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Section chief vs maintenance supervisor

The differences between section chiefs and maintenance supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a section chief and a maintenance supervisor. Additionally, a section chief has an average salary of $78,816, which is higher than the $57,674 average annual salary of a maintenance supervisor.

The top three skills for a section chief include safety procedures, training programs and professional development. The most important skills for a maintenance supervisor are plumbing, HVAC, and customer service.

Section chief vs maintenance supervisor overview

Section ChiefMaintenance Supervisor
Yearly salary$78,816$57,674
Hourly rate$37.89$27.73
Growth rate6%5%
Number of jobs13,65586,333
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Average age4949
Years of experience44

What does a section chief do?

A section chief's job varies with the type of organization. In most cases, a section chief is the head of a given section in an organization that is tasked with performing certain duties. A section chief is the head of a unit and provides leadership, motivation, and management of a section of employees. Their duties and responsibilities include reviewing and overseeing budgets, expenditure, and section activities.

What does a maintenance supervisor do?

A maintenance supervisor is responsible for directing and managing the overall maintenance department, inspecting the safety of operation equipment, and ensuring that everyone follows the standards and regulatory procedures to keep the production area safe and efficient. Maintenance supervisor duties also include delegating tasks to the maintenance personnel, evaluating the site condition regularly, reviewing inventory, and requesting stocks as necessary. They must also keep track of incident reports and connect with the operations management for any concerns and recommendations.

Section chief vs maintenance supervisor salary

Section chiefs and maintenance supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Section ChiefMaintenance Supervisor
Average salary$78,816$57,674
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $163,000Between $41,000 And $79,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCRichmond, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkAlaska
Best paying companyLearjetCVR Energy
Best paying industryGovernmentAutomotive

Differences between section chief and maintenance supervisor education

There are a few differences between a section chief and a maintenance supervisor in terms of educational background:

Section ChiefMaintenance Supervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 40%Bachelor's Degree, 27%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at AlfredSUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Section chief vs maintenance supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between section chiefs' and maintenance supervisors' demographics:

Section ChiefMaintenance Supervisor
Average age4949
Gender ratioMale, 88.4% Female, 11.6%Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 2.1% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between section chief and maintenance supervisor duties and responsibilities

Section chief example responsibilities.

  • Manage sortie production on 17 USAF E-8C aircraft worth $6.2 billion.
  • Manage HAZMAT accumulation storage points and documentation.
  • Manage training time effectively ensuring employees have every opportunity to learn necessary skills to succeed in a combat environment.
  • Assist in planning, implementing and administering educational training that enhance performance in combat operations for soldiers to accomplish every mission.
  • Provide leadership and knowledge of federal shipping and logistics regulations by managing adherence to all policies and procedures from higher headquarters.
  • Complete HAZMAT transport course and establish on-site certifying capability.
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Maintenance supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Maintain OEE on all equipment to achieve run performance goals and to produce 500MM pounds of finish product a year.
  • Complete plumbing, electrical, general maintenance and re-key requirements.
  • Complete preventative maintenance and repair of electrical and plumbing systems.
  • Control all maintenance relate documentation including work orders and preventative maintenance, utilizing MP2 CMMS software.
  • Develop employee relations programs and enforce OSHA safety regulations; continually advance the effectiveness of safety programs and promote safety operations.
  • Replace motors, ball screws, pumps, drives, and encoders.
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Section chief vs maintenance supervisor skills

Common section chief skills
  • Safety Procedures, 22%
  • Training Programs, 9%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Logistical Support, 6%
  • Combat, 6%
  • Corrective Action, 5%
Common maintenance supervisor skills
  • Plumbing, 10%
  • HVAC, 10%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • Ladders, 3%
  • General Maintenance, 3%

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