Maintenance Supervisor
A Maintenance Supervisor, also known as a maintenance director, plays a crucial role in managing maintenance staff, such as mechanics and custodians, across various organizations, including schools, hospitals, and municipal governments. The primary responsibilities include overseeing daily activities, prioritizing maintenance tasks, organizing budgets for supplies, and making decisions on major projects related to structural and mechanical needs. This position typically requires a high school diploma or equivalent, with many supervisors benefiting from vocational training in trades or engineering.
In terms of work environment, maintenance supervisors can be found in diverse settings, from commercial buildings to educational institutions, and they often engage in both office work and field activities. They are expected to possess a range of skills, including leadership, technical knowledge of building systems, and experience with administrative functions. Career advancement often stems from a background in trade work combined with managerial experience, and supervisors are usually involved in hiring processes and conflict resolution within their teams. Overall, the role of a maintenance supervisor is essential for ensuring the smooth functioning and upkeep of facilities, making it a vital position in the architecture, construction, and maintenance sectors.
Maintenance Supervisor
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Architecture & Construction, Business, Management & Administration, Manufacturing
Interests: Mechanical repair, engineering, construction, managing others
Earnings (Yearly Median): $79,020 per year
Employment & Outlook: 3% (As fast as average)
Entry-Level Education High school diploma or equivalent
Related Work Experience None
On-the-job-Training Moderate-term on-the-job training
Overview
Sphere of Work. Maintenance supervisors, often called maintenance directors, manage staff of mechanics, janitors, and other utility personnel. Large and small institutions employ maintenance supervisors and may hold positions within small towns or municipal governments. A maintenance supervisor's role is to oversee their staff's daily activities, prioritize work, and organize budgetary needs for supplies and routine facility maintenance. They also decide on major structural, mechanical, or operational projects. Maintenance supervisors are skilled in both operational and staff management. They have an extensive knowledge of basic engineering, building infrastructure, light machinery, and state and regional maintenance policies and procedures.
Work Environment. Supervisors work in various environments, depending on the organization for which they are employed. In addition to overseeing all structural, systematic, and logistical repairs for buildings and substructures, maintenance supervisors are often responsible for exterior maintenance, including landscaping and snow and trash removal. Outdoor responsibilities are less common under the authority of maintenance directors employed by organizations in urban environments.
Occupation Interest. Maintenance supervisors are often derived from professionals interested in the trades, mechanical systems, and engineering. In addition to their diverse mechanical and industrial skills, supervisors possess acute leadership abilities and experience with administrative functions related to mechanical repair and engineering. Managerial interest is usually the result of a willingness to advance professionally after several years of experience working as an integral part of a maintenance, engineering, or construction team.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. Maintenance supervisors have numerous responsibilities, including hiring and firing maintenance staff. Supervisors traditionally interview all potential candidates, vetting their experience and capabilities and examining references. Supervisors are also responsible for coordinating schedules, determining avenues for advancement, and resolving workplace disputes on behalf of current employees.
In addition to overseeing routine cleaning and maintenance jobs, supervisors are responsible for prioritizing major projects and maintenance-related issues that arise due to structural damage from weather and other causes, such as overuse or mistreatment. Effective maintenance supervisors can coordinate staff members in the most efficient way possible to see that each task is tended to in a timely manner.
In addition to prioritizing projects, maintenance supervisors oversee their maintenance staff's financial and budgetary needs, from supplies and uniforms to purchasing related tools, machinery, and other supplies.
Much of this planning is conducted in partnership with other members of a facility or organization’s executive staff, who traditionally have the final say in budgetary allocation. The maintenance supervisor represents the concerns and needs of the entire maintenance staff within the corporate or organizational hierarchy.
Custodial Supervisors (381.137-010). Custodial Supervisors are responsible for cleaning and maintaining the premises of business and community buildings. They often work with staff and must anticipate and meet the needs for a clean and smoothly functioning building.
Building Maintenance Supervisors (891.137-010). Building Maintenance Supervisors tend to the physical and aesthetic needs of one or more buildings. They oversee the staff that maintains the physical structure, operation, and cleanliness of a building.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. The work environment for maintenance supervisors can vary from day to day and project to project. While much of their work is conducted in an office setting, their responsibilities also require fieldwork.
Plant Environment. Maintenance supervisors are employed by commercial building complexes, schools and universities, transportation hubs, hotels and resorts, theme parks and stadiums, as well as by hospitals, municipalities, and private organizations.
Human Environment. Professional maintenance supervisors interact with a variety of vendors, coworkers, and other staff members daily. In addition to a willingness to motivate their staff, they must also support and communicate regularly with other staff departments.
Technological Environment. The role of maintenance supervisor requires extensive technical skills. In addition to knowledge of traditional administrative software and tools, such as email, smartphone, and financial software, directors must be well-versed in a variety of tools, systems, and infrastructure, such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical wiring, and HVAC.
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. High school students can best prepare for a career as a maintenance supervisor by enrolling in courses pertaining to industrial arts, algebra, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, chemistry, physics, and computer science. Students with vocational training in mechanics or carpentry also have an advantage in the marketplace. Experience in sports and other extracurricular activities also helps lay important educational groundwork for future managers.
Summer work in one or many trades, such as plumbing, carpentry, or electrical wiring, can also be useful for those interested in a career in maintenance engineering.
Postsecondary. Postsecondary educational requirements for maintenance director vacancies are common, although extensive experience in both trade work and small-staff management can often be as viable. Most maintenance supervisors have at minimum certificate or associate’s level training in one or more vocations, ranging from HVAC systems, small machinery repair, construction, or engineering. Post-secondary coursework for technical professionals customarily includes building and construction courses, instruction on building and inspection codes, zoning laws, facility operation, plumbing, fire protection, and architectural planning.
A bachelor’s degree in administration, engineering, civic planning, or any relevant technical field is the best way for young professionals lacking extensive field experience to become viable candidates for open positions in the industry.
Related Occupations
− Electrician
− Supervisor
Bibliography
"Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022; 49-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers." Occupational Employment Statistics. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 23 Aug. 2024, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes491011.htm. Accessed 20 Sept. 2023.
"Data for Occupations Not Covered In Detail." Occupational Outlook Handbook. Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, 6 Sept. 2023, www.bls.gov/ooh/about/data-for-occupations-not-covered-in-detail.htm. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.