A construction logistics manager gets steel, block, doors, fixtures and equipment to a commercial builder's job sites on the day each crew needs them. They run the company's warehouse and yard, schedule deliveries around cranes and tight sites, track stock by job, and lead the warehouse staff.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as a key leader in managing materials distribution, coordinating timely deliveries, and supervising inventory for our commercial building and development projects, ensuring operational efficiency and contributing to overall project success.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee materials distribution to multiple job sites with efficiency and accuracy.
Coordinate and schedule deliveries to ensure project timelines are met.
Supervise inventory management, including receiving, storage, and dispatch of materials.
Maintain and enforce safety protocols and quality standards in the warehouse environment.
Collaborate with project managers and suppliers to streamline logistics and reduce downtime.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Monitor daily shipments and delivery schedules, adjusting to accommodate any changes.
Conduct regular inventory checks and update records using warehouse management systems.
Communicate with suppliers and internal teams to resolve delivery or stock issues.
Prepare daily reports of warehouse activities and material usage for senior management.
Manage and mentor warehouse staff to maintain consistent performance and safety standards.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-time delivery rate: >95%.
Inventory accuracy: >98%.
Warehouse capacity utilization rate: >90%.
Reduction in material waste: <3%.
Staff productivity rate: Increase of 15% year-over-year.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years’ experience in warehouse management or logistics coordination.
Strong leadership and team management skills.
Proficient with warehouse management and inventory control software.
Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience working in the commercial construction, building, or development industry.
Familiarity with project management and construction scheduling.
Hands-on experience in lean management and process improvement initiatives.
Experience working in fast-paced, dynamic environments with multiple project deadlines.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and move items up to 50 lbs.
Frequent standing, bending, and walking in warehouse and outdoor construction-related environments.
Exposure to varying weather conditions, including hot or cold temperatures.
Occasional climbing of ladders and use of forklifts or pallet jacks, following safety protocols.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with occasional overtime required during peak project phases.
Work predominantly in indoor warehouse settings and outdoor construction sites.
Minimal travel may be required between multiple project sites.
Possibility of on-call duties during critical project delivery periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $65,000 - $85,000 USD, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonuses available.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match.
Additional benefits include paid time off, professional development opportunities, and employee wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a collaborative, inclusive, and growth-oriented culture that values each team member’s contributions and professional development.
Our company is dedicated to maintaining high standards in customer satisfaction and operational excellence.
We provide opportunities for continuous learning and advancement, ensuring our employees can thrive both personally and professionally.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What changes in logistics for a commercial builder
A builder's warehouse feeds job sites that change every few months. Much of the work is timing: getting heavy material onto a building that is still going up, without blocking the crane, the street or the next trade.
Stocking floors of an unfinished building
OSHA limits what can be stored on floors in a building under construction. Stored weight can't pass the floor's safe load, and storage areas off grade must post that limit. Material can't sit within 6 feet of a hoistway or floor opening, or within 10 feet of an outside wall shorter than the pile. The logistics manager plans drops to each floor with those limits in mind. Source: OSHA: General requirements for storage in construction (29 CFR 1926.250).
Forklift training covers the job site too
OSHA's construction rule on forklift operators uses the same training rules as general industry. Each operator is trained and evaluated before driving alone, and is watched and rated on the job again within three years. A crash or near miss, unsafe driving, or switching to another kind of truck means retraining. The manager keeps those records for the warehouse and every site. Source: OSHA: Material handling equipment in construction (29 CFR 1926.602).
Material bought early waits by job
Long-lead items such as switchgear, storefront and rooftop units are often bought months ahead to hold a price or a slot. The warehouse tags each one to its project, keeps it dry and secure, and logs where it sits. If you ask a lender to pay for stored material, be ready to show that it exists, is insured and is set aside for that job.
Deliveries run on the crane's clock
A crane day is planned around the picks, so steel, joists and rooftop equipment have to arrive in the order they get lifted. A truck that shows up late can idle a crane and a crew for hours. The logistics manager confirms loads, sequence and arrival times with the superintendent the day before.
How much construction logistics managers make
The closest BLS group for construction logistics managers is transportation, storage, and distribution managers. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $124,420 a year ($59.82 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $107,230 median for transportation, storage, and distribution managers in all industries. About 500 of the 221,180 transportation, storage, and distribution managers in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
Salary plus a bonus, per the template. Link the bonus to results the warehouse controls, such as missed deliveries and count errors. BLS counts only a few hundred of these managers at commercial builders, and the group includes managers of large distribution operations, so the chart runs well above the template's range. Expect a single-yard builder's warehouse to pay nearer the chart's low end.
Commercial building contractors
$124,420$124,420 median Middle half $84,990–$166,890 10th–90th $65,800–$202,500
All industries
$107,230$107,230 median Middle half $82,440–$146,770 10th–90th $65,120–$194,900
$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial building contractors
$65,800
$84,990
$124,420
$166,890
$202,500
All industries
$65,120
$82,440
$107,230
$146,770
$194,900
BLS doesn’t publish pay for commercial developers on their own. These figures cover nonresidential building construction, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has run a warehouse or yard that supplies active job sites
Reads a construction schedule and knows what each phase needs on site
Keeps counts accurate in an inventory or warehouse system
Plans truck routes and delivery windows around site limits
Leads and trains warehouse staff and drivers
Teach these on the job
Your scheduling tool and how look-ahead schedules are shared
Your purchasing steps with project managers
Each site's delivery rules and laydown plan
How your sites book crane picks and hoist time
Your fleet and its maintenance schedule
The job runs on warehouse or inventory software, the project schedule, and a phone app for delivery photos and signed tickets. In the yard it means forklifts, pallet jacks and often a rough-terrain telehandler. Tell candidates up front if drivers and trucks are part of the job.
Construction logistics manager interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Storage capacity
Your warehouse is nearly full, and two projects want to store long-lead items early. What do you do?
A strong answer: Checks space, rents temporary storage or asks suppliers to hold items, and documents and insures stored materials.
Behavioral · Making room without renting
Tell me about a time you made room in a full warehouse or yard without renting more space.
A strong answer: Explains what they changed (racking, clearing dead stock, staging by delivery date) and the space or cost saved.
The template's targets are a place to start. Set yours from last year's delivery tickets and counts.
On-time delivery rate
Deliveries that reached the site inside the window the superintendent asked for, from delivery tickets or the dispatch log. Tag every late load with who caused it: the supplier, the truck or the warehouse.
Inventory accuracy
Cycle counts compared with what the system shows, by item and location. Count job-tagged material on its own, so stock held for one project isn't borrowed for another.
Warehouse capacity utilization rate
Rack, floor and yard space in use compared with what you have, checked monthly. A full yard of old stock is a problem too, so track how long items sit.
Reduction in material waste
Material lost to damage, theft, weather or over-ordering, valued at cost and compared with last year. Look for repeat causes such as poor covering or loose stacking.
Staff productivity rate
Orders picked and loaded, or deliveries made, per staff hour, from the warehouse system and timesheets. Compare like periods, since shell work and interior finish move very different material.
Only to drive a vehicle that requires one. Federal CDL rules cover a single truck rated at or weighing 26,001 pounds or more; a truck and trailer that together reach that weight when the trailer is rated at or weighs more than 10,000 pounds; and a vehicle of any size hauling certain hazardous materials. A pickup towing a loaded equipment trailer can cross that line. The manager should know which of your rigs need a CDL driver and keep those licenses on file.
How much does a construction logistics manager make?
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $124,420 a year ($59.82 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $84,990 and $166,890 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How does the logistics manager work with project managers?
Project managers buy the big items and set the schedule. The logistics manager turns that into a delivery plan, flags long-lead items that are late, and says early when a site has no room to take a load. A weekly meeting with each project manager, built around the look-ahead schedule, prevents most surprises.
Is a degree needed for this job?
A bachelor's degree in supply chain, logistics or business sits on the template's must-have list. If years of supplying job sites would satisfy you instead, edit that line before posting, or strong people who came up from the yard may not apply. Either way, test scheduling sense and system skills in the interview.
Should the logistics manager also run tools and rental equipment?
At a builder this size, often yes, since tools and rentals move through the same yard and trucks. The manager checks tools out to each site, sends broken ones for repair, and tracks every rented lift, loader and generator so the off-rent call goes in the day the site is done with it. Rentals left sitting on a finished site are an easy cost to miss.
How do you protect material on open sites?
Deliver as close to install as you can, so less sits around. Lock up small, high-value items like wire, fixtures and tools in a container, cover anything that weather can ruin, and photograph each drop. Count what is on site each week and report losses fast, while there is still a chance to find out why.
