Civil construction chief operating officer job description
A civil construction chief operating officer designs the system every crew, machine and job runs on: how work gets planned, staffed, equipped and checked. They own the trench safety program, the fleet plan, and the path from field timecards to the payrolls public owners audit.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, heavy and civil construction · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $101,660, middle half $144,210 to $306,440, 90th percentile $435,740. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Chief Executive Officer
Department
Operations
Schedule
Weekdays 8 to 5, with site visits · Longer days near deadlines and urgent field problems, on call in critical project phases, and regular travel to jobs
Also called
Vice president of operations · Executive vice president, operations · Director of operations · Operations executive
Civil construction chief operating officer job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
Responsible for overall oversight and strategic leadership of large-scale operations and multi-project workflows in the civil and infrastructure contracting industry, ensuring seamless coordination, sustained growth, and strict compliance with industry standards.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee and manage large-scale operational activities and ensure efficacious multi-project coordination.
Develop and implement strategic initiatives that improve operational efficiency and project delivery.
Ensure full compliance with all regulatory and safety standards relevant to civil and infrastructure contracting.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to streamline workflows and enhance communication.
Monitor, assess, and mitigate risks associated with project execution and operational challenges.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily reviews of project timelines, budgets, and resource allocations.
Hold regular status meetings with project managers, field supervisors, and operational teams.
Oversee compliance checks and quality assurance processes across all active projects.
Communicate directly with key stakeholders to discuss progress, risks, and opportunities.
Evaluate operational data to adjust strategies and improve efficiency on an ongoing basis.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Annual Revenue Growth: Target at a minimum of 10% increase.
On-Time Project Delivery Rate: Achieve 95% or higher.
Compliance Rate: Maintain a 100% adherence to industry regulations and safety standards.
Operational Cost Savings: Realize at least 12% annual improvement through streamlined processes.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 8 years’ experience in operations leadership within the construction or contracting sector.
Strong analytical, strategic planning, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and leadership capabilities combined with proficiency in project management software.
6. Preferred Experience
Proven experience in the civil and infrastructure contracting industry with large-scale project oversight.
Demonstrated success in improving operational efficiencies and cost-saving measures in previous roles.
Prior experience with multi-project management and cross-functional team leadership.
Familiarity with advanced construction technology tools and compliance regulatory frameworks.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to travel frequently to project sites and attend in-person meetings.
Occasional lifting of standard office or field equipment is required.
Capability to work in variable conditions including on-site construction environments where safety and operational oversight are critical.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Occasional extended hours may be required to meet project deadlines and address urgent operational issues.
On-call duties may arise during critical project phases.
Regular travel to active project sites and client locations is expected.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range of $150,000 to $250,000 USD based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonus structure up to 20% of the base salary.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance packages available.
401(k) with company match along with other fringe benefits such as paid time off and professional development resources.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on fostering an inclusive, dynamic, and innovative work environment. Our culture values collaboration, continuous improvement, and a commitment to excellence in service delivery. We encourage personal and professional growth, ensuring that every team member has the opportunity to contribute to the company’s success while expanding their expertise within a supportive and forward-thinking organization.
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
At a civil contractor, the COO's system has to cover open trenches, a fleet of heavy machines and payrolls that public agencies check line by line. A gap in any of them shows up on every job at once.
Any open trench can bring OSHA
OSHA's National Emphasis Program on trenching started October 1, 2018, and stays in effect until OSHA cancels or replaces it. It tells inspectors to start an inspection whenever they see an open trench or excavation, even if no violation is in plain view. For a utility contractor, that means any crew on any day. The COO sets one company rule for trench boxes, shoring and sloping, then checks it job by job. Source: OSHA: National Emphasis Program on Trenching and Excavation (CPL 02-00-161).
No locate ticket, no digging
Federal pipeline rules say anyone digging must use the one-call system first, wait for any pipeline operator in the area to mark its lines, and call again when needed. Damage of any kind must be reported to the operator, leak or not. If gas or hazardous liquid escapes, the digger calls 911. Where PHMSA finds a state's enforcement inadequate, it can act against diggers itself. The COO makes 811 tickets a company rule, not a crew habit. Source: 49 CFR 196.103: What excavators must do to protect underground pipelines (eCFR).
Someone signs the certified payroll every week
On Davis-Bacon jobs, each week's certified payroll comes with a signed statement that every worker was paid no less than the wage and fringe rates in the contract's wage determination for the work they did. If the Labor Department finds a contractor disregarded its duties to workers, the company and its responsible officers can be barred from federal and covered contracts for three years. So can firms they have a stake in. The COO owns every step from field timecard to that signature. Source: 29 CFR 5.12: Davis-Bacon debarment proceedings (eCFR).
