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Boston Career Explorer

Production

First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of production and operating workers, such as inspectors, precision workers, machine setters and operators, assemblers, fabricators, and plant and system operators. Excludes team or work leaders.

Also called: Assembly Supervisor, Line Supervisor, Manufacturing Supervisor, Molding Supervisor, Plant Supervisor, Production Manager

Compare with my current job (Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$82,660
$39.74/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
8,060
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.6%
1,380 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
Less than 5 years of related work experience

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$56,470$67,990$82,660$101,250$119,240

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Enforce safety and sanitation regulations.
  • Keep records of employees' attendance and hours worked.
  • Inspect materials, products, or equipment to detect defects or malfunctions.
  • Read and analyze charts, work orders, production schedules, and other records and reports to determine production requirements and to evaluate current production estimates and outputs.
  • Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals.
  • Confer with other supervisors to coordinate operations and activities within or between departments.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure43 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 44
  • Language-model AIOE 47
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 39

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is moderate, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with reading production reports, building schedules, and tracking attendance and hours. Enforcing safety, inspecting equipment, and leading workers on the floor depend on people.

Likely to change

  • Building work schedules and production plans
  • Tracking attendance and hours worked

Still relies on people

  • Enforcing safety rules on the floor
  • Directing and coordinating workers day to day

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

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    Your safety enforcement and equipment-check experience carry over. This job pays a Boston median of $111,490 and has 13.3% projected growth in Massachusetts.

    Pay difference
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    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Reading specs and work orders is good preparation for reading blueprints. This apprenticeship pays a Boston median of $120,840.

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  • Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door

    Inspecting equipment and keeping records carry over to this job. It pays a Boston median of $95,520 with moderate on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$12,860 median
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    MA growth
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    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

3 programs near Boston (plus 1 graduate)

Related occupations

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