How to hire an underground supervisor

How to hire an underground supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step underground supervisor hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your underground supervisor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an underground supervisor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an underground supervisor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an underground supervisor that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of underground supervisors.

   Type of Underground Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Underground Supervisor		$11-38
   Crew Leader	Crew leaders are restaurant workers who act as the team leader of the restaurant's crew. They are usually tenured employees with leadership skills who are respected by the team... Show more	$12-24
   Crew Foreman	A crew foreman coordinates the daily activities in a construction site to ensure that operations adhere to deadlines, budgets, and quality standards. They serve as the point of contact for supervisors, clients, and construction workers... Show more	$19-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CDL
   • Sure Safety

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage weekly payroll disbursement for contract employees.
   • Manage weekly payroll disbursement for contract employees.
   • Oversee the excavation of burying cable for Comcast.
   • Provide oversight and direction for the insulation subcontractor

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, underground supervisors' average salary in utah is 65% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level underground supervisors 70% less than senior-level underground supervisors.
   • Certifications. An underground 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 an underground supervisor's salary.

   Average underground supervisor salary

   $44,206yearly

   $21.25 hourly rate

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   Entry-level underground supervisor salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

4. Writing an underground supervisor job description

   A job description for an underground 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 an underground supervisor job description:

   Underground supervisor job description example

   Check out this video and find out why our team loves to work here!
   Role and Scope of Position:
   
   Provides leadership to ensure the safe, timely and efficient completion of work efforts relating to the construction, operation, maintenance, and emergency restoration of the electric distribution and transmission systems. Ensures effective coordination among and between individuals and departments in the district/division. Actively promotes and enforces a safety-first work environment and positive safety culture. Engages and motivates employees to deliver the best possible customer experience
   Essential Functions:
   Accountable for the safe execution of field activities. Sets safety expectations with employees. Resolves safety issues/concerns in an appropriate and timely manner. Communicates safety lessons learned and promotes continuous learning of safe work methods, practices, and procedures.Makes decisions and prioritizes work to ensure the safe and appropriate use of assigned resources.Sets clear expectations and provides ongoing feedback to employees regarding their performance. Effectively addresses performance issues. Conducts comprehensive performance reviews (per applicable bargaining unit contract). Responsible for the proper application of local union contracts and agreements. Works with managers and employees to resolve grievances and concerns in a timely and complete manner.Participates in pre-construction reviews and other activities to ensure the timely and efficient execution of field operations. Coordinates work with other utilities, other Eversource departments, and outside contractors as necessary.Ensures work complete within budgetary guidelines. Prepares, reviews, and approves time, expense, materials and other company records in an accurate and timely manner and in accordance with established guidelines.Demonstrates and role models a customer-first attitude. Seeks to quickly resolve customer issues by collaborating with employees and other departments.Fulfills storm duty assignments and participates in on-call rotation as required.
   
   Technical Knowledge/Skill/Education/Licenses/Certifications:
   Technical Knowledge/Skills:
   Working knowledge of methods, work practices, and procedures regarding the safe construction, operation, and maintenance of electric T&D facilities and infrastructure at both secondary and primary operating voltages. Possesses strong analytical and problem-solving skills.Must maintain switching and tagging qualifications Must have a strong knowledge of computers and related technology and have the ability to learn and utilize available information technologies.
   
   Education:
   A Bachelor's Degree or equivalent related experience required
   
   Experience:
   Five to ten years of related experience is required. Previous experience in electric distribution is preferred. Previous experience in a supervisory role is also preferred.
   
   Licenses & Certifications:
   Valid Motor Vehicle License required. D.O.T. Driver's License preferred
   
   Working Conditions:
   Must be available to work emergency restoration assignment as required.Must be available to travel between MA/CT/NH as necessary.Work is conducted outside, in varied conditions and terrain including adverse weather conditions, and in a normal office environment which requires sitting, walking, standing, stair climbing and completion of paperwork. Drives to various job site locations and customer premises to supervise work, and review or discuss construction job requirements. May work with computers for long periods of time during the day. Subject to shift work including weekends. Off-hour on-call responsibility is required on a rotational basis. At times requires working long hours in response to outage situations and shift coverage requirements.
   
   Mental Aspects:
   Must be able to manage multiple activities simultaneously to meet deadlines and customer requirements. Requires being able to effectively relate to customers and the general-public under stressful circumstances and for prolonged periods. Must be able to clearly articulate job and safety related information to employees and to effectively address performance issues in a constructive manner. Requires being able to respond to problem situations in a timely manner at all hours of the day or night.
   Leadership Behaviors/Competencies:
   Set and Communicate Direction and Priorities
   Communicate priorities and goals (company, department, team) Show how employee's work fits in Provide business updates, news Communicate, communicate, communicate
   
   Build Trusting Relationships
   Role model honesty/integrity in communication and action Balance “getting results” with concern for individual needs Have honest dialogue with employees; get to know them
   Manage and Develop People
   Set realistic performance objectives and expectations Give ongoing, honest feedback; coach for success Recognize good performance Visit crews in the field Remove obstacles to day-to-day performance Provide tools, information, training
   Foster Teamwork and Cross-functional Collaboration
   Encourage cooperation/remove obstacles between work groups/departments Encourage collaboration/peers helping peers
   Create a Diverse, Inclusive Workforce
   Ask for employee input on work process/practice improvements and before implementing change that will affect them Encourage ideas
   Lead Change
   Deliver effective, positive communications about change to your team Exhibit a “can-do” attitude to successfully implement changes in priorities and work processes Respond positively to new demands or circumstances
   Focus on the Customer
   Ensure that everyone on the team understands our customer promise and provides superior customer service Be a role model for the team on delivering superior customer service
   Worker Type:
   Regular
   Number of Openings:
   1
   EEO Statement
   
   Eversource Energy is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability status, or protected veteran status.
   
   VEVRRA Federal Contractor
   Vaccination Information:
   
   Eversource requires all new employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by their first day of employment. If you have any concerns regarding compliance with this requirement, you will need to discuss your concerns with Eversource's HR department after you have been made a conditional offer of employment. Eversource does not require applicants to discuss vaccination status prior to receipt of a conditional offer of employment and complies with all applicable laws.
   Emergency Response:
   
   Responding to emergency situations to meet customers' needs is part of every employee's role. If employed, you will be given an Emergency Restoration assignment. This means you may be called to assist during an emergency outside of your normal responsibilities, work hours and location.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find underground supervisors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any underground supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level underground supervisors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your underground supervisor job on Zippia to find and attract quality underground supervisor candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as constructionjobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit underground supervisors, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 underground supervisor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the underground 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.

   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.

   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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