A civil construction sales manager brings in the work that isn't won on price alone: developer site work, private owners, negotiated extras and repeat clients. They lead the reps, help decide which public and private jobs get estimating time, set the terms the company will sign, and hand each win to the field team in full.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, heavy and civil construction · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $84,820, middle half $111,240 to $203,720, 90th percentile $267,860. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
General Manager
Department
Sales
Schedule
Weekdays, longer near pricing deadlines · Office days plus site walks and developer meetings, longer weeks before big pricing dates, some on-call in peaks
Also called
Business development manager · Director of business development · Private work manager · Preconstruction manager
Civil construction sales manager 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.
Lead and manage a dynamic sales team focused on securing public and private contracts in the civil and infrastructure contracting industry. Develop strategic sales initiatives to drive revenue growth and market expansion. Serve as a key contributor to the company’s overall success by effectively managing sales operations and client relationships. Ensure alignment with organizational goals through performance management, revenue goal setting, and continuous improvement.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and execute comprehensive sales strategies aimed at achieving company revenue targets.
Manage, mentor, and motivate the sales team to optimize performance and support individual career growth.
Identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities in both public and private sectors.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to tailor solutions that meet client needs and drive competitive advantage.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily sales meetings with team members to track progress and strategize on prospect engagement.
Monitor and analyze sales data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
Engage with clients through calls, emails, and in-person meetings to build lasting relationships and secure contracts.
Prepare and deliver professional sales presentations and proposals to potential contract holders.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue Growth: Achieve a minimum revenue increase of 15% annually.
New Contracts: Secure at least 6 new public/private contracts per quarter.
Sales Team Performance: Ensure an average team performance rating of 90% or higher.
Lead Conversion Rate: Maintain a conversion rate of 25% or greater from initial lead to closed sale.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of sales management experience, preferably within contracting or related industries.
Strong leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.
Proficiency in CRM systems and sales analytics tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience in the civil and infrastructure contracting industry.
Proven track record of penetrating public and private sector markets.
Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams within a competitive sales environment.
Familiarity with industry-specific regulations and contract management practices.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 20 pounds.
Capability to work in varied office environments as well as on-site visits to project locations.
Stand, walk, and be mobile for extended periods during site evaluations or client meetings.
Comfortable with travel to client sites and industry events.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours with occasional extended hours to meet project deadlines.
Regular travel to client sites and industry-related events is expected.
An office-based environment combined with field visits.
Some on-call availability may be required during peak project periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Base salary range of $80,000 - $100,000 USD per year based on experience.
Commission and bonus incentives tied to performance and revenue goals.
Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance.
Additional perks such as 401k matching, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a collaborative culture that values innovation, continuous learning, and mutual support.
We are committed to empowering our employees to achieve personal and professional growth while delivering outstanding customer service.
By joining us, you become part of a forward-thinking team that celebrates success and embraces challenges as opportunities.
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
On a sealed public bid, the low number wins and the estimators carry the work. The sales manager helps pick which public bids are worth that effort. They own the jobs where the client chooses, such as developers and private owners, and the prices and terms the company offers.
Developers buy from a number they can borrow on
A developer asks for a site price long before the plans are final, because the lender wants one. The sales manager decides when the company gives a budget number and when it gives a firm price. A firm price waits for plans the city has approved and a soils report. Every budget goes out with its assumptions written down, such as no rock, no dewatering and no off-site work.
Unit prices need a second look
Developer site work is often priced by the unit: per foot of pipe, per ton of stone, per cubic yard of dirt. A low unit price on an item whose quantity grows can sink a job. Before a large private price goes out, the sales manager and the chief estimator go over the items that could swell, such as rock, bad soil and extra base. Together they decide whether to raise the price, cap the quantity or leave the item out.
Gifts to public staff can break state law
Louisiana is one example. Its ethics code bars public servants from taking any gift of economic value from a company that has, or wants, a contract with their agency. Public employees also can't take gifts from a company whose work their agency regulates, which can include the city inspector on a developer's job. Offering what they can't accept breaks the code too, and its exceptions are specific. The sales manager writes gift rules that fit the law wherever the company bids. Source: Louisiana R.S. 42:1115: Gifts (example).
Repeat developers fill the backlog
A developer who builds a subdivision in phases, or a chain that opens a few store pads a year, can be steady work for a decade. The sales manager keeps a list of each one's next phases and land deals. After every job, they ask the developer and the design engineer what went wrong. Then they price the next phase before a rival gets the call.
The handoff has to carry the promises
Once a private job is signed, the field builds it from the plans, not from the sales meeting. So the sales manager holds a turnover meeting with the project manager and superintendent. They go over the price, what's left out, any dates promised to the developer, who stakes and tests, and what the city's inspector wants. A promise nobody wrote down turns into a fight later.
