Day in the life
A Day in the Life of a Maintenance Supervisor
What maintenance supervisors actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for a maintenance supervisor?
Review overnight breakdowns. From there, the day usually includes assign work orders, plan preventive maintenance, and supervise technicians. Full time, often on call and with weekend shutdowns.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for a maintenance supervisor working full time.
- Review overnight breakdowns.
- Assign work to the crew.
- Help troubleshoot a conveyor.
- Order parts.
- Review PM completion.
- Train a new technician.
- Plan weekend shutdown work.
Where maintenance supervisors work
Supervisors work in plants, shops, fleet garages and facilities.
Hours and schedule
Full time, often on call and with weekend shutdowns.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Assign work orders
- Plan preventive maintenance
- Supervise technicians
- Order parts
- Troubleshoot complex problems
- Enforce safety
- Track maintenance costs
Tools you’ll use every day
- CMMS software
- Multimeters
- Vibration analyzers
- Hand and power tools
- Work order systems
- Spreadsheets
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Good pay without a degree
- Leadership role
- Many openings
- Mix of hands-on and planning
What’s hard
- On call
- Pressure to reduce downtime
- Weekend shutdowns
- Staffing shortages
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I’m a skilled technician
- I like leading crews
- I solve tough problems
- I care about safety
- I can be on call
- I want to move up without a degree
Not sure? Take the free Maintenance Supervisor fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Enforce lockout/tagout
- Require PPE
- Investigate incidents
- Train on hazards