How to Hire a Construction Project Manager

Construction Project Manager: What is the cost of hiring?

What is a construction project manager?

A construction project manager prepares, coordinates and oversees construction developments. These developments may be related to the building construction industry, such as a new apartment building, office block, warehouse or housing estate, or the civil construction industry, including new bridges, highways, renewable energy projects or water supply infrastructure. They ensure the project is managed efficiently so that it meets time and budget constraints, from the moment when plans are drawn through to coordinating when workers are on-site.

Why hire a construction project manager?

Construction project managers keep a development on track to ensure it is completed on time, on budget and to the required standard. They are essential on large or complex projects that require a great level of organisation, such as requiring numerous workers to be on site at different stages of the development. Their role is centred on achieving maximum efficiency so that there are no, or at least minimal, costs when unforeseen issues do arise.

Contributions of a great construction project manager include:

• coordinating labour, materials and equipment for construction projects
• identifying and addressing problems that may affect whether project milestones are met and the project is completed successfully
• ensuring completed by employees and/or subcontractors meets standards and specifications.

Defining your hiring needs for construction project managers

To determine if a construction project manager is required by your organisation, consider the types of projects that you undertake or want to take on in future. If the scope of the work and workload may be beyond your current senior staff and team leaders, you may want to hire a construction project manager to oversee it. Consider your previous success in meeting deadlines, budgets and required standards. If you find your projects are always delivered late, for example, you might consider hiring a construction project manager to manage resources to ensure timely completion

What are the types of construction project managers?

As the construction industry has three different sectors – residential, commercial and civil construction – construction project managers usually specialise or have greater experience in one of these sectors.

When writing your construction project manager job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on construction project manager jobs, according to Indeed data:

• project manager
• construction project manager
• construction manager
• construction
• project manager construction
• civil engineer
• junior project manager
• project management
• project coordinator
• assistant project manager.

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Where to find construction project managers?

To find the right construction project manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Engage a recruitment or labour hire firm: Recruitment and labour hire firms often have a pool of talent available or a list of workers who are interested in moving jobs for new opportunities. They can suggest these candidates for your vacancy and often have completed initial interviews to ensure they meet your skill and experience requirements.
• Consider applicants from aligned sectors: These applicants may not have the experience or knowledge of the sector in which your organisation operates, but they may have high-level project management skills that may easily transfer to your sector. For example, if your organisation operates in the civil construction sector, consider applicants from the building construction sector.
• Attend networking events: Attending events and conferences organised by construction associations or project management institutes will help you to build a network of contacts whom you can call on for referrals.
• Promote from within: You may already have an employee who has experience in managing smaller projects who may be suitable to promote into this position. For example, a carpenter who has juggled their trade work with leading a team building a house may move into a position managing the development of a housing estate.
• Post your job online: Try posting your construction project manager job on Indeed to find and attract quality construction project manager candidates.

Skills to look for in a construction project manager

A successful construction project manager candidate will typically have the following skills and competencies, which may be gained through a variety of experiences, training or education:

• scheduling, financial management and time management skills
• communication skills, particularly negotiation and conflict management skills
• construction industry licences and certifications, such as White Card to access building sites
• knowledge of building codes and appropriate authorities
• proficiency in using project management software.

Writing a construction project manager job description

Now that you know the key skills, salary expectations, popular job seeker search terms and hiring insights for a construction project manager, you’re ready to write a job description.

A construction project manager job description typically includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position. You may also want to include information about your company culture, benefits and perks to attract candidates to your vacant role.

Ready to get started? See our full guide for writing construction project manager job descriptions.

Interviewing construction project manager candidates

Strong candidates for construction project manager positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• prior experience in the construction industry, particularly in the sector in which your organisation operates
• project management skills and experience, including technical ability to operate software
• problem-solving abilities and techniques, such as situational questions around meeting time and budget constraints, and standards and specifications
• leadership and collaboration techniques they prefer to use.

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of construction project manager interview questions for examples (with sample answers).