How To Become A Director Of Construction: What It Is and Career Path

What is a director of construction and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Becky Serbin

A director of construction is responsible for the general supervision of construction-related projects. They make sure that projects are completed within the set timelines and budgets and to the expected standards.

Part of their job is to meet with clients to give progress reports and to delegate tasks to other team members to ensure the desired expectations are met. Construction directors also work very closely with other stakeholders in the construction industry, such as engineers, architects, and surveyors.

Construction directors mostly work in companies that handle construction projects, such as government agencies, hospitals, real estate companies, etc. You ought to have previously worked as a construction director, site supervisor, estimator, surveyor, or building technician in order to be successful in this role.

Most construction directors work regular hours, i.e., 40 hours a week from 9 to 5. However, they may be expected to put in extra hours and be on call 24/7 due to deadlines and emergencies.

What general advice would you give to a director of construction?

Becky Serbin

Director of Education and Curriculum, National Tile Contractors Association

Skill requirements are stated on our recruitment flyer, attached, but will ultimately be decided on by the hiring contractor. Beyond our flyer, many also require a valid drivers license.

ScoreDirector Of ConstructionUS Average

Salary

8.6

Avg. Salary $139,344

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.56%

Asian 2.80%

Black or African American 3.63%

Hispanic or Latino 17.02%

Unknown 4.43%

White 71.56%

Gender

female 8.40%

male 91.60%

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

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a director of construction

Explore director of construction education requirements

Most common director of construction degrees

Bachelor's

68.6 %

Master's

13.4 %

Associate

11.0 %

Start to develop specific director of construction skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	13.74%
Construction Management	11.47%
Oversight	8.41%
Real Estate	6.98%
OSHA	4.92%

Complete relevant director of construction training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of construction 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 director of construction based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of construction resumes.

Research director of construction duties and responsibilities

Manage overall operations for development, design, construction, leasing, facility management and marketing of properties.
Associate tasks include managing and producing marketing materials including RFP, RFQ, LOI and writing proposals for potential projects.
Coordinate with leasing and review leasing exhibits; lead architectural, MEP, structural, code, and environmental consultants.
Prepare IFB's, RFP's, and small purchase documentations.

Get director of construction experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a director of construction. The most common roles before becoming a director of construction include project manager, construction manager team lead and senior project manager.

Prepare your director of construction resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of construction resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of construction resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable director of construction resume templates

Build a professional director of construction resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of construction resume.