Construction projects require a lot of resources. Not only does construction need materials, equipment and workers to build it, but they require planning, contracts, scheduling, documentation, payments (receiving and issuing) and countless other management-related tasks. Contractors in charge of a large project need a team of people to manage all phases of the project, from inception to completion. Today, we’ll explore the typical construction project team roles and responsibilities that are found on successful projects, as well as the required experience level.
Construction Project Team: Roles And Responsibilities
If you’re want to know more about specific roles and responsibilities of each person on a construction management team, keep reading! We will describe the responsibilities and job descriptions of the following project management staff positions. Click below to jump to a specific staff position:
- C-Level Executives – CEO, CFO, COO, Etc.
- Project Executive / Senior Project Manager
- Construction Project Manager
- Construction Superintendent
- Assistant Project Manager
- Project Administrator
- General Foreman
- Field Engineer / Clerk
- Trade Foremen
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1. C-Level Executives On A Construction Project
C-level positions are in charge of the big picture at a contracting company. They consider questions like:
- How much work does our company have this year (in dollars)? How about next year?
- How can we lower our operating costs to increase profit and be more competitive?
- What mistakes have we been making as a company that we need to fix?
- Should we hire more people? Move offices? Purchase equipment? Take on new types of projects?
The typical C-level executives you’ll find at a construction company include:
- CEO – Chief Executive Officer
- CFO – Chief Financial Officer
- COO – Chief Operating Officer
- CMO – Chief Marketing Officer
These C-level managers are involved in construction projects during the most critical moments. This includes bidding on work, big-picture budgeting and executing favorable contract. C-level positions usually have a minimum of 20 years of experience, but of course there are always exceptions.
They also receive regular updates on a project’s key metrics:
- Budget & Profitability
- Schedule
- Quality / Deliverables
However, managers in these positions rarely spend more than a day or two in any given month on a particular project. They’re overseeing all projects that a contracting company has – ongoing, upcoming and potential projects. These metrics are often reviewed on a monthly or quarterly review basis.
2. Project Executive / Senior Project Manager Responsibilities
The Project Executive, also known as a Senior Project Manager, is usually the highest non C-level position on a project. This is a person who has worked as a Project Manager for many years, and thus has the experience to monitor all parts of a construction project – including the big picture.
A Project Executive’s years of experience vary – it’s more about how many projects they’ve overseen from start to finish. A Project Executive or Senior Project Manager has overseen 5-10 projects before they’re seen as “senior”. As such, Project Executives or Senior Project Managers typically have 15-20 years of experience working in the P.M. capacity before getting that “Senior” added in there.
Project Executives usually oversee 2-3 projects at any one time. They rely on the Project Managers to manage the day to day, and instead focusing on making sure the higher-level stuff comes together, including a healthy client relationship.
Here are a few things Project Executives are responsible for on a project:
- Establishing protocols, collaborations, meetings and methodology between all parties to help the project reach its’ goals.
- Ensuring high-cost items are contracted or planned out to stay within the budget.
- Watching the schedule and making sure major milestones are hit.
- Compliance with specifications, testing, inspections and quality.
Project Executives typically spend only 1-2 days per week on any particular project, so they maintain a big-picture perspective. They work with Project Managers to make sure plans are being carried out accordingly.
3. Construction Project Manager
The Project Manager is in charge of making sure the day-to-day needs are carried out. This spans quite a few areas of the project.
Project Managers collaborate with senior management to plan the short- and medium-terms goals of the project. Other than those check-ins, Project Managers are co-captains of carrying out these plans.
Here are just a few of the areas a Project Manager oversees on a regular basis, mostly in the office:
- Meeting the schedule and organizing the resources needed to do so.
- Monitoring the project budget and billing the client for work completed.
- Developing working sets of drawings and designs.
- Monitoring the scope of work and any changes or additions to it. In turn, managing change orders.
- Working with the Client and Owner’s Representatives to exchange information, get approvals and meet project requirements.
- Co-develop a job site safety plan and policy.
- Purchasing materials, equipment and hiring consultants.
- Oversee document control.
Construction Project Managers typically have 7-10 years of experience in the industry as an Assistant P.M. or similar. They’re worked on every phase of a project at least once and have worked for a Project Manager to learn the trade.
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4. Construction Superintendent
The Superintendent is like the dance partner of the Project Manager – it takes two to tango.
This is because The Project Manager and Superintendent share the same role in a deliverable sense: manage and oversee the day-to-day operation of a construction project, and ensure compliance with schedule, budget and quality requirements.
While Project Managers carry out their role from an office, administrative and document-oriented positions, Superintendents perform their duties on the job site.
Superintendents help develop a schedule, oversee performance/execution, attend meetings and manage the flow of information – both to the field from the office, as well as from the office to the field, just like Project Managers.
Where the P.M.’s responsibilities end is where the Superintendent’s role begins. Here are a few responsibilities specific to the construction Superintendent:
- Ensuring job site is safe and all work is being performed correctly.
- Monitoring job site quality requirements.
- Tracking daily activities against the project schedule.
- Documenting unknowns or unexpected delays.
- Making sure design details are built properly.
- Determining means, methods and constructability.
- Overseeing field workers and onsite subcontractors.
- Hiring and firing field crews as needed.
