what is a maintenance supervisor?
As a maintenance supervisor, you oversee the maintenance team's work to ensure they follow the company's procedures and regulations. The job also involves maintaining safety standards. To meet your goals, you're responsible for equipment operations, including the continued functioning of critical tools and machines.
Maintenance supervisors link the maintenance manager and team to the preventative maintenance schedule and planner. Your duties vary depending on the specific nature of the business. As part of your job description, you oversee all maintenance or repair work to ensure timely and safe completion.
You occupy a middle-management position in companies, leading and motivating your assigned team of workers. Successful maintenance supervisors know how to supervise others effectively to get the expected results. You should also ensure that all applicable government regulations and agency rules, like those set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), are followed to the letter.
Would working as a maintenance supervisor suit your troubleshooting and problem-solving skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a maintenance supervisor role.
view jobsaverage maintenance supervisor salary
According to ONS, the average compensation package for a maintenance supervisor is £36,072 per year, which translates to £18.50 hourly. Entry-level jobs attract a salary of £31,929 annually, while experienced maintenance supervisors earn over £42,892 annually.
what influences the compensation package of a maintenance supervisor?
Your educational qualifications affect your earnings. Most employers pay more for additional qualifications like a bachelor's degree or master's. Extra qualifications improve your salary prospects and guarantee you an increased salary. For instance, if you have an HVAC (air conditioning) repair or a plumbing certification, you are likely to receive a higher salary than other maintenance supervisors.
Your experience as a maintenance supervisor also impacts your salary. The longer you work in a role, the more expertise you gain, which translates to higher average pay.
types of maintenance supervisors
Some of the types of maintenance supervisors include:
- facilities maintenance supervisor: you direct technicians in minor engineering and maintenance projects in a facility, which includes everything from electrical to mechanical and plumbing tasks. You also assign your team cleaning and small carpentry tasks as required.
- public works maintenance supervisor: you lead a city's crew of road maintenance workers responsible for street sweeping and maintaining street surfaces, storm drains, and parking areas. You are also involved in traffic control maintenance and guiding new construction in the city.
- building maintenance supervisor: your work involves directing a group of maintenance technicians in overseeing installations, repairs and other actions needed to maintain a commercial building. Be prepared to supervise the crew's day-to-day activities in and around the building under maintenance. You also communicate with the building users on essential points, such as upcoming maintenance work.
- residential maintenance supervisor: you supervise and oversee the technicians of residential properties. Unlike a building maintenance supervisor, an residential maintenance supervisor carefully plans and schedules the work to avoid causing disturbance to occupants.
- plant maintenance supervisor: these maintenance supervisors operate in a fully industrialised setting, and you require technical skills like maintaining the assets used at the plant to work in such an environment. Your main job is to supervise the team of technicians and ensure proper maintenance of complex equipment, tools and plant systems.
working as a maintenance supervisor
Working as a maintenance supervisor involves troubleshooting problems and preventive maintenance in building systems. If this interests you, check out the specific tasks, work environments and job prospects.
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maintenance supervisor job description
The specific tasks of a maintenance supervisor depend on the employer. Some of the duties include:
- planning and organising technician tasks: you direct and organise all activities around equipment operations, so your main responsibility is to plan the activities of maintenance technicians. You prepare schedules for preventative maintenance and assign duties to technicians.
- developing maintenance schedules: you ensure all repairs and tasks are completed on time by creating a timeline for preventive maintenance. You also participate in developing maintenance standards and policies for an organisation.
- inspecting various elements of a building system: you are in charge of the entire building system, so you conduct regular inspections to identify areas that require repairs or maintenance work. You check the lifts, security systems, fire alarms and plumbing systems. Regular inspections help you plan repair schedules.
- coordinating training sessions on facility maintenance: your job is to ensure safety in a building, so you train workers or residents in staying safe in a fire outbreak or other emergency. You also train maintenance technicians in handling emergencies and maintaining safety standards during repairs.
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work environment
As a maintenance supervisor, you work in different indoor and outdoor environments. Expect to work under sinks and with external air conditioning (HVAC) units. Regardless of the setting or industry, it's essential to be observant and diligent, with an eye for details and technical skills. All your working environments are technical, hence the need for specialised skills.
