BIM Manager vs VDC Manager

On pay, vdc managers come out ahead by about $41k a year at the midpoint of posted bands: $99k–$140k against $63k–$95k for bim managers. These are advertised figures from postings that state a salary, not estimates. By seniority and country: bim manager salary and vdc manager salary.

On skills, they are close to the same job under two titles. Postings ask for largely the same things, and the difference is mostly emphasis. The skills both sets of postings want most are BIM, Project Management, Clash Detection, MEP, Revit.

Yes, and the numbers say how far along you already are: a typical bim manager profile covers 72% of what vdc manager postings ask for. Our estimate for the move is 6–12 mo. The route page lists the exact skills that make up the rest.

Going the other way, a typical vdc manager profile covers 48% of what bim manager postings ask for. Our estimate for the move is 12–24 mo. The two directions are not symmetric: bim manager to vdc manager is the easier move, 72% against 48%. The route page has the gap itemized.

Right now our board has 154 bim manager openings and 14 vdc manager openings, each linking to the original posting. The board refreshes every night, so the counts move with the market. Hiring the most bim managers at the moment: Olsson (6), Actalent (2), Mott MacDonald (2). For vdc managers: Page Group (1), DPR Construction (1), Skanska constructions (1).