MightyRecruiterShift supervisors function in a variety of roles to encourage team performance, professional conduct and superior results. One of their key responsibilities is leading a group of employees by assisting with trainings, fostering positive relationships and being prepared to answer questions. Other tasks include monitoring inventory, ordering needed materials or supplies, coordinating schedules and shift activities, managing cash and mediating in situations where a customer has a request or complaint.
Applicants will look to your shift supervisor job description for information about the types of skills you expect and require. Critical skills to include are leadership, communication, time management and self-motivation. Candidates should also be able to contribute to team performance by setting an example and remaining motivated, encouraging and enthusiastic under pressure.
Decision-making and problem solving skills are also important competencies to highlight. This shift supervisor job description is an illustration of how to order content for optimal clarity.
Shift Supervisor Job Summary
As a shift supervisor at our mall location, you will have the chance to interact with your team and customers on a daily basis. Your enthusiasm and leadership skills will play an integral role in motivating your team and encouraging professional, helpful and reputable performance and service. You will be able to learn about managing inventory counts and identifying how much product to order for efficient fulfillment needs. Whether you are aligning schedules, coordinating shift duties, assisting customers or closing out cash registers at the end of the day, your unique array of tasks will provide opportunities for personal and professional growth. If you excel at leading others and are self-motivated and able to manage your time, this position may be just what you are looking for.
Job Responsibilities
- Create schedules based off of employee availability, and coordinate shift activities and tasks based on the team’s experience and skill set; plan ahead for situations where an employee doesn’t show up or is unable to cover his or her shift
- Greet each employee as they arrive for a shift, and confirm that he or she is aware of designated responsibilities; provide encouragement and evaluate job performance in a personal setting when necessary
- Participate in providing customer service by welcoming customers, answering their questions, pitching current promotions and ringing up purchases
- Maintain an organized and professional storefront by setting the precedent of organizing, cleaning and adjusting displays that lack order
- Oversee all cash management, including payments received and refunds given; thoroughly count and document end-of-shift cash amounts, and keep track of discrepancies for reconciliation purposes
- Intervene in situations where a customer is dissatisfied with a product or the service received; come up with viable solutions that reflect the company’s integrity and are beneficial to the customer
- Collaborate with other shift managers to provide trainings to employees on company policies, procedures and required conduct
- Manage inventory counts, and use specific algorithms and fulfillment software to determine how much product to order
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- High school diploma or equivalent degree
- Three to five years of experience in a management role
- Leadership and communication skills are a must
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Familiarity with inventory and financial management
Shift Supervisor Job Responsibilities
When the next shift supervisor position opens, you may plan to hire from within if you have qualified employees already working for you. In that case, it may be tempting to think a well-written job description is not as important since internal candidates don’t need an introduction to your company or its processes. However, outlining the responsibilities of a shift supervisor provides all applicants with a clear picture of the additional roles they’ll take on should management choose them for the position. For this reason, even if you expect primarily internal applications, carefully draft your shift supervisor job description to reflect the duties of the position accurately.
When you’re ready to write the meat of the description, don’t be afraid to look at the details others have included for the same position. Another company’s posting may give you ideas of what to include and what to leave out of your ad. They may also inspire you with skillfully worded language that says exactly what you wanted to say better than you knew how to say it. Feel free to use others’ postings as a starting point for your shift supervisor job description.
In addition to reviewing other descriptions, you may consider including the following shift supervisor job responsibilities:
- Supervise production personnel through coordinating schedules, monitoring work flow and resolving problems
- Develop production plan for assigned shift
- Establish maintenance protocol for efficiency and minimal downtime
- Prioritize safety, training all personnel in OSHA regulations to reduce hazards in the facility
Shift Supervisor Job Specifications
The specifications section of the shift supervisor job description is one of the most important. Since it communicates qualifications for the position to potential candidates, it helps them decide whether to apply for the job or look elsewhere. The key to encouraging qualified candidates to pursue the opportunity is outlining the job specifications well. As you sit down to list the required qualifications for the position, think about the experience other successful shift supervisors have had. Have they risen from entry-level production workers to increasingly more responsible positions through the years, or have they been recent hires that quickly adapted to your organization’s procedures? Maybe they’ve been a little of both. Consider their experience, identify the qualities they have in common and focus the job specifications accordingly.
In addition, be sure to separate the list of qualifications into “required” and “preferred.” If you prefer someone with 10 years of experience but will accept candidates who only have five, provided they meet additional criteria, state those limitations explicitly in the shift supervisor job description. Again, when you outline specific qualifications, candidates decide for themselves whether their experience matches your expectations, a choice that empowers them and saves you time.
The following are examples of shift supervisor job specifications:
- Associate’s degree with years of experience or high school diploma with 10 years of experience
- Increasing responsibility in a production facility
- Proven leadership and time management skills
- Working knowledge of all aspects of the production process
