How to become a First-Line Supervisor of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
Official title: First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
Also called: Electrical and Instrumentation Supervisor (E and I Supervisor), Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, Facility Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance Coordinator, Maintenance Foreman, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Planner, Maintenance Superintendent, Maintenance Supervisor, Service Manager
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of mechanics, installers, and repairers. May also advise customers on recommended services. Excludes team or work leaders.
Main tasks
- Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements.
- Inspect and monitor work areas, examine tools and equipment, and provide employee safety training to prevent, detect, and correct unsafe conditions or violations of procedures and safety rules.
- Interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers.
- Monitor employees' work levels and review work performance.
- Perform skilled repair or maintenance operations, using equipment such as hand or power tools, hydraulic presses or shears, or welding equipment.
- Compute estimates and actual costs of factors such as materials, labor, or outside contractors.
- Monitor tool and part inventories and the condition and maintenance of shops to ensure adequate working conditions.
- Requisition materials and supplies, such as tools, equipment, or replacement parts.
How to become one
Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Telecommunications Utilities Foreman.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $79,860 a year The middle half earn $62,690 to $101,360.
- About 629,000 people work in this job now, and about 654,500 are projected by 2035. (+4.1%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a First-Line Supervisor of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers?
Ways in include: Telecommunications Utilities Foreman.
How much does a First-Line Supervisor of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $79,860 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $62,690 to $101,360.
Is a First-Line Supervisor of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4% by 2035, from about 629,000 to about 654,500 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a First-Line Supervisor of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers?
Usually not. Only 15% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Telecommunications Utilities Foreman.
Will AI change the work of a First-Line Supervisor of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database 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.