A lead mason runs the work on a concrete or masonry job, from checking forms and layout to deciding when a slab is ready to finish. They take the hardest finishes and stonework themselves, coach the crew while the work happens, and answer the homeowner's questions on site.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, structure and exterior contractors · BLS, May 2025
Concrete & Masonry - Lead Mason / Concrete Finisher
Company Name:
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE]
Department:
Operations
Reports to:
[Field supervisor or project manager]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
Oversees and executes advanced masonry and concrete finishing techniques to ensure superior craftsmanship and quality on every project. Mentors team members, reinforces operational standards, and drives continuous improvement in construction practices. Plays a key role in upholding the company’s reputation for excellence and precision in concrete and masonry services.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead projects on-site by planning, coordinating, and executing concrete finishing and masonry work.
Implement advanced techniques and ensure craftsmanship standards are consistently met.
Mentor and train team members to develop and refine their skills in masonry and concrete finishing.
Collaborate with project managers to ensure timely completion of projects within budget and quality expectations.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review project blueprints and specifications to determine scope and project requirements.
Mix and apply concrete and mortar with precision, ensuring optimal consistency and durability.
Inspect finished work to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards.
Interact with clients to address project-related questions and offer expert advice on finishing techniques.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project completion rate: 95% of projects delivered on time.
Quality assurance rating: Achieve a customer satisfaction rating of >4.8 stars.
Training effectiveness: Mentor team achieving a 90% proficiency improvement in skill assessments.
Rework rate: Maintain a rework rate of <5% on all finished projects.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; vocational training in masonry or concrete finishing is preferred.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in concrete and masonry work.
Proficient in advanced concrete finishing techniques and mixed material application.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to mentor and motivate team members.
Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in a fast-paced home services or construction environment.
Background in both residential and commercial masonry projects preferred.
Previous leadership or supervisory experience in a construction or finishing role.
Familiarity with modern tools, equipment, and safety protocols in the home services industry.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and perform manual labor for extended periods.
Frequent bending, kneeling, and lifting during hands-on construction activities.
Comfortable working in outdoor environments, including exposure to various weather conditions.
Ability to operate standard construction and masonry equipment safely.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work schedule: Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
May require overtime or weekend work to meet project deadlines.
Occasional on-site travel to various project locations as required.
Working primarily outdoors, with occasional indoor work in workshop settings.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $25 - $35 per hour based on experience.
Performance bonuses available based on project outcomes and quality metrics.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance packages.
Participation in a 401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits include paid time off and opportunities for professional development.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and teamwork that drives our success in delivering high-quality home services.
Our team values integrity, craftsmanship, and a collaborative spirit to help each member thrive and succeed.
We are dedicated to supporting both personal and professional growth while maintaining an inclusive environment for all employees.
Our commitment to excellence creates opportunities for our team to contribute meaningfully to impactful community projects.
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
The lead is the mason the others watch. On a pour they decide when finishing starts. On a wall they set the corners and the line everyone else builds to.
Calling the finish
NRMCA, the ready-mix industry group, warns that finishing with bleed water on the surface, or reaching for a steel trowel too early, can leave a slab that peels. Its advice is to bull float right after screeding, then hold off until the bleed water has come up and gone. On dry, windy days the top can look dry while the slab is still bleeding. The lead makes that call and tells the crew when to float, trowel and broom. Source: NRMCA Concrete in Practice 2: Scaling concrete surfaces.
Scaffold checks before every shift
Block and brick walls go up on scaffold. OSHA's scaffold rule has a competent person check it for visible damage before each work shift and after anything that could weaken it. Anyone on a scaffold more than 10 feet above a lower level must be protected from falling. Your lead, on site from the first course, is a natural pick for that check. Source: 29 CFR 1926.451: Scaffolds, general requirements (Cornell LII).
Keeping people clear of a new wall
While a masonry wall goes up, OSHA requires a limited access zone on the side without scaffold. It runs the wall's full length and is as wide as the wall will be tall, plus four feet. Only the masons building the wall may enter. Walls over eight feet must be braced until the structure holds them up. The lead marks the zone before the first course. Source: 29 CFR 1926.706: Requirements for masonry construction (Cornell LII).
A finishing credential you can check
The American Concrete Institute has three flatwork certifications. Associate is a written exam. Finisher takes 1,500 hours of finishing plus a hands-on performance exam. Advanced Finisher takes the written exam plus either the Finisher route or 4,500 hours of finishing. Each lasts five years. ACI is a private institute, so this is a trade credential rather than a license, but it is a record of tested skill. Source: American Concrete Institute: Concrete flatwork finisher certifications.
