How To Become A Building Construction Superintendent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a building construction superintendent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. John Cabage

Getting a construction job completed on time and done right is hard work. As a building construction superintendent, you'll play a key role in making this happen. A construction superintendent is the one who oversees every step of the construction process, from planning to completion. The building construction superintendent is responsible for planning, organizing, and monitoring the project. They oversee various tasks to achieve these goals, including assigning, scheduling, and monitoring the construction staff.

They must also meet the construction budget by monitoring project expenditures, identifying variances, and implementing corrective actions. The building construction superintendent is also responsible for maintaining a safe, secure, and healthy work environment by following and enforcing standards and procedures while complying with legal regulations. The superintendent may also be asked to negotiate with private businesses in contracting for materials, goods, and services.

To be good at this job, you'll need to know to set priorities, be good at defining scope and resources needed, and have an understanding of safety procedures. If you're think you'd like to become a building construction superintendent, you'll need a high school diploma along with previous experience in construction. However, because of the increasing complexity of construction processes, many employers prefer that candidates have a Bachelor's degree in construction management, construction science, architecture, or engineering.

What general advice would you give to a building construction superintendent?

Dr. John Cabage

Chair, Associate Professor, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Along with the traditional approaches in general education, a graduate must embrace technology changes. In the future, we will see robotics prevalent in construction work. We already see the obsolescence of blueprints in favor of portable computers. We see the growing contribution of technology with constructors using virtual and augmented reality, with artificial intelligence as tools for preparing bids, estimates, schedule, visualization, and quality checks.

ScoreBuilding Construction SuperintendentUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,087

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.06%

Asian 1.42%

Black or African American 5.44%

Hispanic or Latino 21.36%

Unknown 3.87%

White 66.85%

Gender

female 7.85%

male 92.15%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a building construction superintendent

Explore building construction superintendent education requirements

Most common building construction superintendent degrees

Bachelor's

32.8 %

High School Diploma

27.3 %

Associate

21.1 %

Start to develop specific building construction superintendent skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Satisfaction	30.12%
OSHA	18.17%
Construction Management	12.19%
Cost Control	7.66%
Building Construction	6.54%

Complete relevant building construction superintendent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New building construction superintendents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a building construction superintendent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real building construction superintendent resumes.

Research building construction superintendent duties and responsibilities

Manage third party contractors, including safety oversight, control inspection and environmental design specification compliance, and also direct consultants.
Install, replace, and repair plumbing equipment in bathrooms and kitchens.
Conduct job site inspections for safety and cleanliness and maintain OSHA compliance log.
Repair and remodel apartment complexes with all electrical, plumbing and painting repairs.

Apply for building construction superintendent jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a building construction superintendent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams