How to become a Postmaster or Mail Superintendent

Official title: Postmasters and Mail Superintendents

Also called: Delivery Supervisor, Distribution Operation Supervisor (SDO), Distribution Operations Manager, Distribution Operations Supervisor, Mail Delivery Supervisor, Postal Supervisor, Postmaster, Postmaster Relief (PMR), Remote Encoding Center Manager, Remote Encoding Operations Supervisor

Plan, direct, or coordinate operational, administrative, management, and support services of a U.S. post office; or coordinate activities of workers engaged in postal and related work in assigned post office.

Main tasks

• Monitor employees' work schedules and attendance for payroll purposes.
• Organize and supervise activities, such as the processing of incoming and outgoing mail.
• Resolve customer complaints.
• Prepare employee work schedules.
• Direct and coordinate operational, management, and supportive services of one or a number of postal facilities.
• Hire and train employees, and evaluate their performance.
• Prepare and submit detailed and summary reports of post office activities to designated supervisors.
• Negotiate labor disputes.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $96,660 a year The middle half earn $90,650 to $102,960.
• About 13,300 people work in this job now, and about 13,200 are projected by 2035. (-0.3%)
• 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 much does a Postmaster or Mail Superintendent earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $96,660 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $90,650 to $102,960.

Is a Postmaster or Mail Superintendent a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 13,300 people now and 13,200 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Postmaster or Mail Superintendent?

Not always. 58% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Postmaster or Mail Superintendent?

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.