A civil construction HR manager hires and keeps the operators, pipe layers, truck drivers and office staff a public works contractor needs. They keep apprentice and pay class records ready for public jobs. They run the drug and alcohol program for drivers who need a CDL, and track the safety cards crews must carry.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, heavy and civil construction · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the strategic leader for HR functions within our civil and infrastructure contracting division, focusing on recruiting top talent, enforcing robust safety training, and ensuring strict labor compliance.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the recruitment and onboarding processes to build a skilled and diverse workforce.
Develop, implement, and monitor comprehensive safety training programs in line with industry standards.
Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local labor regulations.
Collaborate with management to support employee performance and professional development.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review applications and screen candidates to streamline the recruitment process.
Schedule and coordinate daily safety training sessions and certification renewals.
Address employee inquiries regarding HR policies and compliance matters.
Monitor and document HR metrics, providing feedback to optimize team performance.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Recruitment turnaround time: Fill vacancies within 30 days.
Safety training completion rate: Achieve 100% compliance.
Labor compliance error rate: Maintain below 2%.
Employee retention rate: Exceed 90%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR experience in a comparable industry.
Strong understanding of labor laws and compliance regulations.
Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the civil and infrastructure contracting industry.
Proven track record in managing safety training and certification programs.
Demonstrated ability to implement strategic HR initiatives in a dynamic environment.
Prior experience working within a fast-paced, regulated industry.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
Frequent use of computers and mobile devices for daily operations.
Extended periods of sitting at a desk for administrative tasks.
Occasional on-site visits to assess and monitor safety measures.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours with occasional extended shifts during peak recruitment periods.
On-site visits to construction or project locations as necessary.
Minimal travel required for professional conferences or certification renewals.
Occasional participation in after-hours safety meetings.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range of $70,000 - $90,000 USD per year.
Annual performance bonuses tied to HR metrics and organizational goals.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance packages.
401(k) plan with a company match.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Collaborative and inclusive work environment that values employee growth and innovation.
Commitment to delivering excellence and upholding strict regulatory standards on every project.
An organizational culture that fosters continuous learning, accountability, and community involvement.
Opportunities for career advancement through ongoing training and mentorship programs.
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
HR rules that ride along with public work and trucks
Public contracts, federal money and commercial drivers each bring their own hiring and record rules. HR keeps the files that show the company followed them.
Apprentice ratios are counted on each job site
Before a Davis-Bacon job starts, HR counts apprentices against journeyworkers in each craft. The ratio in your registered program sets the limit. On a job in another area, that area's ratio and pay steps apply where it has them. An apprentice over the limit is owed the journeyworker rate for the work done. So is anyone paid as an apprentice who isn't registered by name. A worker certified as eligible for probation by DOL or a recognized state apprenticeship office may work 90 days on probation at the apprentice rate. Source: 29 CFR 5.5: Contract provisions, including apprentices and ratios (eCFR).
A laborer's first CDL run starts with a test
When a laborer or operator moves up to the dump truck or lowboy, FMCSA's pre-employment steps apply before that person's first CDL run for you, even if they've worked for you for years. HR needs a full Clearinghouse query, which needs the driver's specific consent, and, outside a narrow exception, a verified negative drug result first. After that, the yearly query can be a limited one. If it shows a record, a full query must follow within 24 hours, or the driver stays off CDL work until it clears. Source: 49 CFR Part 382: Drug and alcohol testing, including pre-employment tests (382.301) and Clearinghouse queries (382.701) (eCFR).
E-Verify comes with federal contracts
Federal contracts over 150,000 dollars that run 120 days or more generally carry FAR clause 52.222-54. A company not yet enrolled signs up as a federal contractor within 30 days of award. Within 90 days of enrolling, it starts checking every new hire, on any job, within three business days of hire. Workers assigned to the contract get checked too. The clause flows down to construction subcontracts over 3,500 dollars. Source: FAR 52.222-54: Employment eligibility verification (Acquisition.gov).
EO 11246 rules end; disability and veteran rules stay
Executive Order 14173 revoked Executive Order 11246 in January 2025, and the Labor Department's rule removing its regulations takes effect October 26, 2026. The rule removes the goals for women and minorities on federal and federally assisted construction. Section 503 (disability) and VEVRAA (veterans) still apply to federal contractors, and so do their regulations, including written affirmative action programs at larger contractors. The EEO-1 is separate: EEOC still names private employers of 100 or more, and some federal contractors of 50 or more, as filers. Source: Federal Register: Rescission of Executive Order 11246 implementing regulations, final rule (August 21, 2026).
