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Construction consultant vs site manager

The differences between construction consultants 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 construction consultant and a site manager. Additionally, a construction consultant has an average salary of $68,461, which is higher than the $59,192 average annual salary of a site manager.

The top three skills for a construction consultant include construction management, general contractors and cost estimates. The most important skills for a site manager are customer service, safety procedures, and oversight.

Construction consultant vs site manager overview

Construction ConsultantSite Manager
Yearly salary$68,461$59,192
Hourly rate$32.91$28.46
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs35,53747,853
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

What does a construction consultant do?

Construction consultants are experts in the construction industry that offer their clients advice on architecture, contracts, project management, etc. These consultants provide definitions of what projects entail, advise how to set up projects, and inspect the contractor's work. They need strong communication skills, business skills, and teamwork skills to do their jobs efficiently. Their job is to inspect every phase of a project to ensure that they follow the agreed design and to approve or deny changes before they are applied.

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.

Construction consultant vs site manager salary

Construction consultants and site managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Construction ConsultantSite Manager
Average salary$68,461$59,192
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $98,000Between $32,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleMeta
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between construction consultant and site manager education

There are a few differences between a construction consultant and a site manager in terms of educational background:

Construction ConsultantSite Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 66%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Construction consultant vs site manager demographics

Here are the differences between construction consultants' and site managers' demographics:

Construction ConsultantSite Manager
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 90.5% Female, 9.5%Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.5% 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 construction consultant and site manager duties and responsibilities

Construction consultant example responsibilities.

  • Support development and manage RFP's for new and renovation work for select clients.
  • Manage third party contractors, including safety oversight, control inspection and environmental design specification compliance, and also direct consultants.
  • Operate truck-mounted cranes and rough-terrain forklift to set new HVAC equipment, and to facilitate delivery of new construction materials.
  • Provide CPM scheduling consulting services to owners, contractors, and government agencies.
  • Coordinate full spectrum of interactions with specialty subcontractors such as structural engineers, electricians, HVAC and plumbers.
  • Provide a 3-D model of customer building project using AutoCAD design and supply full list of project supplies.
  • 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.
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Construction consultant vs site manager skills

Common construction consultant skills
  • Construction Management, 14%
  • General Contractors, 8%
  • Cost Estimates, 6%
  • HVAC, 6%
  • Real Estate, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
Common site manager skills
  • Customer Service, 17%
  • Safety Procedures, 7%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%

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