Superintendent vs director of construction

The differences between superintendents and directors of construction can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a superintendent, becoming a director of construction takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a director of construction has an average salary of $139,344, which is higher than the $82,458 average annual salary of a superintendent.

The top three skills for a superintendent include OSHA, quality standards and construction management. The most important skills for a director of construction are project management, construction management, and oversight.

Superintendent vs director of construction overview

	Superintendent	Director Of Construction
Yearly salary	$82,458	$139,344
Hourly rate	$39.64	$66.99
Growth rate	5%	8%
Number of jobs	22,580	32,759
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	47	46
Years of experience	4	8

What does a superintendent do?

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.

What does a director of construction do?

A Director Of Construction is responsible for supervision of all construction-related projects. They review project progress, address issues, and adjust schedules and budgets.

Superintendent vs director of construction salary

Superintendents and directors of construction have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Superintendent	Director Of Construction
Average salary	$82,458	$139,344
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $119,000	Between $96,000 And $201,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Connecticut
Best paying company	BP America Inc	Bed Bath & Beyond
Best paying industry	Construction	Government

Differences between superintendent and director of construction education

There are a few differences between a superintendent and a director of construction in terms of educational background:

	Superintendent	Director Of Construction
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Superintendent vs director of construction demographics

Here are the differences between superintendents' and directors of construction' demographics:

	Superintendent	Director Of Construction
Average age	47	46
Gender ratio	Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7%	Male, 91.6% Female, 8.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	16%	4%

Differences between superintendent and director of construction duties and responsibilities

Superintendent example responsibilities.

Manage, coordinate, plan and provide oversight for all nuclear work perform during PSA's.
Manage $9.1M budget; 28,000 grind and flight training requirements and 2,400 hr flying training program.
Manage a team of 30 operators and maintenance personnel producing extrusion and blown polypropylene shrink film on a unionize site.
Lead and facilitate meetings; oversee implementation of OSHA and company safety regulations.
Manage complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.
Coordinate and oversee commercial roofing projects.

Director of construction example responsibilities.

Manage overall operations for development, design, construction, leasing, facility management and marketing of properties.
Associate tasks include managing and producing marketing materials including RFP, RFQ, LOI and writing proposals for potential projects.
Coordinate with leasing and review leasing exhibits; lead architectural, MEP, structural, code, and environmental consultants.
Prepare IFB's, RFP's, and small purchase documentations.
Negotiate new HVAC maintenance contracts.
Major effort on rebuilding power plant and chill water distribution and HVAC.

Superintendent vs director of construction skills

Common superintendent skills

OSHA, 11%
Quality Standards, 7%
Construction Management, 7%
Logistics, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Project Management, 5%

Common director of construction skills

Project Management, 14%
Construction Management, 11%
Oversight, 8%
Real Estate, 7%
OSHA, 5%
General Contractors, 4%

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Superintendent vs Director Of Construction

Updated January 8, 2025

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