Drywall and plaster field supervisor job description
A drywall and plaster field supervisor checks builder houses, apartment floors and remodels before each phase gets covered up. They walk the framing ahead of the hangers and check rated walls before the inspector comes. They also settle site problems with superintendents and homeowners.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, drywall and insulation contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $51,200, middle half $59,770 to $96,500, 90th percentile $126,820. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Production Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays, some weekends and on-call · A 40-hour week driving between job sites, with overtime or weekends near builder deadlines and on-call turns after hours
Oversees on-site drywall and plaster operations to ensure quality work, safety compliance, and efficient project delivery. Acts as the primary point of contact for resolving on-site issues and maintaining strong customer relationships. Plays a key role in upholding company safety standards while optimizing job site performance and workflow.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Conducts daily inspections of job sites to ensure adherence to project specifications and safety protocols.
Provides on-site guidance to crew members, facilitating effective communication and problem resolution.
Implements corrective measures for any issues that arise, ensuring minimal disruption to project timelines.
Enforces strict compliance with safety standards and company policies to maintain a secure working environment.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Arrives on-site promptly to perform comprehensive safety and progress assessments.
Coordinates with team members and subcontractors to address any immediate project challenges.
Reviews project blueprints and specifications to align crew work activities with technical requirements.
Maintains open communication with clients to provide updates and receive feedback on job progress.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Job Site Safety Compliance: 100% adherence to company and OSHA standards.
Project Completion Efficiency: Achieve on-time project delivery in at least 95% of cases.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Maintain a rating above 4.8 stars on post-project surveys.
Issue Resolution Rate: Resolve on-site issues within 24 hours in 90% of cases.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High School Diploma or GED required, with technical training in construction preferred.
Minimum of 3 years’ experience in drywall, plaster work, or related field.
Strong leadership and communication skills to effectively manage on-site teams.
Sound technical knowledge of drywall and plaster installation techniques and standards.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience supervising drywall or plaster projects in the home services industry.
Background in construction project management or on-site safety coordination.
Familiarity with industry-standard tools, materials, and installation techniques.
Proven track record of improving operational efficiency and safety in previous roles.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and perform physical tasks including climbing, bending, and standing for extended periods.
Comfortable working in varying environmental conditions, including hot or cold climates.
Capability to work in confined spaces and on elevated platforms when necessary.
Adequate visual and physical ability to inspect work areas and materials closely.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typically works full-time hours, with a standard 40-hour work week.
May be required to work overtime or weekends based on project deadlines.
Occasional travel between job sites across the designated region.
On-call responsibilities for addressing unscheduled issues during off-hours.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate range: $25 - $35 per hour, based on experience.
Eligible for performance-based bonuses tied to project outcomes and safety records.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision coverage.
401(k) plan with company matching and additional fringe benefits available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a collaborative and growth-oriented culture where innovation and teamwork are celebrated.
We empower our employees with continuous learning opportunities, advanced training, and a supportive work environment that values integrity and accountability.
We are committed to helping you level up your career while contributing to projects that transform homes and communities.
Join us in a mission-focused atmosphere that puts customer satisfaction and quality workmanship at the forefront.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What a drywall field supervisor catches before it's covered
Board hides the framing, and mud hides the board. Most of this supervisor's value is in the checks made before the next layer goes on, often on sites the drywall company doesn't control.
Missing rails on someone else's site
Drywall crews may reach an apartment floor before its rails are in. OSHA requires fall protection at open sides six feet or more up, at holes with a drop of more than six feet, and at low wall openings, such as a door to an unbuilt balcony. When your crew can't put the builder's rail back, OSHA's multi-employer policy expects you to ask the builder to fix it, warn your crew and protect them another way. If the danger is immediate, pull the crew off the floor. Source: OSHA: Multi-employer citation policy (CPL 02-00-124).
The framing walk before hanging
Board hung over a twisted stud, or over blocking or a pipe that sticks past the studs, won't sit tight. The handbook from CGC, USG's Canadian company, lists both as causes of loose board, and twisted studs as a cause of fastener pops too. It says to fix the framing before any board goes on. So the supervisor walks each house ahead of the hangers. They mark bad studs and missing backing, and send the list with photos to the superintendent. Source: CGC Construction Handbook, chapter 12: Problems, remedies and preventive measures.
Rated walls go up tight
Knoxville, Tennessee's building department, for one, sums up the standard for fire-rated walls. Board edges must be in moderate contact, which means touching, and every gap gets taped and filled. It notes that UL's fire resistance directory allows no more than a one-eighth-inch gap around electrical boxes. Plain walls get more leeway. So the supervisor checks rated corridor and unit walls for wide joints and loose box cut-outs before any tape goes on. Source: City of Knoxville: Gypsum board installation guidelines (example).
Lost boxes mean a trip back
Hangers cover outlet and switch boxes, then cut them out with a router. A box missed under the board gets taped over and turns up when the electrician comes back to install devices. Then a drywall crew returns to cut, patch and blend the wall. The supervisor has crews photograph each wall's boxes before hanging, and checks that every one is cut out before taping starts.
