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How to hire a production superintendent

Production superintendent hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring production superintendents in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire a production superintendent is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per production superintendent on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 42,524 production superintendents in the US and 101,534 job openings.
  • Sanford, NC, has the highest demand for production superintendents, with 8 job openings.
  • Houston, TX has the highest concentration of production superintendents.

How to hire a production superintendent, step by step

To hire a production superintendent, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a production superintendent:

Here's a step-by-step production 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 production superintendent job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new production superintendent
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a production superintendent do?

A production superintendent oversees the production operations of manufacturing plants to ensure their efficiency and adherence to guidelines, budgets, and timelines. They have the authority to coordinate meetings with managers and teams to set objectives and schedules, supervise the use of funds, address issues and concerns, conduct assessments and evaluations, and develop strategies to meet production goals. Moreover, as a production superintendent, it is essential to lead staff while implementing the company's safety policies and regulations for a smooth and safe workflow.

Learn more about the specifics of what a production superintendent does
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your production superintendent job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a production superintendent for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a production superintendent to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a production superintendent that fits the bill.

    This list presents production superintendent salaries for various positions.

    Type of Production SuperintendentDescriptionHourly rate
    Production Superintendent$29-60
    Shop ForemanA shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks... Show more$22-46
    Line LeaderProduction line leaders or production team leaders typically work in the manufacturing industry. These leaders undertake both mental and physical work, including filing reports and paperwork, helping in order completion, and managing production assembly lines... Show more$11-26
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Continuous Improvement
    • OSHA
    • Production Supervisors
    • Safety Standards
    • Product Quality
    • Equipment Maintenance
    • Production Operations
    • Production Schedules
    • Lean Manufacturing
    • Quality Standards
    • Customer Satisfaction
    • Safety Procedures
    • Direct Reports
    • Sigma
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage day-to-day operation and maintenance activities in a high volume, OSHA, PSM cover specialty chemical manufacturing facility.
    • Participate in kaizen events and lean projects.
    • Script SQL commands for data mining and ad-hoc reports.
    • Analyze vendor data and debug production databases (SQL).
    • Introduce Kaizen and SPC to facility and develop metrics for operating unit.
    • Train employees in hazard analysis of critical control points (HACCP).
    More production superintendent duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the production superintendent job description is a good way to get more applicants. A production superintendent 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 a production superintendent in Missouri may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level production superintendent. Additionally, a production superintendent with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average production superintendent salary

    $88,703yearly

    $42.65 hourly rate

    Entry-level production superintendent salary
    $62,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 30, 2026

    Average production superintendent salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1New Jersey$116,566$56
    2California$96,479$46
    3North Carolina$90,442$43
    4Texas$89,000$43
    5Alabama$88,281$42
    6Virginia$88,258$42
    7Louisiana$88,121$42
    8Mississippi$85,507$41
    9Pennsylvania$85,331$41
    10Georgia$85,212$41
    11South Carolina$83,355$40
    12Michigan$81,000$39
    13Wisconsin$75,793$36
    14Tennessee$75,585$36
    15Washington$75,331$36
    16Kentucky$70,594$34
    17Colorado$64,951$31
    18Missouri$57,849$28
    19Arkansas$57,731$28

    Average production superintendent salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Bunge$123,870$59.5525
    2Cheniere Energy$119,700$57.551
    3Occidental Petroleum$107,317$51.59
    4Stepan$99,734$47.95
    5CyberCoders$99,075$47.63
    6Koch Industries$98,176$47.2056
    7Praxair$97,692$46.97
    8Cargill$97,093$46.68111
    9DTE Energy$94,097$45.24
    10Tekni-Plex$91,419$43.9515
    11ICONMA$90,168$43.352
    12The Judge Group$88,878$42.73
    13Sasol Chemicals (USA) LLC$88,211$42.411
    14ZF Group$87,774$42.2010
    15GPAC$86,567$41.62
    16Hormel Foods$86,381$41.5347
    17Butterball$83,284$40.0413
    18Johns Manville$82,740$39.785
    19General Dynamics$81,508$39.1994
    20Sandy Alexander Inc.$80,243$38.58
  4. Writing a production superintendent job description

