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Commercial project manager vs site manager

The differences between commercial project managers and site managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a commercial project manager and a site manager. Additionally, a commercial project manager has an average salary of $84,909, which is higher than the $59,192 average annual salary of a site manager.

The top three skills for a commercial project manager include project management, customer service and roofing. The most important skills for a site manager are customer service, safety procedures, and oversight.

Commercial project manager vs site manager overview

Commercial Project ManagerSite Manager
Yearly salary$84,909$59,192
Hourly rate$40.82$28.46
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs150,06247,853
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

What does a commercial project manager do?

A commercial project manager is responsible for monitoring the development of business projects across the company within various industries. Commercial project managers strategize on the procedures for the project deliverables, including the resources, budget allocation, and timetables. They delegate tasks among the team members and conduct regular brainstorming sessions for progress updates and ways to enhance the existing project outline. A commercial project manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in resolving failure points within the project system and adjust plans immediately as needed to meet goals and objectives.

What does a site manager do?

The tasks of a Site Manager may vary, but the responsibility will always revolve around supervising the construction project and its employees, making sure that the project is completed within the allotted time, budget, and quality. Site Managers are required to have great communication and leadership skills as they are often the ones to engage with the clients and coordinate with the employees. Moreover, It is also the Site Manager's responsibility to ensure the safety of employees, prepare site reports, conduct quality control procedures, assess and solve problems, negotiate contracts, and secure permits needed for the project.

Commercial project manager vs site manager salary

Commercial project managers and site managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Commercial Project ManagerSite Manager
Average salary$84,909$59,192
Salary rangeBetween $62,000 And $115,000Between $32,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyONE GasMeta
Best paying industryEnergyTechnology

Differences between commercial project manager and site manager education

There are a few differences between a commercial project manager and a site manager in terms of educational background:

Commercial Project ManagerSite Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Commercial project manager vs site manager demographics

Here are the differences between commercial project managers' and site managers' demographics:

Commercial Project ManagerSite Manager
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 79.2% Female, 20.8%Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 70.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between commercial project manager and site manager duties and responsibilities

Commercial project manager example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage day-to-day activities of service and installation segments of HVAC business, including dispatching service technicians.
  • Manage several parallel infrastructure efforts with various delivery dates, team members and requiring different prioritization for disaster recovery projects.
  • Manage and conduct the development of a SharePoint base system for providing notifications of application and automation releases throughout the enterprise.
  • Train and full range of experience in all OSHA safety requirements.
  • Select and negotiate contracts for various trades, mechanical and electrical, plumbing subcontractors.
  • Monitor and sample collection of stream water for compliance with EPA and MSHA standards.
  • Show more

Site manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage all aspects of LTE upgrade procedure.
  • Manage incoming work through Ricoh project software and through e-mail.
  • Manage incoming and outgoing faxes, mail, and FedEx packages.
  • Identify and manage all work require to complete and acquire NTP.
  • Manage day-to-day processing of account receivables and payables using QuickBooks and Xero, producing reports as requested.
  • Monitor KPI's and manage them so that weak areas can be addressed and future performance can be improve.
  • Show more

Commercial project manager vs site manager skills

Common commercial project manager skills
  • Project Management, 22%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Roofing, 9%
  • Construction Projects, 5%
  • OSHA, 5%
  • HVAC, 3%
Common site manager skills
  • Customer Service, 17%
  • Safety Procedures, 7%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%

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