First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of mechanics, installers, and repairers. May also advise customers on recommended services. Excludes team or work leaders.

What you'd actually do

• Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements.
• Inspect and monitor work areas, examine tools and equipment, and provide employee safety training to prevent, detect, and correct unsafe conditions or violations of procedures and safety rules.
• Interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers.
• Monitor employees' work levels and review work performance.
• Perform skilled repair or maintenance operations, using equipment such as hand or power tools, hydraulic presses or shears, or welding equipment.
• Compute estimates and actual costs of factors such as materials, labor, or outside contractors.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0.3% of first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are take-charge, organized and detail-focused and hands-on.

Related careers

• Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
• Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door
• Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Millwrights
• Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

Quick questions

How much does a first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairer make?

The median pay is $38.39 per hour — roughly $80,000 a year, with the real range running from about $23.85/hr (10th percentile) to $60.96/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairer?

The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).

What does a first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairer actually do all day?

Inspect, test, and measure completed work, using devices such as hand tools or gauges to verify conformance to standards or repair requirements. Inspect and monitor work areas, examine tools and equipment, and provide employee safety training to prevent, detect, and correct unsafe conditions or violations of procedures and safety rules. Interpret specifications, blueprints, or job orders to construct templates and lay out reference points for workers.