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The differences between production superintendents and operation 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 production superintendent and an operation supervisor. Additionally, a production superintendent has an average salary of $88,703, which is higher than the $57,279 average annual salary of an operation supervisor.
The top three skills for a production superintendent include continuous improvement, OSHA and production supervisors. The most important skills for an operation supervisor are logistics, safety procedures, and OSHA.
| Production Superintendent | Operation Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $88,703 | $57,279 |
| Hourly rate | $42.65 | $27.54 |
| Growth rate | - | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 101,534 | 94,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Operations supervisors manage a specific operations-related team or department. They ensure that all the agreed-upon key performance indicators are being met. They also address any performance challenges and strategize on how to improve different areas in the team. They communicate team goals and balance the organization's requirements with the team's profile. Operations supervisors also manage the employees under their department. They hire for vacancies and train new employees. They also ensure that employees are properly coached for improvement. Operations supervisors are expected to be strategic, personable, and good communicators.
Production superintendents and operation supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Superintendent | Operation Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $88,703 | $57,279 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $125,000 | Between $37,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Windsor, NJ | Kansas City, KS |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Louisiana |
| Best paying company | Bunge | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a production superintendent and an operation supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Production Superintendent | Operation Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between production superintendents' and operation supervisors' demographics:
| Production Superintendent | Operation Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.5% Female, 4.5% | Male, 70.8% Female, 29.2% |
| 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, 18.5% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |