Working supervisor vs materials supervisor

The differences between working supervisors and materials supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a working supervisor and a materials supervisor. Additionally, a materials supervisor has an average salary of $67,592, which is higher than the $49,372 average annual salary of a working supervisor.

The top three skills for a working supervisor include direct supervision, safety rules and GRASS. The most important skills for a materials supervisor are continuous improvement, safety procedures, and logistics.

Working supervisor vs materials supervisor overview

	Working Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Yearly salary	$49,372	$67,592
Hourly rate	$23.74	$32.50
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	44,021	61,634
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a working supervisor do?

A working supervisor is responsible for overseeing the daily performance of employees. Depending on the business, company, or organization, a working supervisor's primary job is to orchestrate coordinated teamwork. This job requires excellent communication and organizational skills. These skills ensure that working supervisors can transfer information or instructions from higher-level management to employees and provide reports to upper management.

What does a materials supervisor do?

The job of a materials supervisor is to oversee the shipping, receiving, handling, and warehousing of materials. You will supervise the transport of materials and ensure that the material needs of an organization are met. Typical job duties include overseeing the daily business operations of the group, ensuring best practices in safety, productivity, housekeeping. The supervisors ensure that attendance is being followed and monitoring routine operations in materials management, including logistics and planning. As a materials supervisor, you are also expected to mentor team members for professional and personal development.

Working supervisor vs materials supervisor salary

Working supervisors and materials supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Working Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average salary	$49,372	$67,592
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $73,000	Between $51,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Elkhart, IN
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Wyoming
Best paying company	Ensign Energy	Mercy Corps
Best paying industry	Government	Manufacturing

Differences between working supervisor and materials supervisor education

There are a few differences between a working supervisor and a materials supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Working Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Working supervisor vs materials supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between working supervisors' and materials supervisors' demographics:

	Working Supervisor	Materials Supervisor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%	Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 4.8% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 4.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between working supervisor and materials supervisor duties and responsibilities

Working supervisor example responsibilities.

Need method to proactively manage the business improving cross-functional collaboration & KPI visibility.
Assist operators for driving portion of CDL.
Perform service troubleshoot and repair work in between projects.
Cut grass using tractor, riding lawn mowers, string trimmers.
Supervise billing and payroll personnel, and coordinate the billing process.
General lawn care: whipping, weeding, mowing, and raking.

Materials supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the inventory of electrical parts and component using KANBAN.
Manage a free BOM scrubber design to review manufacturer's current part lists.
Develop, implement, and manage logistics of outsource manufacturing operations to sister companies in Canada and Italy.
Establish procedures that manage critical factors such as moisture sensitivity, electrostatic discharge, storeroom temperature and FIFO inventory staging system.
Implement new inventory management system into MRP.
Implement OSHA forklift safety standards to ensure safe and efficient warehouse operations when unloading freight trucks.

Working supervisor vs materials supervisor skills

Common working supervisor skills

Direct Supervision, 20%
Safety Rules, 16%
GRASS, 15%
Safety Procedures, 12%
Payroll, 3%
Community Resources, 3%

Common materials supervisor skills

Continuous Improvement, 6%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Logistics, 6%
Inventory Control, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%
MRP, 4%

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Production and Manufacturing Industry
Working Supervisor
Working Supervisor vs Materials Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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