There are additional requirements and qualifications for being a site Super, such as the following:
- High-level OSHA training (40+ hours)
- Knowledge of Building Codes
- Certified To Oversee Hazardous Activity Such As Rigging & Hoisting
Superintendents need at least 7 to 10 years of experience, like a Project Manager. Many Superintendents have a lot more experience than this, though, because they’re worked as a tradesperson and foreman already. In turn, they understand the details of construction and have seen many projects play out. This experience is vital for a Superintendent.
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5. Role Of Assistant Project Manager
Assistant Project Managers are essentially Project Managers in-training.
They’re working towards becoming a P.M., but must first learn all of the various responsibilities a Project Manager has, as well as observe the P.M. carry out their duties.
Essentially, Assistant Project Managers have the same responsibilities as the Project Manager. Instead, they carry out a lot of the legwork at the direction of the P.M. This includes scheduling, documentation, purchases, price comparison, billing, etc.
Assistant Project Managers have 2-3 years of experience when they are promoted to this position, and stay in it for 2-5 years until they’re ready to be the P.M.
6. Project Administrator Responsibilities
On any construction project, there’s paperwork. A lot of paperwork. So much so, that many projects need a designated person just to deal with it!
Enter the Project Administrator. The Administrator is the person making sure the flow of all daily activities is smooth.
Here are a few typical responsibilities of a construction Project Administrator:
- Tracking payroll for field crews.
- Setting up / On-boarding new field workers.
- Maintaining compliance with Federal, State and Local requirements.
- Filing all key project documents.
- Tracking the payment of vendors, subcontractors and consultants.
- In some cases, Administrators also handle the exchange of submittals, RFIs and other key documents, too.
Project Administrators usually need at least 2-3 years of relevant construction experience in order to get hired. This is because they must have experience with and know how to prioritize their work in accordance with construction’s unique needs.
7. Role Of General Foreman
The General Foreman is usually the highest ranking working position on a job site. By working position, I mean that they’re involved directly with the performance of the work. They typically work as an hourly employee like the rest of the field crews, but have a higher pay and more responsibilities.
The General Foreman reports directly to the Superintendent. They’re in charge of bringing the project to life on a moment-to-moment level.
These Foreman oversee all other trade-specific foremen, along with all of the workers onsite. They’re in charge of making sure everyone shows up on time, is working safely and performing what they should be.
General Foreman make sure the crews have what they need to do the work, and if they don’t, making sure they get it as quickly as possible.
As such, General Foremen coordinate the materials needed, tools required, equipment usage and other logistics – all in accordance with the schedule. They work closely with the trade foremen to make sure they have what they need – whatever it is.
General Foremen are some of the first to know about an issue, surprise or change, because they’re actually located where the work is happening and can be there in person. They’re the go-to person on site when something is needed.
Due to the experience requirements of overseeing the work, General Foremen have years of field experience prior to holding this title. General Foreman on construction sites usually have at least 15 years of experience, with many of them being a trade-specific foreman already.
8. Responsibilities Of Field Engineer / Site Clerk
For the most part, the Field Engineer, also known as Site Clerk, is an entry-level position in the construction industry, meaning it’s a position filled by someone newly- or recently-graduated from college.
While referred to as an Engineer, this doesn’t translate to the occupation of Engineering. This position is essentially the eyes and ears for the management team in the field, including the Superintendent. They work alongside the field crews, but in a managerial way rather than manual labor. Rather than just watching field crews and learning, they actively participate in the process.
Here are a few examples of what a Field Engineer is responsible for:
- Tracking daily productivity of the crews and comparing this rate to the budget and schedule.
- Producing basic reports and status updates.
- Taking progress photos and noting daily activity.
- Ordering and coordinating the delivery of materials, equipment and supplies as needed.
- Taking basic measurements, doing rough surveying and laying out as required.
- Handling the logistics of getting drawings printed, jobsite-office juggling and keeping physical copies of contract documents, project specs, etc. organized.
- Doing whatever anyone above them tells them to!
This position doesn’t pay as well as the positions with “Executive” or “Manager” in the title, but being a Field Engineer is the entry level position in construction project management – all industries have this equivalent. Working as a Field Engineer is a vital experience that provides a solid foundation of construction knowledge.
9. Role Of Trade Foreman
Last but not least on our list of construction project team role is the Trade Foreman.
As you can imagine, the Trade Foreman is a foreman that’s in charge of a crew performing a specific task. Also known as a “gang foreman” or “working foreman“, the Trade Foreman is a worker with at least 4-5 years experience performing a specific type of work.
Due to this, they’re very much involved in the moment-by-moment details of that specific type of work, making sure the actual construction happens correctly in real time, and raising any concerns as soon as they arise.
On a typical construction site of a future apartment building, there will be many different foremen in charge of specific tradespeople. There will be an Ironworker Foreman, Carpentry Foreman, Electric Foreman, Concrete/Formwork Foreman and many more – you get the idea.
Foremen are broken up by whichever Contractor has hired them. If there are two different companies performing metalwork onsite, there will be two different Ironworker Foremen.
Construction Project Team Roles and Responsibilities In Summary
A construction project can be like a three-ring circus. To keep the whole show going, there is a team of construction managers that perform various duties on the project during all stages of the project – contracting, planning, execution and monitoring. Each one of them is vital in their own way. You now have a solid understand of construction project team roles and responsibilities, and what each position is needed for. Thanks for reading!