Flagger cards run out
Washington, for example, requires every flagger to carry a valid Washington flagger card or one from a state with a reciprocity agreement, such as Oregon, Idaho or Montana. A card is good for three years at most from its issue date. Someone without the training may flag only in an emergency, until a certified flagger takes over. HR tracks every card's end date so no crew starts the day short a flagger. Source: Washington WAC 296-155-305: Signaling and flaggers (example).
How much civil construction HR managers make
The closest BLS group for civil construction HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $138,160 a year ($66.43 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $149,280 median for human resources managers in all industries. About 650 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for heavy and civil construction.
The template's whole salary range sits under this chart: more than nine in ten HR managers at heavy and civil contractors earn above its top. To hire someone who has already run prevailing wage records and a DOT testing program, price the job against this chart, with the template's yearly bonus on top.
Heavy and civil construction
$138,160$138,160 median Middle half $113,410–$171,800 10th–90th $91,600–$215,240
All industries
$149,280$149,280 median Middle half $111,110–$199,290 10th–90th $88,200–$267,810
$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
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
$91,600
$113,410
$138,160
$171,800
$215,240
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
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 HR for a contractor with union or prevailing wage crews
Keeps apprentice registrations and class records ready for an audit
Has managed a DOT drug and alcohol program for CDL drivers
Hires operators, pipe layers and drivers in a tight local market
Gets straight answers from foremen and operators in the field
Teach these on the job
The wage determinations and craft ratios on your open jobs
Your testing provider and Clearinghouse account
Your E-Verify account and federal contract clauses
Your safety training tracker and card renewals
Your HR and payroll system
The job runs on a payroll system loaded with each public job's wage determination, the FMCSA Clearinghouse, your testing provider's portal, E-Verify, and a list of every card and apprentice paper with its end date. Ask finalists which of these they have run on their own.
Civil construction HR 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 · Keeping seasonal crews
Every winter you lay off crews, and each spring other contractors hire away your best people. What do you do?
A strong answer: Reviews exit data and pay, stays in touch over winter, considers return bonuses or shop work, and starts recruiting early.
Behavioral · Safety training programs
Tell me about a safety training program you ran or improved. How did you know it changed behavior in the field?
A strong answer: Checked behavior in the field through observations, audits or incident and near-miss trends, not just sign-in sheets, and changed the training when it didn't stick.
Set these with the COO from your own records. Spring hiring and the end of paving season move them, so compare spring with last spring and fall with last fall.
Recruitment turnaround time
Days to fill each opening, tracked separately for CDL drivers, operators, laborers and office staff. A driver seat is filled only when the pre-employment test and query have cleared.
Safety training completion rate
Each month, the share of required trainings and cards that are current, such as trench training, flagger cards and machine sign-offs, checked worker by worker.
Labor compliance error rate
Errors found in a monthly self-audit: missing apprentice registrations, crafts over their ratio, late E-Verify cases and missed annual queries, counted against the records checked.
Employee retention rate
Twelve-month retention by craft. Treat recalled seasonal workers as retained, and call each one who took a spring job elsewhere to learn why.
Career path
HR or payroll coordinatorHandles new-hire files, I-9s and driver test paperwork.
Civil construction HR managerRuns hiring, prevailing wage records, driver testing and training for the crews.
HR directorAdds union bargaining and the safety program across every division.
Other roles in a civil & infrastructure contractors business
Only if they drive a truck that needs a CDL. FMCSA's testing rule covers people who drive commercial motor vehicles and must hold a CDL to do it. An excavator operator who never drives the lowboy or a dump truck on the road isn't covered by it. If you want to test the rest of the crew, do it under a written company policy that counsel has checked against state law, and keep those records apart from the DOT program.
How much does a civil construction HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $138,160 a year ($66.43 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $113,410 and $171,800 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What if a public job needs a worker class that isn't listed?
Ask for a conformance before that work starts. DOL's rules make the contracting officer get any unlisted class added, with a wage and fringe rate, and DOL approves, changes or rejects it. Conformance can't be used to split a class the determination already lists. HR sends the owner the proposed class and the work it covers, and keeps the request and DOL's answer in the job file.
How should HR handle the winter slowdown?
Sit down with operations when paving season winds down. Agree who moves to shop, yard or plowing work and who is laid off with a recall date. Give each laid-off worker the date in writing and keep phone numbers current. Before drivers come back, ask your testing provider whether each one needs a new pre-employment test and query. Call your employment lawyer before any large layoff, since notice laws may apply.
Do state and local public jobs bring E-Verify too?
They can, through state law rather than the FAR. Florida, for example, makes every public agency require its contractors and their subs to register with E-Verify and use it for all new employees. Each sub also gives the contractor an affidavit that it doesn't employ unauthorized workers, and the contractor keeps it for the life of the contract. Check the law in each state where you bid.
