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Production superintendent vs leader

The differences between production superintendents and leaders 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 leader. Additionally, a production superintendent has an average salary of $88,703, which is higher than the $86,964 average annual salary of a leader.

The top three skills for a production superintendent include continuous improvement, OSHA and production supervisors. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.

Production superintendent vs leader overview

Production SuperintendentLeader
Yearly salary$88,703$86,964
Hourly rate$42.65$41.81
Growth rate-10%
Number of jobs101,534172,293
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

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 leader do?

Leaders pave the way for a company to achieve certain goals. They are in charge of bringing the organization to greater heights. They set the direction of the organization, much like how a captain sets the sails of the ship. They are responsible for coming up with main strategies and alternatives should there be challenges along the way. Leaders ensure that the company is guided by its vision and mission and that the employees emulate company values. They do so through leading by example. Leaders should have strategic skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.

Production superintendent vs leader salary

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

Production SuperintendentLeader
Average salary$88,703$86,964
Salary rangeBetween $62,000 And $125,000Between $49,000 And $153,000
Highest paying CityEast Windsor, NJPortland, ME
Highest paying stateNew JerseyMaine
Best paying companyBungeEli Lilly and Company
Best paying industryAutomotive-

Differences between production superintendent and leader education

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

Production SuperintendentLeader
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Production superintendent vs leader demographics

Here are the differences between production superintendents' and leaders' demographics:

Production SuperintendentLeader
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 95.5% Female, 4.5%Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between production superintendent and leader 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).
  • Show more

Leader example responsibilities.

  • Manage UNIX and mainframe systems software staff.
  • Achieve business metrics and implement WCM tools and processes.
  • Lead instrument calibration, OOS investigation, change control, deviation documentation to comply with GMP.
  • Lead a group to help a dog food producer to gain traction in the grocery store channel
  • Perform diagnostics, lead audits, kaizen events, value stream mapping, PDCA teams and employee involvement.
  • Lead in PTA efforts to recognize school staff by planning events and organize and plan monthly appreciation gifts.
  • Show more

Production superintendent vs leader skills

Common production superintendent skills
  • Continuous Improvement, 10%
  • OSHA, 10%
  • Production Supervisors, 9%
  • Safety Standards, 9%
  • Product Quality, 7%
  • Equipment Maintenance, 5%
Common leader skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Strong Time Management, 9%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
  • PET, 6%
  • Digital Transformation, 6%
  • Work Ethic, 5%

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