What Does a Field Operations Supervisor Do?
Customers left without power, phone service or a working machine are counting the hours until a repair crew shows up. The field operations supervisor decides which crew goes where, for utilities, telecom companies, equipment dealers and facilities departments. A typical day mixes route planning and dispatch at a desk with drives out to job sites, where the supervisor inspects repairs and checks that crews are working safely.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Electrical and Instrumentation Supervisor (E and I Supervisor), Facilities Maintenance Supervisor, Facility Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance Coordinator, Maintenance Foreman, Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Planner, Maintenance Superintendent.
Field Operations Supervisor Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a field operations supervisor include:
- Dispatch installers and repair technicians to field jobs by priority, location and skill.
- Plan daily routes and crew assignments so emergency calls are covered around the clock.
- Visit job sites to inspect work quality, safety practices and customer satisfaction.
- Review completed work orders for accuracy, labor hours and parts used.
- Approve overtime and on-call schedules, balancing coverage against the labor budget.
- Investigate accidents, near misses and equipment damage, and write up corrective steps.
- Order tools, vehicles and replacement parts, and keep truck stock at agreed levels.
- Train new technicians in work procedures, electrical safety and customer etiquette.
- Track crew performance on response time, repeat visits and completed jobs.
- Report outages, delays and major repairs to managers and customer service staff.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a field operations supervisor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Hands-on background in the equipment the crews service
- Dispatch and work order software
- Scheduling crews across a service area
- OSHA safety rules for field work
- Reading schematics and service manuals
- Clear radio and phone communication
- Quick decisions during outages and emergencies
- Valid driver's license and clean driving record
Education and Training
Field supervisors are usually promoted from the ranks of installers and repair technicians after several years of hands-on work. Others move up from dispatcher or crew lead posts. BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry education for first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers, and a technical certificate in electrical or mechanical systems strengthens an application.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $62,690 - $101,360 per year, with a median of $79,860.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers.
According to BLS, employment of first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers is projected to grow about 4 percent from 2025 to 2035. It is a big occupation, with about 48,900 openings a year across many industries. Promotion from within is common.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers.
Field Operations Supervisor Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $49,600 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $62,690 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $79,860 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $101,360 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $126,790 |
Highest-Paying States for Field Operations Supervisors
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Alaska ($98,110), Washington ($94,420), Connecticut ($94,050), California ($93,660), New Jersey ($92,680). Pay is lowest in Arkansas ($71,460), West Virginia ($71,360), Mississippi ($70,900).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $74,830 |
| Alaska | $98,110 |
| Arizona | $76,240 |
| Arkansas | $71,460 |
| California | $93,660 |
| Colorado | $83,260 |
| Connecticut | $94,050 |
| Delaware | $83,250 |
| District of Columbia | $83,460 |
| Florida | $75,900 |
| Georgia | $77,010 |
| Hawaii | $87,550 |
| Idaho | $74,940 |
| Illinois | $83,180 |
| Indiana | $79,650 |
| Iowa | $78,340 |
| Kansas | $78,390 |
| Kentucky | $76,760 |
| Louisiana | $75,550 |
| Maine | $79,260 |
| Maryland | $82,330 |
| Massachusetts | $92,250 |
| Michigan | $77,810 |
| Minnesota | $87,160 |
| Mississippi | $70,900 |
| Missouri | $77,470 |
| Montana | $81,440 |
| Nebraska | $77,850 |
| Nevada | $79,860 |
| New Hampshire | $87,560 |
| New Jersey | $92,680 |
| New Mexico | $77,550 |
| New York | $91,150 |
| North Carolina | $76,800 |
| North Dakota | $90,600 |
| Ohio | $78,730 |
| Oklahoma | $77,040 |
| Oregon | $86,970 |
| Pennsylvania | $79,400 |
| Rhode Island | $78,840 |
| South Carolina | $75,120 |
| South Dakota | $80,810 |
| Tennessee | $75,830 |
| Texas | $76,760 |
| Utah | $78,930 |
| Vermont | $83,050 |
| Virginia | $80,770 |
| Washington | $94,420 |
| West Virginia | $71,360 |
| Wisconsin | $82,570 |
| Wyoming | $87,460 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 88% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 86% are on the phone every day
- 86% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 82% use email every day
- 71% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 61% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 54% have a lot of freedom to make decisions
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 54% |
| Some college | 17% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 13% |
| Bachelor's degree | 8% |
Tools and Software Field Operations Supervisors Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Monitoring, Management of Personnel Resources, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making.
Knowledge areas used most: Administration and Management, Mechanical, Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Personnel and Human Resources.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 3 of 5, which means medium preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 49-1011.00 (First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 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. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.