Description
An electrical supervisor is a key role in overseeing and managing electrical projects, ensuring the safe and efficient installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical systems. Electrical supervisors play a vital role in coordinating and leading a team of electricians, ensuring that work is carried out according to electrical codes, project specifications, and safety standards. They are responsible for overseeing electrical installations, troubleshooting electrical issues, and ensuring compliance with regulations.
Duties
Electrical supervisors typically perform the following duties:
- Plan, schedule, and coordinate electrical projects, including new installations, upgrades, or repairs.
- Supervise and direct a team of electricians, assigning tasks, providing guidance, and ensuring work is carried out efficiently and effectively.
- Interpret electrical plans, blueprints, and specifications to ensure proper installation and adherence to project requirements.
- Coordinate with other tradespeople, contractors, and project stakeholders to ensure smooth workflow and collaboration.
- Conduct site inspections to assess electrical needs, identify potential risks, and ensure compliance with safety standards and regulations.
- Provide technical expertise and guidance to electricians on complex electrical systems, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring quality workmanship.
- Oversee the installation, maintenance, and repair of electrical systems, equipment, and components.
- Monitor project progress, ensuring work is completed on schedule and within budget.
- Ensure compliance with electrical codes, regulations, and industry standards.
- Conduct safety audits and inspections to identify and address potential hazards or non-compliance with safety protocols.
- Train and mentor electricians, promoting professional development and ensuring knowledge of the latest industry practices and technologies.
- Collaborate with project managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure effective communication and coordination throughout the project.
- Keep accurate records of project activities, including work orders, time sheets, and equipment maintenance logs.
- Stay updated on industry trends, advancements, and changes in electrical codes and regulations.
Other titles
The following job titles also refer to electrical supervisor:
electrical service supervisor
foreman electrician
electrical maintenance manager
electrical maintenance supervisor
electrical systems supervisor
electrician supervisor
electrical installation supervisor
Working conditions
Electrical supervisors work in a variety of settings, including construction sites, industrial facilities, commercial buildings, and residential areas. The work involves exposure to electrical hazards, working at heights, and in confined spaces. They must follow strict safety protocols, wear appropriate personal protective equipment, and ensure compliance with safety regulations. The role often requires physical stamina and the ability to work in different weather conditions. Electrical supervisors may need to work extended hours, including evenings and weekends, to meet project deadlines and address any electrical emergencies or issues that arise.
Minimum qualifications
The educational and professional requirements for an electrical supervisor can vary depending on the employer and the complexity of the projects. Typically, a high school diploma or equivalent is required. Completion of an apprenticeship program in electrical trades is essential, along with relevant certifications, such as a journeyman electrician license. Some employers may prefer candidates with additional training or a degree in electrical engineering or a related field. Strong knowledge of electrical codes, regulations, and industry best practices is necessary. Previous experience as an electrician, with progressively responsible roles, is essential to develop the skills and expertise required to supervise and lead a team effectively.
ISCO skill level
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
- the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
- the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
- the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
Electrical supervisor is a Skill level 3 occupation.
Electrical supervisor career path
Similar occupations
These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to electrical supervisor.
insulation supervisor
water conservation technician supervisor
paperhanger supervisor
terrazzo setter supervisor
construction painting supervisor
Long term prospects
These occupations require some skills and knowledge of electrical supervisor. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of electrical supervisor with a significant experience and/or extensive training.
construction general contractor
installation engineer
mine ventilation engineer
property developer
integrated circuit design engineer
Essential knowledge and skills
Essential knowledge
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of electrical supervisor.
- Building systems monitoring technology: Computer-based control systems that monitor mechanical and electrical equipment in a building such as HVAC, security and lighting systems.
- Electromechanics: The engineering processes that combine electrical and mechanical engineering in the application of electromechanics in devices that need electricity to create mechanical movement or devices that create electricity by mechanical movement.
- Electronics: The functioning of electronic circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including programming and applications. Apply this knowledge to ensure electronic equipment runs smoothly.
- Electricity: Understand the principles of electricity and electrical power circuits, as well as the associated risks.
- Electrical wiring plans: Pictorial representation of an electrical circuit. It shows the components of the circuit as simplified shapes, and the power and signal connections between the devices. It gives information about the relative position and arrangement of devices and terminals on the devices, to help in building or servicing the device. A wiring diagram is often used to troubleshoot problems and to make sure that all the connections have been made and that everything is present.
Essential skills and competences
These skills are necessary for the role of electrical supervisor.
- Test procedures in electricity transmission: Perform tests on powerlines and cables, as well as other equipment used for the transmission of electrical power, in order to ensure the cables are well insulated, the voltage can be controlled well, and the equipment is compliant with regulations.
- Inspect electrical supplies: Check electrical supplies for damage, moisture, loss or other problems.
- Answer requests for quotation: Make up prices and documents for the products that customers may purchase.
- Check compatibility of materials: Make sure the materials are fit to be used together, and if there are any foreseeable interferences.
- Manage health and safety standards: Oversee all personnel and processes to comply with health, safety and hygiene standards. Communicate and support alignment of these requirements with the company’s health and safety programmes.
- Monitor stock level: Evaluate how much stock is used and determine what should be ordered.
- Work in a construction team: Work as part of a team in a construction project. Communicate efficiently, sharing information with team members and reporting to supervisors. Follow instructions and adapt to changes in a flexible manner.
- Inspect construction supplies: Check construction supplies for damage, moisture, loss or other problems before using the material.
