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What does a senior project manager construction do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read

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.

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Senior project manager construction responsibilities

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

  • 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.
  • Work onsite daily to assist supervisor in scheduling and maintenance schedule during construction.
  • Ensure safety protocols to ensure job site consistently meets or exceeds OSHA safety standards.
  • Move between agile, scrum and waterfall approaches depending on project specifics and client goals.
  • Specialize in custom decks, arbors, basement finishing, floors, doors, and windows.
  • Heighten community awareness through company's successful development and execution of sustainable leer projects in the design/build space.
  • Project include architectural, engineering construction and renovation, including lighting, HVAC, acoustical, and communication systems.
  • redesign of internal reporting, calculation tools
  • Establish LEED ordinance and contractor debarment policy.
  • Create and maintain all construction schedules using Primavera software.

Senior project manager construction skills and personality traits

We calculated that 20% of Senior Project Managers Construction are proficient in Project Management, Construction Projects, and Real Estate. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Customer-service skills.

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

  • Project Management, 20%

    Implemented cloud-based project management tools increasing team collaboration, expediting reviews, and centralizing project assets.

  • Construction Projects, 13%

    Spearhead efforts to maximize profitability and cost savings by planning, analyzing and executing large-scale commercial construction projects.

  • Real Estate, 10%

    Project managed and execute corporate real estate activity throughout Verizon s northeast region.

  • Cash Flow, 5%

    Set up and maintain positive cash flow on all projects.

  • Construction Administration, 3%

    Managed and directed construction documentation for over $140M in projects from preliminary schematic design phase through construction administration.

  • Project Scope, 2%

    Provide project administration for overall project scope and development.

Common skills that a senior project manager construction uses to do their job include "project management," "construction projects," and "real estate." You can find details on the most important senior project manager construction responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a senior project manager construction to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role 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 project manager construction resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "full bottom line responsibility and accountability for job costs, budget analysis and contract management. "

Business skills. Another essential skill to perform senior project manager construction duties is business skills. Senior project managers construction responsibilities require that "construction managers need to prepare and follow project budgets, hire and manage staff, and coordinate with other workers and managers." Senior project managers construction also use business skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "ice telecommunication bcc(business contact center).call center facilities set up implementation. "

Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in senior project manager construction job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what senior project managers construction do. Senior project manager construction responsibilities rely on this skill because "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." You can also see how senior project manager construction duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provide construction and project management leadership to ensure success of large projects. "

All senior project manager construction skills

Choose from 10+ customizable senior project manager construction resume templates

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Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
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Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume
Senior Project Manager Construction Resume

Compare different senior project managers construction

Senior project manager construction 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 project manager construction salary and compared it with the wages of a general superintendent. Generally speaking, general superintendents are paid $45,403 lower than senior project managers construction per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both senior project manager construction and general superintendent positions are skilled in project management, construction projects, and mep.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior project managers construction and general superintendent. For instance, senior project manager construction responsibilities require skills such as "real estate," "cash flow," "civil engineering," and "construction administration." Whereas a general superintendent is skilled in "quality standards," "excellent organizational," "oversight," and "customer service." This is part of what separates the two careers.

General superintendents earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $87,760. On the other hand, senior project managers construction are paid more in the construction industry with an average salary of $121,751.On average, general superintendents reach lower levels of education than senior project managers construction. General superintendents are 7.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Senior project manager construction 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.

A career as a field manager brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a senior project manager construction. In fact, field managers salary is $51,810 lower than the salary of senior project managers construction per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Senior project managers construction and field managers both require similar skills like "project management," "construction projects," and "field supervision" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior project manager construction resumes. While senior project manager construction responsibilities can utilize skills like "real estate," "cash flow," "civil engineering," and "construction administration," field managers use skills like "minor maintenance," "patients," "customer service," and "medicare."

On average, field managers earn a lower salary than senior project managers construction. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, field managers earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $91,615. Whereas senior project managers construction have higher pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $121,751.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Field managers tend to reach lower levels of education than senior project managers construction. In fact, they're 6.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior project manager construction vs. Construction superintendent

A construction superintendent's role is to oversee all construction plans and operations, ensuring quality completion within a specified timeframe. Some of their responsibilities are to inspect all sites, coordinate with contractors and engineers, manage the budget and expenditure, purchase necessary materials and equipment, and make schedules. Aside from producing daily progress reports, a construction superintendent also addresses issues and concerns should there be any. Furthermore, they must implement all safety regulations and policies to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

On average scale, construction superintendents bring in lower salaries than senior project managers construction. In fact, they earn a $33,019 lower salary per year.By looking over several senior project managers construction and construction superintendents resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "project management," "mep," and "field supervision." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior project managers construction are more likely to have skills like "construction projects," "real estate," "cash flow," and "civil engineering." But a construction superintendent is more likely to have skills like "construction sites," "safety program," "quality standards," and "punch list."

Construction superintendents earn the best pay in the energy industry, where they command an average salary of $99,237. Senior project managers construction earn the highest pay from the construction industry, with an average salary of $121,751.construction superintendents typically earn lower educational levels compared to senior project managers construction. Specifically, they're 9.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Senior project manager construction vs. Installation manager

An installation manager is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's installation projects, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. It is their duty to set goals and objectives, manage budgets and schedules, liaise with clients to identify their needs and preferences, and develop strategies to optimize installation processes, prioritizing customer satisfaction. Furthermore, as an installation manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the safety standards and regulations for a safe work environment.

Installation managers typically earn lower pay than senior project managers construction. On average, installation managers earn a $49,720 lower salary per year.While both senior project managers construction and installation managers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like project management, general contractors, and osha, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A senior project manager construction uses "construction projects," "real estate," "cash flow," and "civil engineering." Installation managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "safety standards," "windows," "payroll," and "strong customer service. "In general, installation managers earn the most working in the government industry, with an average salary of $82,073. The highest-paying industry for a senior project manager construction is the construction industry.installation managers reach lower levels of education compared to senior project managers construction, in general. The difference is that they're 7.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of senior project manager construction

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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