Whether you’re interested in a career in construction or looking to fill an open position in your construction management company, there are a lot of entry points. Of course, your education and experience will impact many construction job titles you’d be eligible for, which is why we’ve listed the most common construction job titles.
Below, you’ll find the top 10 construction job titles. We explain what each is and offer a salary average to see how much you can expect to earn or pay for one of these construction management roles. Construction roles are very rewarding. Good luck!
10 Key Construction Job Titles
As we mentioned, it takes a lot of professionals to plan, manage and complete a construction project. Those construction job titles tend to fall into three categories: upper management, middle management and construction workers.
While the construction sector is a volatile one, the US economy, at least as jobs are concerned, continues to be hot. That heat is set to ground construction jobs by 6 percent by the end of the decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Whichever of these construction job titles you’re looking to fill, you’ll need to give the right candidate the right tools so they can excel at their job. Project management software helps them work more efficiently. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that helps you plan, manage and track construction projects in real time. Use our robust Gantt charts to organize tasks, link all four types of task dependencies and even filter for the critical path to identify essential tasks. Then set a baseline to capture your schedule and compare it with your actual progress in real time to help you stay on track. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
Now, let’s take a look at the top 10 construction project management roles. We’ll provide a short description and add what the average salary is for each. Keep in mind that salaries can vary depending on the location of the job and the level of experience of the candidate.
1. Construction Project Manager
The construction project manager is responsible for the planning and delivery of a construction project. They monitor work to ensure that it is being done on time and within budget. They deal with the logistics, delegate work and track costs.
As with any project manager, the construction project manager will communicate with the project client and the construction professionals, such as subcontractors, but also suppliers, vendors, etc., to work out scheduling and delivery.
Average US salary: Between $102,000-$135,000
2. General Contractor
The general contractor can be an individual or a company that oversees the construction project. They’re usually hired by the property owner to make sure that the project is delivered as planned and budgeted.
You’ll find a general contractor on all construction projects, from commercial to residential. For specific jobs, though, a subcontractor would only be required (such as replacing a roof). General contractors are needed when coordinating several stages or many subcontractors.
Average US salary: Between $54,000-$96,000
3. Construction Foreman
A construction foreman works closely with construction project managers to help with hiring, meeting deadlines for tasks and keeping to safety standards among the construction crew. They tend to lead meetings on the job site and offer guidance through their experience.
They’re responsible for coordinating the construction work, following priorities and the planned schedule. The construction foreman will also monitor the attendance of the construction crew, allocating general and daily responsibilities.
Average US salary: Between $42,000-$77,000
4. Construction Estimator
As the name implies, a construction estimator is the professional responsible for forecasting the cost of a construction project. They do their best to accurately estimate the cost of every aspect of the construction project, but they can also be used to focus on the cost of only one part of the project.
As part of their job, the construction estimator will evaluate offers to purchase by site requirements, additions and costing changes. They’ll analyze cost differences to determine which are best and then write up and present the project’s budget. They often report on costs, too.
Average US salary: Between $60,000-$96,000
5. Construction Superintendent
Another construction professional responsible for the smooth running of the project is the construction superintendent. They will assess the resources required for construction and estimate their costs to help define the project’s budget.
The construction superintendent works with engineers and subcontractors to ensure the project follows its plan. They oversee the construction crew’s performance, monitoring the project from planning to completion to ensure it meets quality standards, safety and security standards, as well as staying in communication and negotiating with external partners, such as vendors.
Average US salary: $77,000-$120,000
6. Structural Engineer
A structural engineer will analyze, design and plan any structural parts or systems in a construction plan to make sure it meets the design goals while keeping to safety and comfort standards. To do this, they’ll consider safety, technical, economic and environmental issues, often including aesthetic and social factors.
They’re also responsible for designing and constructing buildings and structures that can stand up to the elements that they’ll commonly be exposed to depending on where the construction is taking place. But they can also be employed to restore or improve the structural integrity of existing structures and buildings.
Average US salary: $90,000-$130,000
7. Construction Inspector
Construction sites have many codes to adhere to and other regulations for safety and other concerns. The construction inspector will inspect everything from public works to public utilities and building construction to make sure it conforms to the project’s plans, specifications, contracts, permits, environmental documents, agreements for work, etc.
They inspect everything from electrical to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration and plumbing systems in construction buildings, but also streets and highways. They’re employed by the city or town government in which the construction is being done.
Average US salary: Between $46,000-$67,000
8. Architect
The architect on a construction project is responsible for creating the design for whatever is being built. They’ll also be tasked with managing the construction documents and working with construction managers to help with all aspects of the project to make sure it is delivered on time and within budget.
Among their responsibilities is to provide counseling services to the client. They guide them through the design, planning and construction process. This can be for a new construction or adapting an existing property.
Average US salary: Between $64,000-$85,000
9. Skilled Construction Workers
There are a variety of skilled construction workers who execute the project plan and physically build whatever structure is being proposed. These skilled laborers perform a wide variety of tasks, from laying out the initial framework to performing the final inspection.
You’ll see skilled construction workers on the job site installing, repairing and maintaining piping systems, electrical wiring and insulation to name only a few jobs. They’ll operate machinery and perform masonry, carpentry and project management.
Average US salary: Between $35,000-$58,000
10. Equipment Operator
While equipment operators can fall under the above-skilled construction workers category, they are uniquely qualified and deserve their own distinction. They’re the people who are using machinery to move building supplies, earth and other heavy materials on the construction site.
Some of the equipment they operate clears and grades land to prepare it for the construction of everything from roads, bridges, buildings, aircraft runways, dams and more. These are licensed workers who report to a supervisor or foreman. Some of the equipment they operate includes bulldozers, excavators, rollers, trenchers, compactors, etc.
Average US salary: Between $52,000-$110,000
Construction Project Management Templates
Most of the construction job titles we’ve defined above will require project management tools to get their work done. While project management software is ideal, often construction teams aren’t ready to upgrade. That’s why ProjectManager offers dozens of free project management templates for Excel and Work that can be used for every phase of a project. The few listed below are specific to construction. Download them now for free.
Construction Schedule Template
Our free construction schedule template helps you organize your tasks, resources and even filters for the critical path. You can link dependencies, add milestones and plan to minimize risk. Use this free template to get your project started on the right foot.
Construction Estimate Template
Having accurate cost forecasts will help you avoid eating into your profit margins. Use our free construction estimate template for Excel to accurately estimate costs across all project phases by capturing vendors, contractors, labor and material costs.
Construction Daily Report Template
At the end of the day, a report that captures the work that was performed, whether it was completed and, if not, what is delayed is a critical construction document. Our free construction daily report template for Excel helps you organize that information, plus list of visitors to the site, the weather conditions and more.
ProjectManager Facilitates Managing Construction Projects
Templates are a fine start, but they’ll only take you so far in managing a construction project. They are static documents that are going to slow you down, while project management software is designed to create greater efficiency. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that helps you plan, manage and track your construction projects in real time. Gantt charts can plan and schedule activities, as we’ve shown above, but that’s only the beginning. Use our time-tracking tools to keep your project on schedule and within budget.
Monitor Progress and Performance
There are many things that can impact your project and create costly delays. Being able to have a high-level view of your progress and performance whenever you want will help you capture issues and resolve them quickly. Just toggle over to our live dashboard, which automatically collects project data and displays it on easy-to-read graphs and charts. Get metrics on time, cost, workload and much more. Unlike lightweight software alternatives, there’s no time-consuming setup required with our real-time dashboard. It’s ready when you are.
Manage Resources and Labor Costs
Project resources are scheduled on our Gantt charts, but while the project is being executed you need to keep a close eye on them. First, you can set the availability of your construction crew, including PTO, vacations and holidays, which streamlines assigning tasks. Then you can look at our color-coded workload chart to see if anyone is overallocated. If they are, you can balance the team’s workload right from the chart to have everyone working at capacity. That means they’ll be more productive. Also, our secure timesheets not only help with payroll but also track labor costs to help you stay on budget.
Those are just some of the features we have to help you manage your construction project. We didn’t even get into customizable reports, risk management tools and the multiple project views we offer that allow everyone on the team to work on tools that they’re comfortable with. Our software gives you all the features you need to deliver successful construction projects.
ProjectManager is online project management software that connects teams wherever they are, in the office, on the job site and everywhere in between. Share files, get unlimited file storage and comment at the task level to foster greater collaboration. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
