How To Become A Program Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a program supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Tamara Tranter,

Dr. Daryl Green

The role of the program supervisor is to oversee and track the scheduling, pricing, and technical performance of company programs. He/She is in charge of helping in negotiating contracts and contractual changes. He/She supervises the preparations of proposals, plans, specifications, and financial conditions of contracts. Furthermore, he/she develops new business and expands product lines.

Also, he/she ensures adherence to master plans and schedules and develops solutions to program problems. Additionally, he/she suggests changes to improve the efficiency of processes. The program supervisor manages report workloads, performance reviews and oversees training and development.

For this position, you need a bachelor's degree in a related field with at least four years of related experience. You must be conversant with the operations of the translation and localization industry. You must possess leadership, organization, management, multitasking, analytical, negotiation, conflict resolution, and communication skills. These experts are paid around $50,533 per annum. Their salary falls between $33,000 and $77,000.

What general advice would you give to a program supervisor?

Tamara Tranter

Senior Director, The USA Hockey Foundation

Take risks, go outside of your comfort zone, and don't go into interviews with big expectations. Many qualified people have been impacted and are going to get many of the jobs because they have past experience. So be realistic, be positive, and be a team player.

ScoreProgram SupervisorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,460

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 6.31%

Black or African American 7.77%

Hispanic or Latino 14.28%

Unknown 5.56%

White 65.92%

Gender

female 62.97%

male 37.03%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a program supervisor

Explore program supervisor education requirements

Most common program supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

60.2 %

Master's

21.3 %

Associate

10.6 %

Start to develop specific program supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Autism	8.04%
Social Work	7.03%
Developmental Disabilities	6.93%
Mental Health	6.71%
Work Ethic	6.50%

Complete relevant program supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New program supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a program supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real program supervisor resumes.

Gain additional program supervisor certifications

Program supervisor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific program supervisor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for program supervisors include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor.

More About Certifications

Research program supervisor duties and responsibilities

Conduct daily clinical documentation audits, manage consumer financial accounts, provide oversight and approval for all treatment and discharge planning.
MAP (medication administration), first aid, and CPR certify.
Train staff on CPR first aid.
Maintain state compliance (HIPAA, HUD, DDS, and Medicaid).

Prepare your program supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your program supervisor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a program supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable program supervisor resume templates

Build a professional program supervisor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your program supervisor resume.