Mail Services Supervisor Job Description

Salary Range

$55,950 - $85,090

Experience

Some mailroom experience, under 5 years

Work Environment

Campus mail center and delivery routes

What Does a Mail Services Supervisor Do?

If a delivery goes missing on campus, the mail services supervisor is usually the first to hear about it. In fact, so much of a university's daily business still moves through the mailroom that the supervisor's shift plan decides whether checks, lab supplies and student packages arrive when promised.

Also known as: Mail Supervisor

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as Accounting Manager, Accounts Payable Supervisor, Accounts Receivable Manager, Administrative Supervisor, Customer Service Manager, Customer Service Supervisor, Office Coordinator, Office Manager.

Mail Services Supervisor Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a mail services supervisor include:

• Assign sorting, metering and delivery routes to clerks and student workers at the start of each shift.
• Check that time-sensitive items, such as checks and lab shipments, leave on the first run.
• Ride or walk delivery routes now and then to spot delays and missed stops.
• Train new staff on scanners, mailing machines and suspicious-mail procedures.
• Reconcile postage meter readings and departmental charges before sending them to the manager.
• Investigate lost or damaged packages with carriers and recipients, and record the outcome.
• Adjust staffing for move-in weeks, holidays and absences, and approve timecards.
• Fill in on routes and at the service counter when the team is short.
• Inspect vehicles, carts and scales and report repairs before they affect service.
• Report daily volumes, delivery times and problems to the mail services manager.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a mail services supervisor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Running a mailroom shift and delivery routes
• Package-tracking and locker systems
• Mailing machine setup and postage accounting
• USPS rules for bulk and accountable mail
• Coaching staff and student workers
• Calm problem-solving with upset recipients
• Valid driver's license, often required
• Physical stamina for lifting and standing

Education and Training

Progression is often internal, and many supervisors were once mail clerks or lead clerks themselves. BLS figures for first-line office supervisors point to a high school diploma and under five years of related work. Bear in mind that you are more likely to be promoted if you have already covered the lead clerk's duties during busy weeks.

Salary and Job Outlook

Employment of first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers will barely move from 2025 to 2035, BLS projects, with growth of about 0.1 percent. Openings still arrive, roughly 127,400 a year across the group by BLS estimates, mostly as supervisors retire. Few of those are in mailrooms. Supervisors who can run tracking systems and package lockers stand a better chance as parcel volume on campuses keeps growing.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers.

Mail Services Supervisor Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Mail Services Supervisors

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Washington ($79,480), District of Columbia ($79,200), New York ($79,170), Connecticut ($78,200), California ($77,590). Pay is lowest in Arkansas ($58,100), Louisiana ($57,180), West Virginia ($53,660).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 98% are on the phone every day
• 93% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 89% use email every day
• 85% spend more than half the workday sitting
• 81% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 70% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 39% have a lot of freedom to make decisions

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Mail Services Supervisors Use

Tools and equipment

• 10-key calculators
• Computer data input scanners
• Computer laser printers
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• Laser facsimile machines
• Liquid crystal display LCD projectors
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers

Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Adobe Acrobat
• Apple macOS
• Facebook
• Google Docs
• Henry Schein Dentrix
• IBM SPSS Statistics
• Intuit QuickBooks

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: Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination.

Knowledge areas used most: Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Computers and Electronics.

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:

• Payroll Supervisor job description
• Teller Supervisor job description
• Office Supervisor job description
• Property Control Supervisor job description
• Admissions Supervisor job description
• Testing Center Supervisor job description
• Library Supervisor job description
• Front Desk Supervisor job description

Applying for a Mail Services Supervisor Job

• Job application letter sample
• How to write the skills section of a resume
• How to describe your work experience
• Job interview tips
• Interview thank-you note

The Job Explorer never charges candidates any money. If someone asks you to pay to apply for a mail services supervisor job or to get hired, treat it as a warning sign.