How to become a Construction Manager

A construction manager is an integral part in the organisation of any building project. Responsibilities range from planning work schedules and ensuring projects stay on budget, to managing suppliers and relationships with the general public.

A construction manager, sometimes referred to as a site manager or construction engineer, is one of the most important roles on a building site.

Construction project managers oversee building projects. They are involved with all aspects of a building’s production, from the initial blueprints to the final reports, and must manage a large team of people along the way.

Construction project managers can work in the residential, commercial, industrial, infrastructure or environmental fields, with an option to specialise in one of these as they progress up the career ladder.

Being a construction project manager will involve:

• Planning projects, which will consider the budget, timescale, health and safety aspects and staff members required
• Hiring staff for the project and acting as their manager throughout its duration, including supervising and inspecting work.
• Constantly ensuring that health and safety expectations are being met.
• Communicating with other professionals involved in the project, such as contractors, architects and surveyors.
• Keeping the customer updated throughout the project.

The path to becoming a construction project manager is varied. Candidates can either do so through education – for example, a degree in surveying or engineering and then construction management specific qualifications – or by vocational methods. The latter would involve candidates taking on apprenticeships or other construction jobs and working their way up, however, they would still need to take some construction management qualifications before reaching the position.

People learning how to become a project manager should have a solid grounding of health and safety initiatives, as well as a deep understanding of the construction industry. They should exhibit strong leadership skills and great attention to detail.

The profession often involves travel between sites and unsociable hours of work, so some sort of flexibility in the employee’s lifestyle is needed. The salary is competitive and increases with experience, as well as sometimes offering perks such as a company car and travel allowance.