How to become a housekeeping supervisor
Official title: Housekeeping supervisor
Also called: Head housekeeper, Housekeeping manager, Executive housekeeper, Housekeeping team leader, Accommodation supervisor, Cleaning supervisor
Housekeeping supervisors manage or supervise cleaning staff in places like hotels, hospitals, schools and offices.
Main tasks
- Inspect rooms to ensure standards are met
- Manage and guide housekeeping teams
- Assign work schedules and tasks to staff
- Train staff in cleaning and safety procedures
- Investigate and resolve staff and customer issues
- Ensure health and safety standards are met
- Restock and order cleaning supplies
- Ensure maintenance and repairs are done
How to become one
You need experience to become a housekeeping supervisor and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Accommodation (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Hospitality (Level 3); a New Zealand Diploma in Hospitality Management (Level 5 or 6); a bachelor's degree in hospitality; a driver licence.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in food and beverage service. TEC links this job to study in food tourism and hospitality. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Food and Beverage Service. Usually 5 to 6 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $37,000 a year one year after study and $49,000 five years after; 32% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $53,000 to $80,000 a year (median $66,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $101,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 1,400 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Gambling manager
- Gambling surveillance officer
- Ticket collector and usher
- Amusement and recreation attendant
- Gambling cashier
- Reservation and ticket agent
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Questions people ask
How do I become a housekeeping supervisor?
You need experience to become a housekeeping supervisor and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Accommodation (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Hospitality (Level 3); a New Zealand Diploma in Hospitality Management (Level 5 or 6); a bachelor's degree in hospitality; a driver licence.
How much does a housekeeping supervisor earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $66,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $53,000 to $80,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a housekeeping supervisor grown in New Zealand?
It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026