What a production supervisor does
Production supervisors manage the people, schedule and results on one or more lines. They assign work, track output against targets, deal with breakdowns and material shortages, enforce safety and quality rules, and coach or discipline staff when needed. They connect the floor with planning, maintenance, quality and management, and they are often responsible for training, attendance and continuous improvement. A capable supervisor can lift a whole department, while a weak one can quietly drive away your best people.
Finch screens supervisors for leadership in a manufacturing setting, not just technical knowledge. We ask how candidates have handled underperformance, conflict, safety incidents and missed targets, and we speak with references who saw them manage people. We also check that their experience matches your environment, whether unionized or non-union, food or industrial. You meet a shortlist of qualified leaders ready to take ownership of your floor.
Typical responsibilities
- Plan and assign daily work to meet the production schedule
- Monitor output, scrap, downtime and quality, and act on problems quickly
- Enforce health and safety rules and investigate incidents
- Train, coach and evaluate production staff and lead hands
- Coordinate with maintenance, quality, planning and shipping
- Lead continuous improvement work such as 5S or Lean projects
Qualifications and credentials
- Previous supervisory or lead hand experience in manufacturing
- Ontario's mandatory supervisor health and safety awareness training; JHSC certification is a plus
- Working knowledge of Lean, 5S or Six Sigma methods
- Comfort with production reporting, ERP systems and spreadsheets
- A college diploma or degree in a technical or business field is often preferred
Who hires a production supervisor
- Food and beverage processors
- Automotive and industrial parts manufacturers
- Plastics, packaging and printing plants
- Building products and metal fabrication companies
Where we recruit production supervisor candidates
We fill production supervisor roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Size and type of team the candidate has supervised
- Track record with safety, quality and output measures
- How they handle discipline, conflict and attendance issues
- Experience with improvement methods and production reporting
- References from managers and, where possible, former direct reports
Interview questions to ask
- Tell me about a time your line fell behind schedule. What did you do in the first hour?
- How have you dealt with an employee who repeatedly ignored a safety rule?
- Describe an improvement you led on the floor. How did you get your team to adopt it?