Civil construction operations manager job description
A civil construction operations manager decides each day which crews and machines go to which road, utility and drainage job. They move equipment between sites, line up trucks, materials and subs, and clear the problems that leave a crew waiting or a machine sitting.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, heavy and civil construction · BLS, May 2025
Oversee daily operations within the civil and infrastructure contracting teams to ensure optimal crew allocation and equipment scheduling. Coordinate projects to maximize efficiency, synchronize tasks and meet strict deadlines. Serve as the central point of contact for operational issues and customer engagements. Drive overall business success by facilitating smooth, efficient field operations.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Allocate qualified crews to various projects based on skill sets and project requirements.
Schedule and manage heavy equipment usage to ensure maximum productivity and minimal downtime.
Synchronize daily tasks and project timelines across multiple teams and contractors.
Monitor operational performance and implement process improvements to enhance overall efficiency.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review project schedules and allocate resources efficiently every morning.
Coordinate with field supervisors and crews to ensure alignment on daily work plans.
Manage heavy equipment logistics and proactively resolve scheduling conflicts.
Liaise with vendors and subcontractors for timely project support and material delivery.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Crew Efficiency: Maintain an average crew productivity rate of >90%.
Equipment Utilization: Achieve a utilization rate of heavy equipment at 85% or higher.
Project Timeliness: Complete 95% of daily tasks as scheduled.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Attain a satisfaction rating of >4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or related field.
5+ years of relevant experience in operations management within the contracting or construction industry.
Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple projects.
Excellent communication skills and proficiency in project management software.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working within civil and infrastructure contracting environments.
Background in managing heavy equipment and skilled labor for large-scale projects.
Previous involvement with budget management and operational forecasting.
Proven track record of improving operational efficiency and productivity.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs and perform physical tasks as needed for on-site assessments.
Frequent visits to active worksites, requiring comfortable work in outdoor environments.
Capacity to work in all weather conditions, including hot, cold, and rainy environments.
Occasional exposure to loud noise and construction site hazards, with adherence to safety protocols.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Extended hours may be required during peak project phases or emergencies.
Regular travel between project sites is expected.
On-call duties may be required, including occasional weekend availability.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $75,000 - $95,000 per year based on experience and qualifications.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses related to operational efficiency and project completion.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance packages.
Retirement savings plan (401k) with company matching contributions and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a forward-thinking organization committed to operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Our culture promotes teamwork, innovation, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
We invest in professional development and offer opportunities for career advancement.
Join us to be part of a dynamic team that values diversity, customer satisfaction, and quality service.
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].
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The unit here is a crew with its machines, spread across jobs that can sit an hour apart. A bad call at six in the morning idles people and iron all day.
Idle machines still cost money
An excavator parked on a job it finished last week still costs its owner money and blocks another crew. The operations manager checks machine hours each morning, moves machines to the next cut, and sends rentals back the day they stop working. Logging each machine as working, standing by or broken down, every day, also backs up standby claims later.
Every trench crew needs a competent person
Whenever workers could be exposed in a trench, OSHA says a competent person inspects it, the soil next to it and the protective system each day before work starts. They look again when needed through the shift and after each rainstorm. That person has to recognize hazards and hold the authority to correct them promptly. When the operations manager splits a crew for a quick tie-in, someone on it has to fill that role. Source: 29 CFR 1926.651: Specific excavation requirements, including daily inspections (eCFR).
Work windows set the crew's day
Road and utility work beside traffic often runs only in the hours the permit or traffic plan allows, sometimes at night. The operations manager builds each crew's day around those windows. That way the paver, trucks, flaggers and testing tech arrive together, and nobody loses the first hour waiting for cones.
Rain moves crews, not just dates
Rain stops grading and paving but rarely stops everything. The operations manager shifts crews to work weather can't touch, such as forming, pipe in a dry area or shop repairs. They also make sure each job's daily report says why work stopped. When you ask a public owner for weather days, that report is the record you point to.
How much civil construction operations managers make
The closest BLS group for civil construction operations managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $133,930 a year ($64.39 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 30,320 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for heavy and civil construction.
Salary plus a bonus for crew output and on-time work, as the template lists. This chart covers general and operations managers in heavy and civil construction, and three in four of them earn more than the top of the template's range.
Heavy and civil construction
$133,930$133,930 median Middle half $96,970–$197,580 10th–90th $64,340–$276,230
All industries
$105,770$105,770 median Middle half $72,320–$167,280 10th–90th $50,090–$253,390
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k$350k
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
$64,340
$96,970
$133,930
$197,580
$276,230
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
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 scheduled several crews and a fleet of heavy machines for a civil, utility or site contractor
Knows what a pipe, grading or paving crew can produce in a day
Moves machines and crews between jobs without losing a shift
Keeps trucks, plant loads and subs lined up with the crew's pace
Puts a competent person on every crew that works in a trench
Teach these on the job
Your scheduling board and field app
Your telematics and machine hour reports
Each owner's work hours and lane closure rules
Your rental vendors and haulers
Your daily report and timecard steps
Expect a scheduling board, a field app for timecards and daily reports, machine telematics and a group text or radio channel with the foremen. Ask finalists how they kept a fleet's location and status current when machines moved every day.
Civil construction operations 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 · Planning crews and equipment
Monday morning: a pipe crew is short two operators, an excavator is down, and a paving window opens Wednesday on another job. How do you plan the week?
A strong answer: Protects the paving window, moves or borrows operators, gets a repair or rental going, resequences the pipe crew's work and tells the project managers what changed.
Behavioral · Improving productivity
Tell me about a change that raised a crew's production, such as feet of pipe laid or tons placed per day. How did you measure it?
A strong answer: Names the change, such as better trucking or staging, and the daily production before and after from field reports.
How is the operations manager different from a superintendent here?
A superintendent runs the field on a job or two and works with the owner's inspector on the work itself. The operations manager looks across every open job and decides where crews, machines and trucks go each day. When two superintendents want the same excavator or pipe crew, the operations manager decides who gets it.
How much does a civil construction operations manager make?
General and operations managers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $133,930 a year ($64.39 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $96,970 and $197,580 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What does a civil operations manager check first each morning?
Who showed up against the plan, which machines are down, the weather, and the first loads from the plant and quarry. Then 811 tickets about to expire, and any job waiting on a sub or an inspector. Fixing those before seven saves more hours than anything else they do all day.
Why does the template mention lifting 25 pounds and working in all weather?
Those lines ship as written. On a civil job they mean walking muddy sites and trench lines, carrying a laser level, grade rod or small parts to a crew, and checking jobs in heat, cold and rain. In the ad, describe those tasks, and give the share of the week spent driving between jobs.
Should we hire from another contractor or from an equipment rental company?
A manager from another civil contractor knows crews, production and owners. Someone from a rental house or equipment dealer knows machines, hauling and service but may not know what a pipe crew needs to keep laying. Either can work if they have run people under deadline. Call superintendents who relied on their plans and ask how often crews sat waiting.
