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Senior project manager construction vs contract project manager

The differences between senior project managers construction and contract project 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 senior project manager construction and a contract project manager. Additionally, a senior project manager construction has an average salary of $120,505, which is higher than the $81,263 average annual salary of a contract project manager.

The top three skills for a senior project manager construction include project management, construction projects and real estate. The most important skills for a contract project manager are project management, project scope, and contract project.

Senior project manager construction vs contract project manager overview

Senior Project Manager ConstructionContract Project Manager
Yearly salary$120,505$81,263
Hourly rate$57.94$39.07
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs129,819159,765
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4646
Years of experience88

What does a senior project manager construction do?

Senior Project Managers for Construction oversee the construction progress on a particular project site. They manage the whole project and ensure that the project timeline is being followed. They delegate activities and ensure that there is movement on a daily basis. They coordinate with contractors and foremen to ensure that the construction is meeting the project timeline. Senior Project Managers ensure that all the needed materials are readily available and that company resources are well-managed. They also direct tasks for junior project managers and are expected to be on top of occupational safety and health procedures.

What does a contract project manager do?

A contract project manager is an executive professional who provides project management and business analysis to fill the needs of an organization. Contract project managers are required to monitor and inspect contract projects to maintain a high level of safety and quality traffic control in highly variable conditions. They assist contract project administration with the review of project progress reports. Contract project managers must also manage the relationship between clients and the organization while monitoring the progress of the project to ensure that it complies with the terms of the corporate contract.

Senior project manager construction vs contract project manager salary

Senior project managers construction and contract project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Project Manager ConstructionContract Project Manager
Average salary$120,505$81,263
Salary rangeBetween $83,000 And $173,000Between $53,000 And $124,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyThe Weitz CompanyPRO Unlimited
Best paying industryConstructionHealth Care

Differences between senior project manager construction and contract project manager education

There are a few differences between a senior project manager construction and a contract project manager in terms of educational background:

Senior Project Manager ConstructionContract Project Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Senior project manager construction vs contract project manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior project managers construction' and contract project managers' demographics:

Senior Project Manager ConstructionContract Project Manager
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 90.9% Female, 9.1%Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between senior project manager construction and contract project manager duties and responsibilities

Senior project manager construction example responsibilities.

  • Produce employee schedules and manage finances including payroll, invoicing, and QuickBooks.
  • Coordinate and manage various services with outside vendors, surveyors, geotechnical and environmental consultants.
  • Develop MEP punch list in all rooms of all buildings, and manage subcontractors through completion.
  • Lead the efforts for testing of the windows base rally application and the website for results delivery.
  • Manage onsite supervisors to meet requirements of layouts of plans and construction specifications.
  • Provide daily on-site management of active developments, manage quality control and provide safety oversight.
  • Show more

Contract project manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage weekly CMS build outs from feature prioritization through implementation including test cases and training documentation.
  • Manage RFI's, field directives, construction changes, payments, and billing associate with project.
  • Manage the day to day duties of the turn-key/design build/plan and specification and retrofit-installation of the HVAC contracting department.
  • Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
  • Install hundreds of replacement windows and doors.
  • Install windows, doors, and hardware for commercial and residential projects.
  • Show more

Senior project manager construction vs contract project manager skills

Common senior project manager construction skills
  • Project Management, 20%
  • Construction Projects, 13%
  • Real Estate, 10%
  • Cash Flow, 5%
  • Construction Administration, 3%
  • Project Scope, 2%
Common contract project manager skills
  • Project Management, 21%
  • Project Scope, 7%
  • Contract Project, 5%
  • HR, 4%
  • Infrastructure, 4%
  • Project Budget, 4%

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