How much drywall and plaster field supervisors make
The closest BLS group for drywall and plaster field supervisors is First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers. First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for drywall and insulation contractors earned a median of $35.79 an hour ($74,450 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $79,920 median for First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in all industries. About 19,770 of the 812,210 First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in that survey work for drywall and insulation contractors.
The template sets hourly pay, with bonuses for project results and safety records. For construction supervisors at drywall and insulation contractors, its low rate sits just above the bottom tenth, and its high rate falls a little short of the median. Base the bonus on callbacks per lot and on how fast safety findings get fixed.
Drywall and insulation contractors
$74,450$74,450 median Middle half $59,770–$96,500 10th–90th $51,200–$126,820
All industries
$79,920$79,920 median Middle half $63,400–$101,460 10th–90th $53,280–$128,260
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Drywall and insulation contractors
$51,200
$59,770
$74,450
$96,500
$126,820
All industries
$53,280
$63,400
$79,920
$101,460
$128,260
BLS reports drywall and insulation contractors together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has run hanging and finishing crews on builder houses or apartment buildings
Spots twisted studs, proud pipes and missing backing before board goes up
Reads wall types and rated assemblies on a plan set
Keeps a crew off an open edge until protection is in place
Tells a superintendent about a problem plainly, with photos, the same day
Teach these on the job
Each builder's punch list and sign-off routine
The rated wall details your projects use most
How piece tickets reach payroll, and what to check on them
Your callback codes and photo app
Box locators, texture rigs and other gear your crews carry
Expect a truck stocked for quick fixes: patch board, a screw gun, a bucket of setting compound, a work light and a level. The rest lives on a phone with each builder's lot list, the plan sets and a photo app, so the superintendent gets a picture of each problem within the hour.
Drywall and plaster field supervisor interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Fire-rated walls
You find regular board hung on a wall the plans call out as fire-rated. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops taping that wall, has it replaced to match the rated assembly, checks other rated walls, and tells the project manager.
Behavioral · Safety at height
Tell me about a time you corrected unsafe use of stilts, scaffolds or ladders.
A strong answer: Stopped it, explained the risk, fixed the setup, and followed up.
Count the problems this supervisor caught before a phase closed beside the ones superintendents found after it. The early finds are the job, and none of the template's four measures counts them.
Job Site Safety Compliance
Spot checks on each visit: open edges and holes protected, ladders and benches sound, cords kept off wet floors, and masks worn where the company requires them. A finding stays open until someone fixes it.
Project Completion Efficiency
Lots and floors turned over to paint on the date the superintendent was promised, out of all lots due that month. Log builder delays, such as a failed insulation inspection, apart from crew delays.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Post-project survey scores from superintendents and homeowners on this supervisor's jobs, read with their comments on cleanup, updates and damage to other trades' work.
Issue Resolution Rate
From the site log, when each problem was found, such as a short sheet count, a lost box or a builder's punch item, and when it was fixed. An item counts as closed only when the fix is done, not when it's assigned.
Career path
Lead finisherTakes the hardest rooms on one job and checks the crew's finishing.
Field supervisorChecks framing, hanging and finishing across many lots before each phase closes.
Project managerOwns takeoffs, stocking dates, inspections and change orders on several jobs.
Production managerSets crew sizes, pay rates and work standards for the whole company.
A superintendent wants taping to start before the rated walls are inspected. What should the supervisor do?
Tape the walls that aren't rated and hold the rated ones until the project manager confirms the inspection is done or not needed. Taping over screws an inspector still needs to see can mean scraping joints open or pulling board. Log the superintendent's request and your answer in the daily report, so nobody remembers it differently later.
How much does a drywall and plaster field supervisor make?
First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for drywall and insulation contractors earned a median of $35.79 an hour ($74,450 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $59,770 and $96,500 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Which calls can't wait until morning for a drywall field supervisor?
Leaks, deadlines and safety gaps. A roof or plumbing leak may be soaking hung board. A buyer's walk-through may be set for tomorrow with patches still open. A rail may be missing on a floor where crews start at seven. Give whoever is on call each builder's after-hours numbers and the lockbox codes, so they can act that night instead of calling around.
The bookkeeper flags a crew's piece count as too high. What does the field supervisor check?
Go to the lot. Count what the crew hung, room by room, against the takeoff, and check the dispatch log for a second crew that worked there. Look for board carried in from another lot, too. Settle the count with the crew lead in person before payday, write down the number you agree on, and send it to the bookkeeper and the production manager.
The template asks for the visual ability to inspect work closely. How should the ad handle that line?
Keep that template line as written, and add the tasks behind it. Those are reading joints and screw heads under a work light, finding gaps around boxes in a rated wall, checking a ceiling from a ladder or rolling scaffold, and climbing stairs in buildings still going up. List the protective gear you supply, and offer reasonable accommodation to any applicant who asks.
