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Senior project manager construction vs site manager

The differences between senior project managers 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 senior project manager construction and a site manager. Additionally, a senior project manager construction has an average salary of $120,505, which is higher than the $59,192 average annual salary of a site 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 site manager are customer service, safety procedures, and oversight.

Senior project manager construction vs site manager overview

Senior Project Manager ConstructionSite Manager
Yearly salary$120,505$59,192
Hourly rate$57.94$28.46
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs129,81947,853
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
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 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.

Senior project manager construction vs site manager salary

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

Senior Project Manager ConstructionSite Manager
Average salary$120,505$59,192
Salary rangeBetween $83,000 And $173,000Between $32,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyThe Weitz CompanyMeta
Best paying industryConstructionTechnology

Differences between senior project manager construction and site manager education

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

Senior Project Manager 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

Senior project manager construction vs site manager demographics

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

Senior Project Manager ConstructionSite Manager
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 90.9% Female, 9.1%Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6%
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, 17.5% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between senior project manager construction and site 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

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

Senior project manager construction vs site 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 site manager skills
  • Customer Service, 17%
  • Safety Procedures, 7%
  • Oversight, 6%
  • OSHA, 6%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%

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