Post job

Director of construction vs site manager

The differences between directors of construction 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 director of construction and a site manager. Additionally, a director of construction has an average salary of $139,344, which is higher than the $59,192 average annual salary of a site manager.

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

Director of construction vs site manager overview

Director Of ConstructionSite Manager
Yearly salary$139,344$59,192
Hourly rate$66.99$28.46
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs32,75947,853
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

What does a director of construction do?

A Director Of Construction is responsible for supervision of all construction-related projects. They review project progress, address issues, and adjust schedules and budgets.

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.

Director of construction vs site manager salary

Directors of construction and site managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Director Of ConstructionSite Manager
Average salary$139,344$59,192
Salary rangeBetween $96,000 And $201,000Between $32,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyBed Bath & BeyondMeta
Best paying industryGovernmentTechnology

Differences between director of construction and site manager education

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

Director Of ConstructionSite Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Director of construction vs site manager demographics

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

Director Of ConstructionSite Manager
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 91.6% Female, 8.4%Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.6% 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 director of construction and site manager duties and responsibilities

Director of construction example 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.
  • Negotiate new HVAC maintenance contracts.
  • Major effort on rebuilding power plant and chill water distribution and HVAC.
  • 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

Director of construction vs site manager skills

Common director of construction skills
  • Project Management, 14%
  • Construction Management, 11%
  • Oversight, 8%
  • Real Estate, 7%
  • OSHA, 5%
  • General Contractors, 4%
Common site manager skills
  • Customer Service, 17%
  • Safety Procedures, 7%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%

Browse executive management jobs