Production Supervisor Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Production supervisors in Tucson run shifts at missile, medical diagnostics, irrigation and electronics plants, keeping output on schedule and ready for an audit. Raytheon, Roche, Rain Bird and Celestica all hire for the role, and Raytheon has posted shift leadership at its plant south of the airport above $86,000. Current openings are below.
Current Production Supervisor Openings in Tucson, AZ
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Production Supervisor Work in Tucson
Tucson's factory base is small in number but heavy in regulation, and that shapes what a supervisor does here. At Raytheon's missile plant on East Hermans Road, south of Tucson International Airport, shift leaders run bargaining-unit crews under export-control rules and serialized traceability, and the company requires U.S. citizenship and a Secret clearance. At Roche's diagnostics operation in Oro Valley and Marana, supervisors answer to FDA device rules and batch records. Getting output is half the job; getting output that survives an audit is the other half.
Rain Bird and Celestica add overnight and second-shift leadership on irrigation products and aerospace electronics. Off-shift supervisor roles are common across all four plants, and they are often where a first-time supervisor gets the job. Rain Bird has posted overnight weekend supervisor schedules and asks for leaders who are bilingual in English and Spanish, a practical requirement on many Tucson production floors.
Top Tucson Employers for Production Supervisors
These Tucson manufacturers hire production supervisors and shift leaders:
- Raytheon (RTX) - value stream leads and shift supervisors over 20 or more union assemblers and technicians at the missile plant on East Hermans Road; U.S. citizenship and a Secret clearance required.
- Roche - shift supervisors in regulated diagnostics manufacturing; a bachelor's degree and SAP experience are standard asks.
- Rain Bird - production and senior production supervisors at its Tucson irrigation products plant, including overnight and weekend shifts.
- Celestica - second-shift production team leaders at its Tucson aerospace and defense electronics facility, working to AS9100 and NADCAP standards.
Production Supervisor Salaries in Tucson
- Entry level (first supervisory role): roughly $60,000 to $75,000 per year.
- Experienced (3 to 5 years supervising): roughly $75,000 to $95,000 per year.
- Senior supervisor or value stream lead: roughly $95,000 to $130,000 per year.
Posted ranges show the spread: Roche advertised $73,600 to $136,600 for a second-shift manufacturing supervisor, and Raytheon $86,800 to $165,200 for a third-shift value stream lead. Regulated and cleared work pays at the top, off-shift roles often carry a premium, and a degree plus Lean or Six Sigma training moves you up the range. These are estimates that vary by employer and experience.
How to Become a Production Supervisor in Tucson
Arizona has no license for manufacturing supervisors. Tucson employers fill these jobs two ways: by promoting experienced leads and technicians, and by hiring from outside, usually with a bachelor's degree and three or more years of supervising in manufacturing. Rain Bird and Roche both list a bachelor's degree, and Celestica will accept eight years of manufacturing experience with supervisory duties in place of one. Transitioning military leaders from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base are a natural fit for the defense plants.
Locally, Pima Community College's Center of Excellence in Applied Technology at the Downtown Campus runs machining, Automated Industrial Technology and welding programs that build the technical side of the ladder, and the University of Arizona's systems and industrial engineering program feeds the degree route. Add OSHA 30 and a Lean or Six Sigma green belt. At Raytheon, the Secret clearance is a condition of the job.
What the Job Involves
You own a shift. That means a start-of-shift meeting, staffing lines against the build schedule, covering absences and clearing whatever is blocking output. During the shift you chase quality escapes, approve deviations, call maintenance when a machine goes down, and handle timekeeping, coaching and discipline. In regulated plants you also sign batch records and travelers. You escalate what you cannot fix and write the handoff for the next shift.
Skills Employers Look For
- Direct people leadership: coaching, corrective action and holding a standard
- Balancing labor against a production schedule
- Root cause analysis and containment when a defect escapes
- Lean manufacturing, TPM and Six Sigma tools
- Regulatory literacy: AS9100, NADCAP, ITAR or FDA device rules, depending on the plant
- Safety leadership, including lockout tagout and incident investigation
- Bilingual English and Spanish, plus SAP or a similar system
Career Path and Advancement
The Tucson ladder into supervision usually runs operator or assembler, then lead or trainer, then supervisor. Above that sit senior supervisor, value stream lead, area manager and plant or operations manager. Lateral moves into manufacturing engineering, quality and supply chain are common. Because Tucson's production base is concentrated in a few large plants, supervisors often move between Raytheon, Roche, Rain Bird and Celestica over a career, and a clearance earned at Raytheon travels with you to other defense work.
Related Careers in Tucson
These Tucson guides cover the roles supervisors come from and move into:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a degree to be a production supervisor in Tucson?
For outside hires, usually yes. Rain Bird and Roche both list a bachelor's degree for supervisor roles, while Celestica accepts eight years of manufacturing experience with supervisory duties instead. Arizona requires no license for the job.
How much do production supervisors make in Tucson?
Estimates run about $60,000 to $75,000 for a first supervisory role, $75,000 to $95,000 with experience and $95,000 to $130,000 for senior leads. Posted ranges at Roche and Raytheon have gone above $130,000 at the top end.
Does a Raytheon production supervisor need a security clearance?
Yes. Raytheon's Tucson shift leadership postings require U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and keep a DoD Secret clearance, with an active clearance required after day one. The Roche, Rain Bird and Celestica supervisor postings reviewed for this guide did not list a clearance.
Do Tucson production supervisors work nights and weekends?
Often. Raytheon has posted third-shift value stream leads, Roche and Celestica second-shift supervisors, and Rain Bird overnight weekend schedules. Off-shift roles are a common entry point for first-time supervisors.
Which Tucson employers hire the most production supervisors?
Raytheon, the metro's largest private employer, has the deepest bench of shift leadership roles. Rain Bird posts supervisor openings regularly, and Roche and Celestica hire for second shift. Check the listings above for what is open now.
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