- Ensure compliance with construction project deadline: Plan, schedule and monitor the building processes in order to ensure completion of the project by the set deadline.
- Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
- Plan resource allocation: Plan future needs of various resources such as time, money and specific process resources.
- Plan shifts of employees: Plans shifts of employees to ensure completion of all customer orders and satisfactory completion of the production plan.
- Follow health and safety procedures in construction: Apply the relevant health and safety procedures in construction in order to prevent accidents, pollution and other risks.
- Evaluate employees work: Evaluate the need for labour for the work ahead. Evaluate the performance of the team of workers and inform superiors. Encourage and support the employees in learning, teach them techniques and check the application to ensure product quality and labour productivity.
- Supervise staff: Oversee the selection, training, performance and motivation of staff.
- Order construction supplies: Order required materials for the construction project, taking care to purchase the most suitable material for a good price.
- Process incoming construction supplies: Receive incoming construction supplies, handle the transaction and enter the supplies into any internal administration system.
- Test electronic units: Test electronic units using appropriate equipment. Gather and analyse data. Monitor and evaluate system performance and take action if needed.
- React to events in time-critical environments: Monitor the situation around you and anticipate. Be ready to take quick and appropriate action in case of unexpected events.
- Use safety equipment in construction: Use elements of protective clothing such as steel-tipped shoes, and gear such as protective goggles, in order to minimise risk of accidents in construction and to mitigate any injury if an accident does occur.
- Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
- Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Optional knowledge and skills
Optional knowledge
This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of electrical supervisor. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
- Microelectronics: Microelectronics is a subdiscipline of electronics and relates the study, design, and manufacture of small electronic components, such as microchips.
- Energy performance of buildings: Factors that contribute to lower energy consumption of buildings. Building and renovation techniques used to achieve this. Legislation and procedures regarding energy performance of buildings.
- Construction product regulation: Regulations on construction products quality standards applied throughout the European Union.
- Cost management: The process of planning, monitoring and adjusting the expenses and revenues of a business in order to achieve cost efficiency and capability.
- Solar panel mounting systems: Different ways of setting up solar panels, such as pole mounting, where the panels are fixed to a surface, ballasted mounting, where weights are used to keep the panels in place, and solar tracking, where panels are mounted on a moving surface in order to follow the sun through the sky for optimal insulation.
- Automation technology: Set of technologies that make a process, system, or apparatus operate automatically through the use of control systems.
Optional skills and competences
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of electrical supervisor. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
- Work ergonomically: Apply ergonomy principles in the organisation of the workplace while manually handling equipment and materials.
- Provide first aid: Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.
- Solder electronics: Operate and use soldering tools and soldering iron, which supply high temperatures to melt the solder and to join electronic components.
- Use sander: Use different types of drywall sanders, automatic or manual, handheld or on an extension, to sand surfaces to a smooth finish or to rough them up for better adhesion.
- Troubleshoot: Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
- Maintain electrical equipment: Test electrical equipment for malfunctions. Take safety measures, company guidelines, and legislation concerning electrical equipment into account. Clean, repair and replace parts and connections as required.
- Assemble electrical components: Assemble switches, electrical controls, circuit boards and other electrical components by using hand and soldering equipment.
- Conduct quality control analysis: Conduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.
- Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
- Splice cable: Join and weave electric and communications cable and trunk lines together.
- Assemble electronic units: Assemble and maintain electronic components and electronic circuits.
- Install electrical and electronic equipment: Install equipment which is dependent on electric currents or electromagnetic fields in order to work, or equipment to generate, transfer or measure such currents and fields. This equipment includes switchboards, electric motors, generators or direct current systems.
- Install electricity sockets: Install electricity sockets into walls or sub-floor compartments. Isolate all electric cables in the socket to prevent accidents.
- Calculate needs for construction supplies: Take measurements on site and estimate the amount of materials required for the construction or restoration project.
- Install circuit breakers: Install electrical switches designed to switch off automatically in case of an overload or short-circuit. Organise circuit breakers in the panel logically. Make sure no foreign objects are introduced into the panel. Use only circuit breakers approved for the panel, usually the same manufacturer.
- Install construction profiles: Install a variety of metal or plastic profiles used to attach materials to each other or to structural elements. Cut them to size if called for.
- Use precision tools: Use electronic, mechanical, electric, or optical precision tools for precision work.
- Use measurement instruments: Use different measurement instruments depending on the property to be measured. Utilise various instruments to measure length, area, volume, speed, energy, force, and others.
- Maintain electronic equipment: Check and repair electronic equipment. Detect malfunction, locate faults and take measures to prevent damage.
- Install electric switches: Prepare wires for installation in a switch. Wire the switch. Install it securely in the right location.
- Provide technical expertise: Provide expert knowledge in a particular field, especially concerning mechanical or scientific subjects, to decision makers, engineers, technical staff or journalists.
- Negotiate supplier arrangements: Reach an agreement with the supplier upon technical, quantity, quality, price, conditions, storage, packaging, send-back and other requirements related to the purchasing and delivering process.
- Train employees: Lead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the performance of individuals and groups in organisational settings.
ISCO group and title
3123 – Construction supervisors
References
- Electrical supervisor – ESCO
- What Is An Electrical Supervisor? | Indeed.com
- Electrical Supervisor Job Description – Betterteam
- Featured image: By Amanda Bicknell – This image is from the FEMA Photo Library (obsolete as of 2019).An archived copy may be found at the Wayback Machine, Public Domain