The fleet is where the money sits
Excavators, dozers, loaders, rollers and dump trucks often tie up more money than anything else on the balance sheet. The COO sets when to buy, rent or retire a machine and how service is tracked. They also decide how machine hours flow into job cost, so every division counts machine time the same way.
Crews follow the bid calendar
Public awards can bunch up, with several wins landing in the same few weeks before the building season. The COO builds the staffing plan from the backlog. How many pipe, grading and paving crews does it need? Which foremen are ready to lead one? When is it smarter to sub out work than to hire?
How much civil construction chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for civil construction chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $224,170 a year ($107.77 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 1,260 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for heavy and civil construction.
Salary plus a bonus the template caps at a share of base pay. Tie it to results the COO controls on every job, such as schedule, cost per machine hour and safety audit scores, rather than one job's profit.
Heavy and civil construction
$224,170$224,170 median Middle half $144,210–$306,440 10th–90th $101,660–$435,740
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Heavy and civil construction
$101,660
$144,210
$224,170
$306,440
$435,740
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for civil contractors on their own. These figures cover heavy and civil engineering 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 field operations for a heavy civil, utility or road contractor across several crews
Has built or rebuilt a trench safety program that held up on site
Sets buy, rent and retire rules for machines from cost data
Turns repeat field problems into written standards foremen follow
Knows certified payroll well enough to spot a broken timecard process
Teach these on the job
Your telematics and equipment cost reports
Each owner's daily report and pay estimate forms
Your union agreements or open-shop pay plans
Your 811 ticket tracking setup
Your safety manual and audit forms
Expect a heavy civil field app such as HCSS HeavyJob or B2W Track for timecards and production, telematics from the machine makers, and an equipment maintenance system. The COO's real job is making those agree with payroll and job cost, so ask finalists how they connected them before.
Civil construction chief operating officer 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 · Allocating scarce resources
Two project managers both need the same excavator and paving crew next week, and both jobs carry liquidated damages. How do you decide?
A strong answer: Compares impact on each critical path, damages exposure, weather windows and owner commitments, looks at renting or subcontracting, decides quickly and explains why.
Behavioral · Improving project delivery
Tell me about a change you made that cut schedule slips across several road or utility projects.
A strong answer: Names the cause found in the data, such as late submittals, utility relocations or crew moves, the change made, and on-time finishes or liquidated damages before and after.
These go to the CEO each month. Set every target from your last few seasons, and keep days lost to weather on a separate line.
Annual Revenue Growth
Earned revenue against last year, read next to crew count and fleet hours, so growth bought with overtime and extra rentals shows up for what it is.
On-Time Project Delivery Rate
Share of closed jobs that finished inside contract time, counted by division each quarter, with any liquidated damages the owner charged noted against the late ones.
Compliance Rate
Findings from your own trench, traffic control and payroll audits, plus any OSHA citations, owner notices or wage findings, per job audited each month.
Operational Cost Savings
Count a saving only when it shows in job cost, such as lower cost per machine hour, fewer rental days or less rework, and log the month each change started.
Career path
SuperintendentRuns the field on large road, sewer or site jobs.
At this size it usually should. The COO decides how hard the fleet runs, so the shop that keeps it running belongs close by. Have the CFO set each machine's cost rate, and have the COO answer for hours, repairs and downtime. When the shop reports to finance, repairs can wait on budget sign-off while crews wait on machines.
How much does a civil construction chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $224,170 a year ($107.77 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $144,210 and $306,440 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Does a civil COO need an engineering license?
The template asks for a degree in business, engineering or construction management, not a license. A professional engineer helps if the company designs its own shoring or traffic shifts, but many contractors this size hire that out. Respect from superintendents and foremen matters more. Ask the candidate's former field leaders how they talk about them.
How should a COO share one fleet across divisions?
Set one rule for who gets a machine when two jobs want it. Usually it's the job facing an owner deadline, or a crew that would sit idle without it. Charge every division the same hourly rate, so nobody keeps machines for free. Check idle machines each week and move them or send them back. Without a rule, the loudest manager wins.
What should a civil COO review every week?
Start with jobs behind on production. Then look at idle and broken-down machines, locate tickets close to running out, and payroll errors caught before the certified payroll went out. Add any near misses by trenches or traffic. Each one points to a broken step in the system sooner than the monthly numbers will.