Most jobs are limited to a specific location, and you are likely to work at your company's offices most of the time. However, if you work on a contract basis, expect to travel between jobs; you could supervise maintenance work on a flat in one area today, but tomorrow you may work in a different location to manage a repair in a factory. Since you should be physically present to supervise the teams, you cannot work from home or remotely.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your industry, your colleagues may include operations, service, glaziers and facilities managers. You may also work alongside building engineers, team leaders, and other specialists like project managers, project engineers, production managers and maintenance engineers.
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work schedule
As a maintenance supervisor, expect busy work schedules. You typically work a 40-hour week, but if your factory or building is a 24-hour facility, you work different shifts to oversee your technician team. You create a schedule and review it daily to coordinate your team. After reviewing the schedule, you plan tasks to be undertaken by each team member and set the time for completion.
The nature of the work determines your work days. As long as the work is ongoing, you should be at the site to ensure a smooth and seamless workflow as planned. The days you work in a week vary depending on the nature of the project. Some maintenance projects take days to complete or involve working on weekends. Your schedule includes supervising the team's work, communicating with owners or residents and reporting to the maintenance manager.
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job outlook
Maintenance supervisors have opportunities for career advancement in the same area or different fields. With training and development, you have a range of growth opportunities. As a maintenance supervisor, you can develop your career through further training to become a maintenance manager. Some maintenance managers gain additional skills to become facilities managers or maintenance engineers.
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advantages of finding a maintenance supervisor job through randstad
Finding your maintenance supervisor job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a maintenance supervisor is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
Some of the educational qualifications for becoming a maintenance supervisor include the following:
- university degree: to become a maintenance supervisor, complete an undergraduate or foundation degree in facilities management or building and services management. Some supervisors start as maintenance technicians or engineers with engineering degrees.
- apprenticeship: apprenticeship programmes include facilities manager higher apprenticeship or facilities management supervisor advanced apprenticeship. These apprenticeship programmes prepare you for the role through coursework and on-the-job training.
- certifications: as a maintenance supervisor, it helps to have additional certifications in building maintenance. For instance, you could complete certificates in plumbing, HVAC systems, and electrical repairs.
maintenance supervisor skills and competencies
Employers look for maintenance supervisors with the following skills:
- technical knowledge: as a maintenance supervisor, you should have extensive knowledge of various tools and building systems. For instance, it is essential to understand how buildings' electrical and plumbing systems work and their required maintenance.
- listening skills: the key to running an efficient maintenance team is good listening skills. Listening to your maintenance technicians helps you stay on top of maintenance operations. When you communicate well with your team members, they will be forthcoming with suggested solutions.
- organisational skills: as a maintenance supervisor, you organise maintenance schedules and assign duties. It helps to have organisational skills to prioritise your workload, handle tasks and conduct maintenance on time.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a maintenance supervisor
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what does a maintenance supervisor do?
A maintenance supervisor's duties revolve around overseeing, coordinating and directing a maintenance team's activities. As a maintenance supervisor, you coordinate day-to-day activities, develop work schedules and procedures, ensure the practical completion of tasks on time, and regularly inspect the site to identify areas that need corrective actions.
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what are the five roles of a supervisor?
A maintenance supervisor has several duties to perform. However, some specific roles are crucial for the effective and timely completion of the work. Your primary responsibility is to organise and oversee maintenance activities by preparing technicians' schedules. You perform evaluations and inspections on various building systems to ensure the repairs meet the required standards. You also hire and fire employees in the maintenance team.
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what degree do you need to be a maintenance supervisor?
A maintenance supervisor needs a degree in building management, facilities management or maintenance engineering. The degree equips you with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform repairs and manage teams.
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what makes a good maintenance supervisor?
A good maintenance supervisor has excellent leadership skills to motivate and inspire teams. They also have prioritisation skills to organise the maintenance tasks and technicians.
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how do I apply for a maintenance supervisor vacancy?
Applying for a maintenance supervisor job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our maintenance supervisor job offers. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
