Construction Manager vs VDC Manager

On pay, vdc managers come out ahead by about $26k a year at the midpoint of posted bands: $100k–$152k 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 vdc manager salary.

On skills, they are related jobs with a real gap between them. There is a shared core, and then each side asks for things the other rarely does. The skills both sets of postings want most are BIM, Project Management, Construction Administration, Lean / Six Sigma, Supply Chain.

Yes, and the numbers say how far along you already are: a typical construction manager profile covers 20% of what vdc manager 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 vdc manager profile covers 54% of what construction manager postings ask for. Keep in mind: contractor licensing varies by state; certifications (ccm) common. Our estimate for the move is 12–24 mo. The two directions are not symmetric: vdc manager to construction manager is the easier move, 54% against 20%. The route page has the gap itemized.

Right now our board has 1,462 construction manager openings and 26 vdc manager 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 vdc managers: Direct employer (5), Skanska (2), Suffolk Construction (1).