10 Solid Waste Operator & Supervisor Jobs in Tennessee

Nationally, Operations / Supervisor roles in the waste industry average $34.50 per hour, about $72,000 a year. Most positions fall between $26.44 and $45.67 per hour; those hourly figures are converted from annual pay at 2,080 hours per year, not separately surveyed. Actual pay in Tennessee varies by employer, route type, and contract. Check each listing for the posted rate.

These roles are typically salaried and exempt, so extended days at a site are not separately paid. Annual bonuses tied to safety record, tonnage throughput and budget performance are the usual mechanism for rewarding heavy periods.

Facility supervision is a promotion target, not an entry point. Employers expect demonstrated experience running crews and equipment on a site, plus working knowledge of OSHA and state environmental requirements. Candidates typically arrive from scale-house, equipment-operator, lead-hand or route-supervisor roles, or transfer in from operations management in an adjacent industry.

As the person who assigns and disciplines site staff, an operations supervisor normally sits outside the bargaining unit even where the workforce is organised. Compensation follows a company salary band. Fluency in the site's collective bargaining agreement is still part of the role, because scheduling, seniority and overtime assignment all have to be administered within it.

Transfer stations and landfills run long operating days and often weekend hours, and supervisors are expected to cover their shift end to end. Part-time supervision is essentially unavailable; the schedule flexibility on offer is shift assignment, not fewer hours.

Based on current listings on this site, the most openings are in Knoxville (2), Tullahoma (2), Athens (1), Blountville (1), Heiskell (1). Listing counts change as jobs are filled and new ones are posted.