Production superintendent vs lead operator

The differences between production superintendents and lead operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a production superintendent and a lead operator. Additionally, a production superintendent has an average salary of $88,703, which is higher than the $88,429 average annual salary of a lead operator.

The top three skills for a production superintendent include continuous improvement, OSHA and production supervisors. The most important skills for a lead operator are customer service, HR, and process improvement.

Production superintendent vs lead operator overview

	Production Superintendent	Lead Operator
Yearly salary	$88,703	$88,429
Hourly rate	$42.65	$42.51
Growth rate	-	7%
Number of jobs	101,534	87,338
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

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.

What does a lead operator do?

Lead operators are responsible for the direction and supervision of the day-to-day activities in facilities. As machine operators, they control machines and take charge of industrial operations. They handle and move objects, monitor processes, and inspect materials, structures, and equipment. Also, they may serve as mentors for the new production employees concerning occupational health and safety. They must be skilled in safety procedures, heavy equipment, preventive maintenance, and other things related to machine operations.

Production superintendent vs lead operator salary

Production superintendents and lead operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Superintendent	Lead Operator
Average salary	$88,703	$88,429
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $125,000	Between $54,000 And $142,000
Highest paying City	East Windsor, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Bunge	Meta
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between production superintendent and lead operator education

There are a few differences between a production superintendent and a lead operator in terms of educational background:

	Production Superintendent	Lead Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Production superintendent vs lead operator demographics

Here are the differences between production superintendents' and lead operators' demographics:

	Production Superintendent	Lead Operator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 4.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between production superintendent and lead operator duties and responsibilities

Production superintendent example 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).

Lead operator example responsibilities.

Plan, organize, and lead Kaizen activities as well as managed the cost reduction activities from idea to implementation.
Contact potential REO listing brokers achieving the highest return call rate.
Create UAT scripts and utilize statistical process controls to manage loan process quality and ensure consistency.
Achieve goals in various metrics, from sales to plan, payroll, additional services, print center.
Manage and organize incoming records and publications for use on SharePoint.
Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.

Production superintendent vs lead operator skills

Common production superintendent skills

Continuous Improvement, 10%
OSHA, 10%
Production Supervisors, 9%
Safety Standards, 9%
Product Quality, 7%
Equipment Maintenance, 5%

Common lead operator skills

Customer Service, 18%
HR, 10%
Process Improvement, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 4%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Production Superintendent
Production Superintendent vs Lead Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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