How to hire a senior production supervisor

How to hire a senior production supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior production supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior production supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior production supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior production supervisor you need to hire. Certain senior production supervisor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior production supervisor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior production supervisors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior production supervisors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Production Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Production Supervisor		$30-52
   Assembly Supervisor	Assembly Supervisors oversee and coordinate employees' work on assembly-lines. The supervisors assign personnel to stations or tasks and prepare their work schedules... Show more	$19-44
   Production Team Leader	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... Show more	$12-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Production Supervisors
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Quality Standards
   • Safety Policies
   • Safety Procedures
   • Corrective Action
   • Production Schedules
   • SR
   • Sigma
   • GMP
   • Process Improvement
   • Direct Reports
   • FDA
   • Production Lines

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead targeted decision-making across fast-pace production operations for this growth-orient USDA food factory producing quality meat products.
   • Recommend and conduct crew training sessions (safety, GMP, AIB guidelines, OSHA refresher).
   • Ensure compliance with FDA regulations, food safety and quality plans along with customer requirements.
   • Train new employees on GMP's, PPE's, facility operations, and complete hands-on training on lift trucks.
   • Monitor control plans, troubleshoot workmanship problems and supervise production activities to ensure manufacture products meet or exceed establish quality requirements.
   • Analyze and evaluate document control and QA programs for adequacy and practicality.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior production supervisor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior production supervisor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior production supervisors' average salary in iowa is 39% less than in wyoming.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior production supervisors 42% less than senior-level senior production supervisors.
   • Certifications. A senior production supervisor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior production supervisor's salary.

   Average senior production supervisor salary

   $83,480yearly

   $40.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior production supervisor salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

4. Writing a senior production supervisor job description

   A job description for a senior production supervisor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior production supervisor job description:

   Senior production supervisor job description example

   Detailed knowledge of production support systems, procedures and processes. Experience in Production, PC skills and SAP and WMS are a plus. Good verbal, written, interpersonal communication skills are required to interact effectively with different authority levels and personnel. Must be able to promote a team effort to achieve common goals, as well as give constructive feedback. Good problem solving and decision skills are essential. Must have understanding of established safety/quality standards and the ability to communicate them. Must be able to withstand environment with exposure to food allergens, dust and varying temperatures. Physical requirements include standing for long periods, walking, bending, reaching, twisting and lifting up to 20 pounds. Must be flexible as scheduled hours may vary to fit productions requirements. Weekends and overtime may be required. Enforce safety and sanitation regulations.
   INDATL
   
   * High School Diploma or equivalent education preferred.
   * Associates Degree or relevant work experience preferred.
   * 2-3 years previous work experience in a supervisory role preferred.
   * Proven leadership skills, with the ability to effectively provide feedback regarding departmental and individual performance.
   * Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills required.
   * Strong PC and systems experience preferred.-
   
   About Harry & David
   
   Since 1934, Harry & David has been America's premier choice in gourmet food gifting. Headquartered in Southern Oregon, Harry & David owns and operates 20 different orchards, spread over 100 square miles, featuring fresh yearly crops of handpicked delicious fruit, including peaches, Bosc pears and the iconic Royal Riviera pears. Harry & David offers a wide variety of options for everyday sharing and entertaining, including Moose Munch premium popcorn, Wolferman's Bakery , Cushman's and Stock Yards branded products. Harry & David is part of the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. family of brands. Shares in 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, ticker symbol: FLWS.
   
   Our Commitment to Diversity
   
   At 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc., we seek to inspire more human expression, connection, and celebration -- for everyone. This means fostering a culture of inclusion where our team members, customers, and partners feel respected, valued, and empowered. We believe that embracing diversity, and celebrating the uniqueness of every individual, makes us a better company.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior production supervisor for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior production supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit senior production supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit senior production supervisors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior production supervisor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior production supervisor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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