Construction Managers

Career Description: Plan, direct, coordinate, or budget, usually through subordinate supervisory personnel, activities concerned with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems. Participate in the conceptual development of a construction project and oversee its organization, scheduling, and implementation.

Industry: Management

Other Job Titles for Construction Managers:

• Realistic: 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.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: 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.
• Conventional: 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.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Confer with supervisory personnel, owners, contractors, and design professionals to discuss and resolve matters such as work procedures, complaints, and construction problems.
• Plan, organize, and direct activities concerned with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems.
• Schedule the project in logical steps and budget time required to meet deadlines.
• Determine labor requirements and dispatch workers to construction sites.
• Inspect and review projects to monitor compliance with building and safety codes, and other regulations.
• Interpret and explain plans and contract terms to administrative staff, workers, and clients, representing the owner or developer.
• Prepare contracts and negotiate revisions, changes and additions to contractual agreements with architects, consultants, clients, suppliers and subcontractors.
• Obtain all necessary permits and licenses.
• Direct and supervise workers.
• Study job specifications to determine appropriate construction methods.
• Select, contract, and oversee workers who complete specific pieces of the project, such as painting or plumbing.
• Requisition supplies and materials to complete construction projects.
• Prepare and submit budget estimates and progress and cost tracking reports.
• Develop and implement quality control programs.
• Take actions to deal with the results of delays, bad weather, or emergencies at construction site.
• Investigate damage, accidents, or delays at construction sites, to ensure that proper procedures are being carried out.
• Evaluate construction methods and determine cost-effectiveness of plans, using computers.
• Direct acquisition of land for construction projects.
• Manage the design and development of tools to assist employees in benefits selection, and to guide managers through compensation decisions.
• Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee termination.
• Prepare budgets for personnel operations.
• Prepare personnel forecasts to project employment needs.
• Contract with vendors to provide employee services, such as food services, transportation, or relocation service.
• Study legislation, arbitration decisions, and collective bargaining contracts to assess industry trends.
• Direct and coordinate activities of businesses involved with buying and selling investment products and financial services.
• Direct and conduct studies and research on issues affecting areas of responsibility.
• Attend and participate in meetings of municipal councils and council committees.
• Organize and approve promotional campaigns.
• Conduct or direct investigations or hearings to resolve complaints and violations of laws, or testify at such hearings.
• Represent organizations and promote their objectives at official functions, or delegate representatives to do so.
• Prepare bylaws approved by elected officials and ensure that bylaws are enforced.
• Direct and coordinate activities between the United States Government and foreign entities to provide information and promote international interests and harmony.

Emerging Tasks

• Manage sales team, including setting goals, providing incentives, and evaluating employee performance.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• adhere to safety procedures
• assign work to staff or employees
• compile information on findings from investigation of accidents
• compute cost estimates of construction or engineering projects
• compute production, construction, or installation specifications
• confer with management or users
• consult with managerial or supervisory personnel
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• direct and coordinate construction of mine shafts or tunnels
• estimate costs of design materials or construction
• estimate materials or labor requirements
• estimate time or cost for installation, repair, or construction projects
• evaluate construction quality
• evaluate new construction industry practices
• explain government laws or regulations
• explain rules, policies or regulations
• inspect facilities or equipment for regulatory compliance
• inspect project operations, or site to determine specification compliance
• interpret maps for architecture, construction, or engineering project
• make decisions
• manage building maintenance projects
• manage contracts
• monitor contract performance
• negotiate business contracts
• obtain information from individuals
• order or purchase supplies, materials, or equipment
• oversee execution of organizational or program policies
• perform safety inspections in construction or resource extraction setting
• plan or organize work
• prepare contract documents
• recognize construction industry codes or symbols on blueprints
• recommend action to ensure compliance
• recommend alterations in construction or specifications
• resolve customer or public complaints
• schedule employee work hours
• set priorities for construction workers
• understand construction specifications
• understand government construction contracting regulations
• use building or land use regulations
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
• use knowledge of investigation techniques
• use long or short term production planning techniques
• use negotiation techniques
• use project management techniques
• use quality assurance techniques
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use public speaking techniques
• verify investigative information
• write business correspondence
• write sales or informational speeches

Overall Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$36.65
• Average annual wage (2007) - $76,230.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 15.71%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 76,507
• Employment (2006): 487,077

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