How much civil construction sales managers make
Sales managers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $151,350 a year ($72.76 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $148,270 median for sales managers in all industries. About 910 of the 637,080 sales managers in that survey work for heavy and civil construction.
Base pay, commission and a bonus make up the template's plan. At heavy and civil contractors, BLS's median for this job runs well above that base range. Keep sealed-bid wins out of the commission pool, or the plan pays the sales team for jobs the estimators won on price.
Heavy and civil construction
$151,350$151,350 median Middle half $111,240–$203,720 10th–90th $84,820–$267,860
All industries
$148,270$148,270 median Middle half $100,360–$207,340 10th–90th $73,170–$290,540
$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
$84,820
$111,240
$151,350
$203,720
$267,860
All industries
$73,170
$100,360
$148,270
$207,340
$290,540
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 sold or negotiated site, utility or paving work with developers or private owners
Reads a site plan and a bid form well enough to question an estimate
Writes clear scope, exclusions and payment terms into a proposal
Coaches reps who sell to engineers and developers, not homeowners
Walks away when the terms or the developer's money look wrong
Teach these on the job
Your estimating system and markup approval limits
Your crews' strengths and what work they're booked on
The developers, engineers and cities in your market
Your contract forms and insurance requirements
Your CRM and pursuit list
Expect a CRM or pursuit list, read-only access to the estimating system (often HCSS HeavyBid or B2W Estimate), plan viewing software, and the bid calendar the estimators work from. Tell candidates whether they'll price small jobs themselves or always go through estimating.
Civil construction sales 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 · Bid selection discipline
Your estimators want to bid everything to keep crews busy, but the win rate is low and margins are thin. What do you change?
A strong answer: Sets go or no-go criteria by work type, owner, size and competition, studies past bid results, and focuses effort on work the company wins at a margin.
Behavioral · Coaching estimators and reps
Tell me about an estimator whose bids kept losing, or winning at a loss. How did you coach them?
A strong answer: Found the specific gap, such as production rates or missed risk items, reviewed bid tabs and job results with them, and shows the change in wins or margin.
The template's targets are written for steady sales. Civil work comes in big, uneven pieces, so set each target by year from your own backlog history.
Revenue Growth
Contract value of private and negotiated work signed this year against last year, shown beside the gross profit those jobs were sold at.
New Contracts
Signed contracts each quarter, public and private, counted at signature. Keep sealed-bid wins apart from work the sales team brought in, and note which came from repeat clients.
Sales Team Performance
Each rep's signed work, active pursuits and proposals sent, reviewed weekly from the CRM. Look at proposals too, since a site deal can take months to sign.
Lead Conversion Rate
Signed contracts divided by pursuits that got a full price. Break it out by client and type of job, so you can see who uses your number only to check another contractor's.
What does a sales team sell at a contractor that wins public bids?
The work a sealed bid doesn't decide. That means site work for developers, private owners such as plants and schools that pick their contractor, negotiated extra work, and early prices that help an owner set a budget. These clients weigh trust, schedule and past jobs along with price, so a good relationship can be worth more here than a sharp pencil.
How much does a civil construction sales manager make?
Sales managers who work for heavy and civil engineering contractors earned a median of $151,350 a year ($72.76 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $111,240 and $203,720 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Can our sales or estimating staff talk to competitors about a bid?
Not about prices, who will bid, or who should win. The Justice Department lists cover bids, agreements not to bid, taking turns as low bidder, and trading subcontracts for a losing bid as forms of bid rigging. It's a felony under the Sherman Act, with fines up to 100 million dollars for a company and 10 years in prison for a person. Teaming deals and subcontract quotes can be lawful, so have counsel set the rules for those talks.
What should a civil sales manager report each month?
Backlog first: signed work not yet built, by the month crews will get to it, and the margin each job was sold at. Then the pursuit list with likely award dates, and win rates by client. Flag any job whose expected margin has dropped since the sale, since that points to a pricing or handoff problem. The general manager plans crews from this report.
Where should a civil sales manager come from?
Many come from estimating or project management, where they learned costs and met developers. Others come from a pipe, precast or aggregate supplier's outside sales team and know every contractor and engineer in town. A supplier hire needs a strong estimator beside them. Ask either kind to walk you through a sold job that lost money, and what they'd change.
What does the standing and walking line mean for a civil sales manager?
The line stays as written. Here it means walking raw sites with developers and engineers, standing through site meetings, and carrying plan sets between the truck and the office. List those duties for applicants. EEOC says an employer may have all applicants for a job describe how they would do its tasks, with any needed accommodation.
