Post Job

Construction Superintendent Vs Supervisor

The differences between construction superintendents and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a construction superintendent, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a construction superintendent has an average salary of $87,486, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.

The top three skills for a construction superintendent include OSHA, construction management and project management. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.

Construction superintendent vs supervisor overview

Construction SuperintendentSupervisor
Yearly Salary$87,486$53,902
Hourly rate$42.06$25.91
Growth Rate8%-
Number Of Jobs34,822224,920
Job Satisfaction-5
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average Age4646
Years Of Experience82

What does a Construction Superintendent do?

A construction superintendent's role is to oversee all construction plans and operations, ensuring quality completion within a specified timeframe. Some of their responsibilities are to inspect all sites, coordinate with contractors and engineers, manage the budget and expenditure, purchase necessary materials and equipment, and make schedules. Aside from producing daily progress reports, a construction superintendent also addresses issues and concerns should there be any. Furthermore, they must implement all safety regulations and policies to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

What does a supervisor do?

Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.

Construction superintendent vs supervisor salary

Construction superintendents and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Construction SuperintendentSupervisor
Average Salary$87,486$53,902
Salary RangeBetween $61,000 And $123,000Between $31,000 And $92,000
Highest Paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest Paying StateHawaiiAlaska
Best Paying CompanyColdwell Banker Morris Real EstateReed Smith
Best Paying IndustryEnergyHealth Care

Differences between construction superintendent and supervisor education

There are a few differences between a construction superintendent and a supervisor in terms of educational background:

Construction SuperintendentSupervisor
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most Common MajorBusinessBusiness
Most Common CollegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoStanford University

Construction superintendent vs supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between construction superintendents' and supervisors' demographics:

Construction SuperintendentSupervisor
Average Age4646
Gender RatioMale, 97.0% Female, 3.0%Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2%
Race RatioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage4%6%

Differences between construction superintendent and supervisor duties and responsibilities

Construction Superintendent Example Responsibilities.

  • Manage crew on apartment, condo and town-home remodel and restoration projects.
  • Manage the MEP coordination meetings, as well as performing mechanical superintendent duties.
  • Manage the supervising of construction and installation of HVAC restoration in historical government hospital buildings.
  • Manage complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.
  • Communicate with EOR/Architect/Construction PM/Superintendent/fab shop on all shop drawings as needed to resolve RFI's and change orders.
  • Avoid disputes & claims through comprehensive proposals, email correspondence, RFI's, & daily reporting.
  • Show More

Supervisor Example Responsibilities.

  • Lead continuous process improvement and six sigma teams to meet ISO 9001 and QS 9000 standards.
  • Manage and implement merchandising strategy for POS marketing and display inventory.
  • Lead comprehensive training for each new volunteer or court-mandate worker regarding OSHA regulations and warehouse procedure.
  • Organize care with 6 CNAs.
  • Coordinate lifeguard duty schedule for all pools.
  • Maintain cleanliness throughout kitchen, coolers, and freezer areas.
  • Show More

Construction superintendent vs supervisor skills

Common Construction Superintendent Skills
  • OSHA, 13%
  • Construction Management, 8%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Construction Sites, 5%
  • Safety Program, 5%
  • Quality Standards, 5%
Common Supervisor Skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Safety Procedures, 9%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • POS, 9%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Payroll, 5%

Browse executive management jobs