    A job description for a production 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 production superintendent job description:

    Production superintendent job description example

    JM Eagle™ is the world’s largest plastic pipe manufacturer, and we are committed to serving the future of people and the planet by delivering life’s essentials through the most eco-friendly plastic pipe products on the market. With the widest range of PVC and PE pipes available, we combine the stable lineage of two industry-leading plastic pipe producers with the dynamic development of pipes that are the best choice for our customers and our world. Why do we believe our pipes are the way of the future? Plastic pipe is estimated to last 100-150 years, reducing waste and giving individuals decades of receiving important resources without a second thought. We have the backing of decades of satisfied customers, and we move toward the future with industry-leading green initiatives and strict manufacturing standards. And with the knowledge that we have the power to deliver clean water, JM Eagle™ has donated our pipe to projects in developing countries- over 400 miles to date.

    SUMMARY The Production Superintendent supervises and directs plant operations in the most efficient manner to produce quality products.

    ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

    • Supervises and directs all production department personnel in the effective and economic utilization of the plant's manufacturing facilities to produce products to the company and customer's specifications according to production schedules.

    • Recommends alternations and replacement of equipment as they become either obsolete, or in need of alternation or re-design, and makes improvement as necessary to effectively meet production schedules and quality standards.

    • Interviews, selects and hires qualified personnel for production.

    • Develops and controls those items of expense budgets associated with the operation of the production department and initiates cost reduction as appropriate

    • Maintains a high level of standards for safety, housekeeping and environmental goals commensurate with J M Eagle policies and practices as they relate to both corporate and community needs.

    • Serves as technical advisor to the Plant Manager and maintains cooperation with other departments and personnel with the plant.

    • Develops and maintains satisfactory employee relations including the exercising of necessary discipline procedure in accordance with and cooperation with industrial relations practices and policies.

    • Is responsible for the effective training of assigned employees.

    • Helps to develop and maintain reporting of production priorities needed to effectively measure department's activities and in corporation with the plant's service departments.

    • Maintains good community relationships as they relate to assigned employees and the plant's effectiveness in reaching its objectives.

    • Maintains records and inventories to effectively meet downtime goals but within the plants budgets and good investment practices. Production Superintendent.

    EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

    • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering or related field or equivalent education, training and experience.

    • Diverse knowledge of complex plastic processes and their equipment, include repairs installation and maintenance.

    What we offer

    Great Benefits package including:

    Medical and Dental Benefits – substantially company-paid!

    Vision insurance

    401(k) with company match

    Company-paid Pension

    Disability insurance

    Life insurance – company paid

    Flexible spending account

    Paid time off

    Parental leave

    Company DescriptionWith 22 manufacturing plants throughout North America, JM Eagle manufactures the widest array of high-grade, high-performance polyvinyl chloride and high-density polyethylene pipe across a variety of industries and applications including utility, solvent weld, electrical conduit, natural gas, irrigation, potable water and sewage.
    JM Eagle is the world’s largest plastic pipe manufacturer—an innovative leader that combines advanced technology with superior customer service to create the industry’s most sophisticated and diverse products. JM Eagle gives its customers a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace with the greatest capacity and geographic reach.
    JM Eagle joins the strengths of two industry-leading plastic pipe producers, including complementary product lines as well as specialty pipe and unique product innovations. We’re committed to serving each and every customer in the best way possible. Through this merger, we look forward to strengthening our existing relationships, and developing new ones in the future. JM EagleTM remains committed to our core value of delivering life’s essentials through the most eco-friendly plastic pipe products on the market. We pride ourselves on being able to illustrate the vital role our products play in improving and maintaining the health and quality of life throughout the world. We will continue to manufacture plastic pipe to serve the world’s growing needs.
  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find production superintendents 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 production superintendent job on Zippia to find and recruit production superintendent candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Your first interview with production superintendent candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 production superintendent

    Once you have selected a candidate for the production superintendent position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    To prepare for the new production superintendent first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  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 a production superintendent?

Recruiting production superintendents involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

Production superintendents earn a median yearly salary is $88,703 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find production superintendents for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $29 and $60.

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