs. similar jobs

Process Leader related careers

Process Leader related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z