How to hire a shop lead

How to hire a shop lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step shop lead hiring guide:

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

What does a shop lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a shop lead, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect shop lead also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of shop leads and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Shop Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Shop Lead		$13-38
   Quality Assurance Supervisor	A quality assurance supervisor oversees and leads the quality control operations within a manufacturing plant or similar establishment. They are primarily responsible for crafting and implementing policies that prioritize the efficiency of products or services, supervising and evaluating the performances of the workforce, and setting standards and procedures that align not just with the goals of the company, but the national and international level of production standards... Show more	$22-45
   Production Supervisor	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... Show more	$20-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Safety Procedures
   • Math
   • CNC
   • Safety Regulations
   • POS
   • Product Quality
   • Machine Shop
   • Cleanliness
   • Quality Standards
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • MIG
   • G Code
   • ISO

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Conduct employee training that encompass all require OSHA and company safety guidelines to achieve a safe and productive work environment.
   • Skil in both MIG and TIG welding, general sheet metal fabrication and machining.
   • Programme all CNC routers and see with stock dimensions to run products the company offer.
   • Machine parts for repair of aircraft & production of aerial firefighting & aerial fuel tanks on manual & CNC machines.
   • Accomplishmentsrecieve several ASE certifications, recognition certifications for several classes attend for medium/heavy duty truck repairs.
   • Process all PO'S, invoices, QC, and shipping records to produce profit summary for corporate review.

   More shop lead duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the shop lead job description is a good way to get more applicants. A shop lead salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a shop lead in Florida may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level shop lead. Additionally, a shop lead with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average shop lead salary

   $48,007yearly

   $23.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level shop lead salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average shop lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$63,436	$31
   2	South Carolina	$60,562	$29
   3	New York	$58,991	$28
   4	Pennsylvania	$56,625	$27
   5	Minnesota	$56,617	$27
   6	Wisconsin	$55,562	$27
   7	Michigan	$55,192	$27
   8	Ohio	$55,132	$27
   9	Indiana	$50,114	$24
   10	California	$48,290	$23
   11	Louisiana	$46,117	$22
   12	Georgia	$45,571	$22
   13	Texas	$43,641	$21
   14	Missouri	$43,379	$21
   15	Kansas	$42,686	$21
   16	Tennessee	$42,638	$21
   17	Colorado	$40,040	$19
   18	Arizona	$38,970	$19
   19	Washington	$38,546	$19
   20	Oregon	$37,766	$18

   Average shop lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$127,263	$61.18	5
   2	General Motors	$104,254	$50.12
   3	Tesla	$79,990	$38.46	2
   4	Republic Services	$73,056	$35.12	140
   5	Lucky Brand	$70,855	$34.06
   6	Forever 21	$70,083	$33.69
   7	Gap Inc.	$69,322	$33.33
   8	CMC Motocross	$67,619	$32.51	1
   9	Airgas	$66,701	$32.07	2
   10	Abbott	$66,269	$31.86
   11	Covenant	$54,540	$26.22	7
   12	BAE Systems	$53,334	$25.64	12
   13	H-E-B	$52,967	$25.46	6
   14	Textron	$52,949	$25.46
   15	Festival Foods	$51,183	$24.61
   16	Alere	$50,634	$24.34
   17	EZ	$47,070	$22.63
   18	Terex	$46,868	$22.53	11
   19	Glenn O. Hawbaker	$45,826	$22.03	1
   20	Safran	$43,979	$21.14

4. Writing a shop lead job description

   A good shop lead job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a shop lead job description:

   Shop lead job description example

   Bike Shop Lead
   
   Backcountry has an opening for a Bike Shop Lead. This job requires experience in high-end bicycle mechanics, attention to detail and the ability to problem solve as well as the ability to manager the shops workload.
   
   About the Job
   
   • Professionally assemble, build, install and perform quality control inspections as required for bike products including but no limited to bikes, wheel building, upgrades, frame prep and bike tuning
   • Monitor and ensure bike workload is distributed and completed efficiently for all Bike Techs
   • Provide daily production feedback to the Bike Assembly Operations Manager and the Bike Build Supervisor
   • Provide coaching and training communication to Bike Techs in regard to production time and quality control
   • Perform general shop duties, training, and special projects as directed by supervisor
   • Adhere to consistent build practices and meet all manufacturer specifications to comply with installation of components, compatibility, torque specs, and safety requirements
   • Review custom bike orders to ensure compatibility of components
   • Monitor shop supplies for order fulfillment and communicate low inventory to the Store Manager
   • Serve as a technical support for Customer Service Reps
   
   About You
   
   • Minimum 5 years experience as a high-end mountain and road bike assembler/mechanic as demonstrated by proficiency in the following
   • Disc brake set up
   • Derailleur setup and adjustment
   • Understanding of
   • Proper frame prep techniques (facing and tapping)
   • Wheel truing
   • Understanding of bicycle fit
   • Attention to detail and ability to problem solve issues
   • General computer, email, word processing, Excel and internet skills
   • Ability to operate a PC and effectively use MS Outlook
   • Ability to use Interchange
   
   ABOUT BACKCOUNTRY
   
   Seek it. Find it. Send it. We help customers seek the perfect gear for their backcountry, find their awe, and send it their way. Through our five brands-Backcountry, Competitive Cyclist, MotoSport, Bergfreunde, and Steep&Cheap-we give our customers the gear, knowledge, and inspiration they need to chase life's greatest moments. We foster local outdoor communities around the locations of our expanding number of retail stores, and we're actively creating a more inclusive and equitable outdoors for all through our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives.
   
   We're a company of Gearheads and we offer personalized expertise at every level of the organization. This means we curate the best assortment of premium gear and apparel, a premium shopping experience, personalized Gearhead advice, super-fast and accurate fulfillment, and aspirational and informative content.
   
   We take growth and personal fulfillment seriously. For our employees-aka, our Herd-this means career growth potential and the ability to take ownership and make an impact daily. We offer perks like an exceptional gear discount, an annual summer Adventure Contest, summer barbecues, and a pet-friendly office.
   
   #LI-EP1
   #BCRETAIL

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right shop lead for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with shop leads they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit shop leads who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit shop leads, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 shop lead

   Once you've found the shop lead candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new shop lead. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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