Production supervisor vs production team leader

The differences between production supervisors and production team 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 supervisor and a production team leader. Additionally, a production supervisor has an average salary of $63,391, which is higher than the $38,780 average annual salary of a production team leader.

The top three skills for a production supervisor include lean manufacturing, safety procedures and production schedules. The most important skills for a production team leader are customer service, safety procedures, and quality standards.

Production supervisor vs production team leader overview

	Production Supervisor	Production Team Leader
Yearly salary	$63,391	$38,780
Hourly rate	$30.48	$18.64
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	83,529	149,057
Job satisfaction	4.33	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
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 production team leader do?

A production team leader is in charge of leading and overseeing the efforts of a production team, ensuring projects are carried out in adherence to its goals and timelines. It is their duty to set guidelines and objectives, manage budgets and schedules, liaise with internal and external parties, and assess the performance of team members. They must also monitor the progress of operations and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Moreover, a production team leader must encourage and lead staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Production supervisor vs production team leader salary

Production supervisors and production team leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Supervisor	Production Team Leader
Average salary	$63,391	$38,780
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $91,000	Between $25,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Fremont, CA	Brentwood, NY
Highest paying state	California	Wyoming
Best paying company	Intuitive Surgical	Plug Power
Best paying industry	Automotive	Automotive

Differences between production supervisor and production team leader education

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

	Production Supervisor	Production Team Leader
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Production supervisor vs production team leader demographics

Here are the differences between production supervisors' and production team leaders' demographics:

	Production Supervisor	Production Team Leader
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6%	Male, 69.9% Female, 30.1%
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, 12.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between production supervisor and production team leader 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.

Production team leader example responsibilities.

Devise and implement procedures to achieve ISO registration.
Manage manufacturing department operations to ensure compliance with establish quality specifications, production levels, and FDA regulations.
Enforce policy and procedures including GMP and HACCP; ensure employees follow FDA, GDA, OHSA regulations.
Request parts from materials warehouse, assist and troubleshoot assembly procedures; research part numbers, build procedures and schematics.
Improve general production and quality of product by ensuring strict commitment to GMP, FDA regulations, and standard operating procedures.
Participate in Kaizen meetings to increase production efficiency and reduce downtime.

Production supervisor vs production team leader skills

Common production supervisor skills

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

Common production team leader skills

Customer Service, 8%
Safety Procedures, 7%
Quality Standards, 6%
Work Ethic, 5%
Production Schedules, 5%
Lean Manufacturing, 5%

Production Supervisor vs. similar jobs

Production Supervisor related careers

Production Supervisor related jobs

Production Supervisor jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Production and Manufacturing Industry
Production Supervisor
Production Supervisor vs Production Team Leader

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse production and manufacturing jobs