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General superintendent vs project manager

The differences between general superintendents and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $75,102 average annual salary of a general superintendent.

The top three skills for a general superintendent include OSHA, construction management and project management. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

General superintendent vs project manager overview

General SuperintendentProject Manager
Yearly salary$75,102$91,578
Hourly rate$36.11$44.03
Growth rate6%8%
Number of jobs92,424167,116
Job satisfaction-4.17
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4447
Years of experience6-

What does a general superintendent do?

A general superintendent is primarily in charge of overseeing projects and programs, ensuring operations adhere to standards and requirements. In the construction industry, a general superintendent supervises the daily procedures in a construction site to ensure the project's completion within budget, schedule, and quality standards. They also have other administrative duties, such as coordinating with contractors and suppliers, monitoring the inventory of materials, purchasing supplies according to project requirements, developing reports, conducting inspections, and implementing safety policies and regulations.

What does a project manager do?

Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.

General superintendent vs project manager salary

General superintendents and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

General SuperintendentProject Manager
Average salary$75,102$91,578
Salary rangeBetween $52,000 And $107,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateDelawareCalifornia
Best paying companySouthern California EdisonThe Citadel
Best paying industryEnergyTechnology

Differences between general superintendent and project manager education

There are a few differences between a general superintendent and a project manager in terms of educational background:

General SuperintendentProject Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

General superintendent vs project manager demographics

Here are the differences between general superintendents' and project managers' demographics:

General SuperintendentProject Manager
Average age4447
Gender ratioMale, 97.3% Female, 2.7%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between general superintendent and project manager duties and responsibilities

General superintendent example responsibilities.

  • Manage and coordinate all aspects of HVAC relate jobs for a mechanical contractor.
  • Manage the field installation of pipe, instrumentation and HVAC systems throughout the plant.
  • Implement and direct shipping and receiving functions and manage salaried and hourly UAW staff in both functions.
  • Develop and manage instrumental and equipment proper handling regulations in compliance CLIA.
  • Manage complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.
  • Lead and develop direct reports ensuring they are competently skil to perform their QA roles.
    • Show more

Project manager example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
  • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
  • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
  • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
  • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
  • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
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General superintendent vs project manager skills

Common general superintendent skills
  • OSHA, 11%
  • Construction Management, 7%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Quality Standards, 5%
  • Excellent Organizational, 5%
  • General Contractors, 5%
Common project manager skills
  • Project Management, 23%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Status Reports, 4%
  • Risk Management, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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