Construction Manager vs Construction Superintendent

On pay, construction superintendents come out ahead by about $7k a year at the midpoint of posted bands: $77k–$135k against $79k–$120k for construction managers. These are advertised figures from postings that state a salary, not estimates. By seniority and country: construction manager salary and construction superintendent 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 Project Management, Scheduling, Safety / OSHA, Construction Administration, Quality Control.

Yes, and the numbers say how far along you already are: a typical construction manager profile covers 36% of what construction superintendent postings ask for. Our estimate for the move is 12–24 mo. The instrument lists the exact skills that make up the rest.

Going the other way, a typical construction superintendent profile covers 100% of what construction manager postings ask for. Keep in mind: contractor licensing varies by state; certifications (ccm) common. Our estimate for the move is 3–8 mo. The two directions are not symmetric: construction superintendent to construction manager is the easier move, 100% against 36%. The route page has the gap itemized.

Right now our board has 1,462 construction manager openings and 429 construction superintendent openings, each linking to the original posting. The board refreshes every night, so the counts move with the market. Hiring the most construction managers at the moment: Direct employer (234), Jobup (59), iPersonal (30). For construction superintendents: Direct employer (184), Bechtel (30), Das Team Ag (14).