Career profile for Construction Manager

What does a Construction Manager do?

Construction Managers plan, direct, or coordinate, usually through subordinate supervisory personnel, activities concerned with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems.

In addition, Construction Managers

participate in the conceptual development of a construction project and oversee its organization, scheduling, budgeting, and implementation,
includes managers in specialized construction fields, such as carpentry or plumbing.

What kind of tasks does a Construction Manager perform regularly?

Construction Managers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Plan, schedule, or coordinate construction project activities to meet deadlines.
Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress reports, or cost tracking reports.
Interpret and explain plans and contract terms to representatives of the owner or developer, including administrative staff, workers, or clients.
Direct and supervise construction or related workers.
Prepare contracts or negotiate revisions to contractual agreements with architects, consultants, clients, suppliers, or subcontractors.
Confer with supervisory personnel, owners, contractors, or design professionals to discuss and resolve matters, such as work procedures, complaints, or construction problems.
Plan, organize, or direct activities concerned with the construction or maintenance of structures, facilities, or systems.
Study job specifications to determine appropriate construction methods.
Inspect or review projects to monitor compliance with environmental regulations.
Investigate damage, accidents, or delays at construction sites to ensure that proper construction procedures are being followed.
Implement new or modified plans in response to delays, bad weather, or construction site emergencies.
Develop or implement quality control programs.
Requisition supplies or materials to complete construction projects.
Determine labor requirements for dispatching workers to construction sites.
Contract or oversee craft work, such as painting or plumbing.
Inspect or review projects to monitor compliance with environmental regulations.
Perform, or contract others to perform, pre-building assessments, such as conceptual cost estimating, rough order of magnitude estimating, feasibility, or energy efficiency, environmental, and sustainability assessments.
Develop or implement environmental protection programs.
Apply for and obtain all necessary permits or licenses.
Evaluate construction methods and determine cost-effectiveness of plans, using computer models.

The above responsibilities are specific to Construction Managers. More generally, Construction Managers are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Scheduling Work and Activities		Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others		Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work		Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Scheduling Work and Activities

Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others

Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

What is a Construction Manager salary?

The median salary for a Construction Manager is $97,180, and the average salary is $107,260. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Construction Manager salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Construction Managers earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Construction Managers earn less than $56,880 per year, 25% earn less than $73,460, 75% earn less than $128,860, and 90% earn less than $169,070.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Construction Managers is expected to change by 11.5%, and there should be roughly 38,900 open positions for Construction Managers every year.

Median annual salary: $97,180
Typical salary range: $56,880 - $169,070
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 11.5%

What personality traits are common among Construction Managers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Construction Manager are usually higher in their Enterprising, Realistic, and Conventional interests.

Construction Managers typically have very strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Also, Construction Managers typically have strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Lastly, Construction Managers typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Construction Manager tend to value Working Conditions, Independence, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Construction Managers very strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Second, Construction Managers strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Construction Managers strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Construction Managers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as integrity, dependability, and attention to detail.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Construction Managers, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Leadership		Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Initiative		Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Leadership

Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Initiative

Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

What education and training do Construction Managers need?

Many Construction Managers will have a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Construction Managers usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Educational degrees among Construction Managers

6.6% did not complete high school or secondary school
26.6% completed high school or secondary school
22.9% completed some college coursework
9.1% earned a Associate's degree
27.9% earned a Bachelor's degree
5.9% earned a Master's degree
1.0% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Construction Managers

Construction Managers may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as building and construction, administration and management, or engineering and technology knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Construction Managers might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Building and Construction		Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Engineering and Technology		Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Design		Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Engineering and Technology

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Important Abilities needed by Construction Managers

Construction Managers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Construction Managers need abilities such as information ordering, problem sensitivity, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Construction Managers, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Information Ordering		The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Information Ordering

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Critical Skills needed by Construction Managers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Construction Managers frequently use skills like coordination, management of personnel resources, and active listening to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Construction Managers, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Coordination		Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Management of Personnel Resources		Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring		Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Management of Personnel Resources

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Construction Manager

Construction Manager

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