First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of helpers, laborers, or material movers, hand.

Also called: Floor Supervisor, Packaging Supervisor, Receiving Manager, Receiving Supervisor, Shipping Manager, Shipping Supervisor, Terminal Operations Manager, Warehouse Foreman, Warehouse Manager, Warehouse Supervisor, Agency Operator, Aircraft Cleaning Supervisor, Boat and Plant Utility Supervisor, Building Materials Supervisor, Car Cleaning Supervisor, Car Wash Supervisor, Carpenter Labor Supervisor, Chute Boss, Circus Supervisor, Circus Train Supervisor, Cleaning Supervisor, Dock Boss, Field Pipe Lines Supervisor, Freight Loading Supervisor, Gang Boss, Gang Supervisor, Garbage Collector Supervisor, Gas Pumping Station Supervisor, Grading Supervisor, Grip Boss, Hatch Boss, Hatch Supervisor, Hub Supervisor, Inventory Control Supervisor, Inventory Supervisor, Labor Supervisor, Labor Utilization Superintendent, Load Out Supervisor, Loading and Unloading Supervisor, Local Sort Supervisor, Mail Handlers Supervisor, Material Handling Crew Supervisor, Material Handling Warehouse Supervisor, Materials Supervisor, Night Warehouse Supervisor, Outbound Warehouse Supervisor, Package Center Supervisor, Package Supervisor, Parking Lot Supervisor, Platform Material Handler Manager, Platform Material Handling Supervisor, Preload Supervisor, Pumping Supervisor, Reactor Fueling Supervisor, Recycling Manager, Recycling Operator, Refuse Collector Supervisor, Rigger Supervisor, Scrap Preparation Supervisor (Scrap Prep Supervisor), Shipping and Receiving Coordinator, Stevedoring Superintendent, Stevedoring Supervisor, Tank Cleaning Supervisor, Trash Collector Supervisor, Warehouse Coordinator, Warehouse Inventory Coordinator, Warehouse Operations Manager (Warehouse Ops Manager), Warehouse Operations Supervisor, Warehouse Shift Manager, Warehouse Shift Supervisor, Warehousing Industry Supervisor, Yard Coordinator, Yard Foreman, Yard Supervisor

This is a career information profile, not an advertised job opening.

What the worker does

Maintain a safe working environment by monitoring safety procedures and equipment.
Collaborate with workers and managers to solve work-related problems.
Review work throughout the work process and at completion to ensure that it has been performed properly.
Inform designated employees or departments of items loaded or problems encountered.
Inspect equipment for wear and for conformance to specifications.
Prepare and maintain work records and reports of information such as employee time and wages, daily receipts, or inspection results.
Transmit and explain work orders to laborers.
Plan work schedules and assign duties to maintain adequate staff for effective performance of activities and response to fluctuating workloads.
Participate in the hiring process by reviewing credentials, conducting interviews, or making hiring decisions or recommendations.
Estimate material, time, and staffing requirements for a given project, based on work orders, job specifications, and experience.

Skills, machines and equipment

Coordination
Speaking
Management of Personnel Resources
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Complex Problem Solving
Time Management
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Instructing
Judgment and Decision Making

Education and training

Most frequently reported education in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (35.20% of responses). This is survey context, not a universal hiring requirement. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

O*NET Job Zone 2: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. This is broad occupational preparation context; confirm the requirements for a specific employer or apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships

Ask an employer or registered apprenticeship sponsor about current programs, eligibility, training and pay. A career profile does not confirm that a program is available.

Salary reference

50,070–78,160 USD per year · United States · 2025. Source: BLS OEWS via O*NET · 25th–75th percentiles · SOC 53-1042.

Occupational-group wage references are not guaranteed pay for this specialty or an employer's offer.

Career advancement

Develop inventory, scheduling, planning, and supply-chain analysis experience; explore coordinator, planner, or logistics-lead responsibilities.
Ask employers which demonstrated skills, education, or credentials are needed for the next role. Related careers are exploration options, not automatic promotions.

How Do I Get This Job?

Review the skills and responsibilities above.
Most frequently reported education in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (35.20% of responses). This is survey context, not a universal hiring requirement. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
O*NET Job Zone 2: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. This is broad occupational preparation context; confirm the requirements for a specific employer or apprenticeship.
Compare real openings and confirm requirements directly with the employer.

View available jobs — availability is not guaranteed; sample listings are not real openings.

Related career information

Sources and limitations

O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. ShopFloor adapted occupational grouping, selected manufacturing-relevant occupations, and retained seven legacy guide titles. Specialties and alternative titles are grouped under O*NET occupations; these occupations can also occur outside manufacturing. Source: https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html. No wage, vacancy, certification, or video data is implied. ShopFloor advancement suggestions are general editorial guidance, not O*NET findings or guaranteed career progression. BLS wage ranges, when available, are national 25th–75th percentiles for the source occupational grouping, across industries; they are not local, apprentice, entry-level, or specialty-specific offers.

First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand