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What does a senior construction manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

Senior construction managers implement the preconstruction, construction, commission, and project closeout of a development project. The construction managers establish and maintain controls of the projects and complete them on time and cost-effectively. Their duties include the management of accounts, handling of staff assignments, control of income and revenue, and tracking program expenses. They supervise external consultants and employees. Also, they plan and administer the finances and expenses of businesses or corporations.

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Senior construction manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior construction manager resumes:

  • Conduct safety meetings, SWPPP inspections, and manage RFI systems.
  • Manage complete design and construction coordination of company's retail properties throughout the Washington/Baltimore area market.
  • Review RFI, payment application, change orders and perform budget and cost analysis.
  • Provide safety raining to all construction personnel, which comply with safety protocols for the job site and OSHA.
  • Project Manager/Superintendent for phase construction renovations that consist of plumbing, mechanical and electrical system replacement and upgrade.
  • Coordinate implementation of construction works completely to satisfy approve architectural, structural, electrical, mechanical and plumbing design plans.
  • Conduct effective and efficient MEP trade construction coordination meetings.
  • Develop urban prototype to allow penetration into NYC market.
  • Install numerous FAA require security measures.
  • Inspect and ensure passing of all city and county building code requirements.

Senior construction manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Senior Construction Managers are proficient in OSHA, Project Management, and Construction Projects. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Senior Construction Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • OSHA, 15%

    Conduct regularly scheduled safety meetings and closely monitor site operations to maintain compliance with OSHA mandates and company-defined operational protocols.

  • Project Management, 9%

    Managed IRG personnel and contractors responsible for day-to-day activities regarding project management, construction activities, insurance tracking and claims management.

  • Construction Projects, 8%

    Monitor all project activities including schedules, spending and related items to ensure timely and quality completion of assigned construction projects.

  • Design, 7%

    Managed complete design and construction coordination of company's retail properties throughout the Washington/Baltimore area market.

  • Oversight, 6%

    Provided daily on-site management of active developments, managed quality control and provided safety oversight.

  • Infrastructure, 6%

    Performed inspection of electrical infrastructure work and structural welding.

"osha," "project management," and "construction projects" are among the most common skills that senior construction managers use at work. You can find even more senior construction manager responsibilities below, including:

Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior construction manager to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what senior construction managers do because "construction managers must be able to plan strategies, investigate project cost variances, and solve problems over the course of a project." Additionally, a senior construction manager resume shows how senior construction managers use analytical skills: "directed and coordinated civil and soils engineers, interpreted data, evaluated impact on project schedule engineering principles and project cost. "

Business skills. Another essential skill to perform senior construction manager duties is business skills. Senior construction managers responsibilities require that "construction managers need to prepare and follow project budgets, hire and manage staff, and coordinate with other workers and managers." Senior construction managers also use business skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "scheduled business partners during the different construction phases. "

Leadership skills. Another crucial skill for a senior construction manager to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what senior construction managers relies on this skill, since "construction managers must effectively delegate tasks to construction workers, subcontractors, and other lower level managers to ensure that projects are completed accurately and on time." How this skill relates to senior construction manager duties can be seen in an example from a senior construction manager resume snippet: "provided outstanding leadership of schedules and work crews in completion of diverse single and mixed-home construction projects. "

Most common senior construction manager skills

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Senior Construction Manager Resume

Compare different senior construction managers

Senior construction manager vs. General superintendent

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.

We looked at the average senior construction manager salary and compared it with the wages of a general superintendent. Generally speaking, general superintendents are paid $35,824 lower than senior construction managers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between senior construction managers and general superintendents are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like osha, project management, and construction projects.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior construction manager responsibilities require skills like "design," "infrastructure," "sr," and "project scope." Meanwhile a typical general superintendent has skills in areas such as "excellent organizational," "customer service," "work ethic," and "safety program." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

General superintendents really shine in the energy industry with an average salary of $87,760. Comparatively, senior construction managers tend to make the most money in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $117,189.general superintendents tend to reach similar levels of education than senior construction managers. In fact, general superintendents are 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Senior construction manager vs. Project superintendent

The construction or project superintendent's role is to oversee the operations of construction sites, from the planning phase to completion. They have varied duties and responsibilities based on specific projects that include scheduling and budgeting, communicating and negotiating with external partners, and acquiring materials and equipment. A construction superintendent also earns construction permits, resolving on-site emergencies and issues, and supervising staff. This position requires several skills, including a degree in construction management or a similar field, relevant experience, and in-depth knowledge of construction processes and operations.

Project superintendent positions earn lower pay than senior construction manager roles. They earn a $13,409 lower salary than senior construction managers per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Senior construction managers and project superintendents both require similar skills like "osha," "project management," and "construction projects" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that senior construction manager responsibilities requires skills like "design," "infrastructure," "sr," and "project scope." But a project superintendent might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "safety program," "cleanliness," "punch list," and "ladders."

Project superintendents earn a lower average salary than senior construction managers. But project superintendents earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $95,092. Additionally, senior construction managers earn the highest salaries in the hospitality with average pay of $117,189 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Project superintendents tend to reach similar levels of education than senior construction managers. In fact, they're 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior construction manager vs. Superintendent

Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.

On average scale, superintendents bring in lower salaries than senior construction managers. In fact, they earn a $28,468 lower salary per year.senior construction managers and superintendents both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "osha," "project management," and "construction projects," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a senior construction manager is likely to be skilled in "design," "infrastructure," "sr," and "project scope," while a typical superintendent is skilled in "logistics," "customer service," "safety program," and "excellent organizational."

Superintendents earn the highest salary when working in the construction industry, where they receive an average salary of $85,679. Comparatively, senior construction managers have the highest earning potential in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $117,189.superintendents typically earn similar educational levels compared to senior construction managers. Specifically, they're 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior construction manager vs. Field manager

A field manager is an individual 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. They must evaluate all their field employees and generate reports highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the team. Field managers may work in different industries that have outside sales representatives such as pharmaceutical companies, computer repair companies, or HVAC companies.

Field managers tend to earn a lower pay than senior construction managers by an average of $42,231 per year.According to resumes from senior construction managers and field managers, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "osha," "project management," and "construction projects. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior construction managers and field managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior construction manager might have more use for skills like "design," "infrastructure," "sr," and "project scope." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of field managers require skills like "minor maintenance," "patients," "customer service," and "medicare. "

In general, field managers earn the most working in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $91,615. The highest-paying industry for a senior construction manager is the hospitality industry.The average resume of field managers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to senior construction managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.

Types of senior construction manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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