Production supervisor vs field operations supervisor

The differences between production supervisors and field operations 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 supervisor and a field operations supervisor. Additionally, a production supervisor has an average salary of $63,391, which is higher than the $55,952 average annual salary of a field operations supervisor.

The top three skills for a production supervisor include lean manufacturing, safety procedures and production schedules. The most important skills for a field operations supervisor are customer service, safety standards, and customer satisfaction.

Production supervisor vs field operations supervisor overview

	Production Supervisor	Field Operations Supervisor
Yearly salary	$63,391	$55,952
Hourly rate	$30.48	$26.90
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	83,529	161,811
Job satisfaction	4.33	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

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.

What does a field operations supervisor do?

Field operations supervisors are professionals who supervise staff members to ensure that an organization is running smoothly and effectively to produce increased sales and profits. These supervisors are required to develop operational policies and procedures to increase business growth while implementing best practices to improve operational efficiency. They must participate in creating an annual budget so that they can manage expenses within the assigned budget. Field operations supervisors must also prepare effective training programs and conduct performance evaluations of the office staff.

Production supervisor vs field operations supervisor salary

Production supervisors and field operations supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Supervisor	Field Operations Supervisor
Average salary	$63,391	$55,952
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $91,000	Between $44,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Benicia, CA
Highest paying state	California	Wyoming
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	JCPenney
Best paying industry	Automotive	Utilities

Differences between production supervisor and field operations supervisor education

There are a few differences between a production supervisor and a field operations supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Production Supervisor	Field Operations Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Production supervisor vs field operations supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between production supervisors' and field operations supervisors' demographics:

	Production Supervisor	Field Operations Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%	Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between production supervisor and field operations supervisor duties and responsibilities

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.

Field operations supervisor example responsibilities.

Train and manage six (6) employees to complete mapping assignments using a hand hold GPS device.
Manage deployment, maintenance, support, and upgrade of PC hardware / software and operating systems, safeguarding proper updates.
Lead Kaizen identifying changeover/set-up issues.
Establish and manage economic development programs, improve reporting standards, and significantly increase accountability within logistics area.
Assist in the management of office functions require to support QA field operations.
Contribute to team adoption of TPM practices and area ownership.

Production supervisor vs field operations supervisor skills

Common production supervisor skills

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

Common field operations supervisor skills

Customer Service, 23%
Safety Standards, 17%
Customer Satisfaction, 11%
Direct Reports, 8%
EEO, 7%
Performance Reviews, 4%

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Production Supervisor vs Field Operations Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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