How to hire a Construction Superintendent

How to hire a construction superintendent, step by step

Here's a step-by-step construction superintendent hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a construction superintendent job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new construction superintendent
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Construction Superintendent do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a construction superintendent, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A construction superintendent's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, construction superintendents from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of construction superintendents.

   Type Of Construction Superintendent	Description	Hourly Rate
   Construction Superintendent	Construction managers plan, coordinate, budget, and supervise construction projects from start to finish.	$29-59
   Field Manager	A field manager is a professional who manages a staff of field representatives that travel to customers' sites to promote their products or services. Field managers must hire new employees and arrange in-house and vendor training programs to ensure they have a full understanding of their responsibilities... Show More	$20-52
   Site Manager	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... Show More	$15-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • OSHA
   • Construction Management
   • Project Management
   • Construction Sites
   • Safety Program
   • Quality Standards
   • Punch List
   • Customer Service
   • Work Ethic
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Construction Process
   • Plumbing
   • Safety Procedures
   • Cleanliness

   Check All Skills

   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.

   More Construction Superintendent duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the construction superintendent job description is a good way to get more applicants. A construction superintendent salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a construction superintendent in Kentucky may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level construction superintendent. Additionally, a construction superintendent with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average construction superintendent salary

   $87,486yearly

   $42.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level construction superintendent salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2025

   Average construction superintendent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$129,032	$62
   2	Washington	$112,967	$54
   3	Oregon	$107,278	$52
   4	Massachusetts	$100,489	$48
   5	Maryland	$96,980	$47
   6	Arizona	$96,605	$46
   7	New York	$95,429	$46
   8	Nevada	$95,032	$46
   9	Maine	$87,791	$42
   10	Michigan	$86,885	$42
   11	Wisconsin	$86,571	$42
   12	Pennsylvania	$86,460	$42
   13	Texas	$86,311	$42
   14	Virginia	$84,768	$41
   15	Ohio	$84,616	$41
   16	North Carolina	$83,951	$40
   17	Illinois	$83,021	$40
   18	Kansas	$81,324	$39
   19	Georgia	$80,404	$39
   20	South Dakota	$80,363	$39

   Average construction superintendent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Coldwell Banker Morris Real Estate	$125,703	$60.43
   2	Parsons	$123,049	$59.16	75
   3	Ameresco	$111,185	$53.45	12
   4	First Option Recruiting	$109,150	$52.48
   5	Fluor Corporation	$107,173	$51.53	105
   6	MDU Resources	$106,397	$51.15
   7	Burns & McDonnell	$101,785	$48.94	98
   8	Douglas Emmett, Inc.	$101,477	$48.79
   9	Gannett Fleming	$100,129	$48.14	64
   10	Wight & Company	$99,919	$48.04	1
   11	The Walsh Group	$98,940	$47.57	104
   12	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$98,134	$47.18	4
   13	Insituform Technologies	$97,776	$47.01
   14	CareerBuilder	$97,009	$46.64
   15	Tesla	$96,820	$46.55	36
   16	Bering Straits	$94,830	$45.59	22
   17	Randstad North America, Inc.	$94,362	$45.37
   18	HOLT CAT	$93,940	$45.16	3
   19	Jacobs Engineering Group	$92,777	$44.60	3
   20	On-X Life Technologies	$92,690	$44.56

4. Writing a Construction Superintendent Job Description

   A good construction superintendent job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a construction superintendent job description:

   Construction Superintendent job description example

   • BS Construction Management or BS Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical or Civil) and 1-2 years related experience in industrial or commercial construction/project management.
   • Must be willing to travel and have reliable transportation. (Daily driving approx. 20% & travel within sales region, approx. 50%). Some weekends required.
   • Strong communication and organizational skills and have a thorough understanding of construction safety regulations.
   • Successful candidate will possess the means for paying for travel with monthly reimbursement of travel expenses

   DO WE HAVE WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR? Our Construction Management Group works closely with our direct US sales team of over 200.

   We provide a competitive base salary, bonus package, solid health coverage, 401K and pension plan, plus an expense package including car allowance.

   You will also receive on-going training, administrative support, technical service, and R&D support along with encouragement, recognition and opportunities for growth. And we stand behind our nearly century-old Stonhard name and our brands.

   DO YOU SEE YOURSELF WORKING WITH US? LET’S GET STARTED.

   Stonhard is part of RPM, International (NYSE: RPM) is headquartered in Maple Shade, NJ and has nearly a century of experience manufacturing and installing high performance, seamless floors throughout the world. We manufacture and install long-term floor, wall and lining solutions to markets including, but not limited to: food & beverage, general manufacturing, pharmaceutical, chemical processing, education, healthcare, government, technology and hospitality.

   We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

   Company DescriptionStonhard is part of RPM, International (NYSE: RPM) headquartered in Maple Shade, NJ and has more than 95 years of experience manufacturing and installing high performance, seamless floors throughout the world. We manufacture and install long-term floor, wall and lining solutions to markets including, but not limited to: food & beverage, general manufacturing, pharmaceutical, chemical processing, education, healthcare, government, technology and hospitality

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right construction superintendent for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your construction superintendent job on Zippia to find and recruit construction superintendent candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting construction superintendents requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new construction superintendent

   Once you've found the construction superintendent candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new construction superintendent first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a construction superintendent?