How much lead masons make
The closest BLS group for lead masons is cement masons and concrete finishers. Cement masons and concrete finishers who work for foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors earned a median of $27.12 an hour ($56,410 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $57,020 median for cement masons and concrete finishers in all industries. About 104,250 of the 206,170 cement masons and concrete finishers in that survey work for structure and exterior contractors.
Like the crew, the lead earns an hourly rate in the template, with a bonus linked to how jobs turn out. BLS doesn't count lead masons on their own, so these figures cover all cement masons and concrete finishers. A lead with years of finishing and stonework belongs in the upper part of that range.
Structure and exterior contractors
$56,410$56,410 median Middle half $46,830–$64,290 10th–90th $38,690–$80,760
All industries
$57,020$57,020 median Middle half $47,010–$66,870 10th–90th $39,190–$85,480
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k$100k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Structure and exterior contractors
$38,690
$46,830
$56,410
$64,290
$80,760
All industries
$39,190
$47,010
$57,020
$66,870
$85,480
BLS doesn’t publish pay for concrete and masonry contractors on their own. These figures cover foundation, structure and building exterior contractors, 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
Years of flatwork plus block or stone, with jobs you can drive past
Knows when a slab is ready to float, trowel or stamp
Sets corners, leads and string lines a crew can follow
Teaches by doing the step, then watching a newer mason try it
Walks the forms and grade before the truck arrives, not after
Explains finish choices to homeowners in plain words
Teach these on the job
Scaffold competent person training
Your estimate sheets and daily job report
ACI flatwork certification exams
The stamp, stain and sealer systems you sell
Ordering ready-mix and booking the pump truck
A lead works with the same floats, trowels and saws as the crew, plus layout tools such as a laser level, story poles and corner poles. Many also order concrete and keep the job's photos and daily report on a phone, so name your field app if you use one.
Lead mason 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 · Plastic shrinkage cracking
It's a hot, windy afternoon and the slab surface is drying and cracking faster than your crew can finish. What do you do?
A strong answer: Uses evaporation retarder or fogging, sets up wind or sun breaks, adds hands, starts curing right away, and changes the timing of the next pour.
Behavioral · Training helpers
Tell me about a helper you trained to finish concrete or lay block. How did you decide when they could work without you watching?
A strong answer: Taught in steps, checked specific skills like edging or keeping a line, and gave more responsibility as they showed it.
These four targets are where the Drive blueprint starts. A lead's numbers cover their crew too, so count every job the lead ran.
Project completion rate
The share of the lead's jobs done by the customer's agreed date, with weather holds listed separately so the record stays fair.
Quality assurance rating
Customer ratings on the lead's jobs, read beside your own final walk of slab finish, control joints, wall line and site cleanup.
Training effectiveness
Score each crew member on a short skills checklist, such as edging, jointing or laying to a line, when they join the lead and again a few months later.
Rework rate
Count repairs and redo work on the lead's jobs, such as scaling, wavy courses or ragged joints, against jobs finished, and look for patterns by task.
Career path
MasonFinishes concrete and lays units on a crew someone else runs.
Lead masonRuns one site's pours and walls and coaches the masons on it.
Field supervisorOversees several crews, their inspections and the company's quality standard.
Project managerOwns schedules, budgets and customer updates from signed bid to final invoice.
A mason focuses on their own trowel and their own section. The lead plans the day: checks forms, grade and layout, times the finish, splits the crew between tasks and decides when a slab is good enough to leave. They also teach, keep up the safety checks, and handle the homeowner so the others keep their hands on the work.
How much does a lead mason make?
Cement masons and concrete finishers who work for foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors earned a median of $27.12 an hour ($56,410 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $46,830 and $64,290 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Is ACI certification worth asking for?
For homeowner jobs it's a plus rather than a must. It shows a finisher passed a test someone else wrote, and the Finisher level includes a hands-on performance exam. Covering the exam fee is a simple way to back a mason who is working toward lead, and the five-year renewal gives you a reason to check in on their skills.
How do I know a mason is ready to lead?
Look for the mason others already ask about when to start troweling, who checks the forms without being told, and who cleans up the cut station before leaving. The Drive template sets a five-year floor of concrete and masonry experience. Give them a few small jobs to run, like a walkway or a set of steps, and go over each one with them afterward.
Should the lead mason be the scaffold competent person?
It often makes sense, because the lead is on site every day. OSHA wants every worker who uses a scaffold trained by a qualified person, and anyone who builds, moves, repairs or inspects one trained by a competent person. If the lead takes the role, put the training in writing and train a backup for their days off.
What should a lead mason's bonus reward?
The template ties bonuses to project results and quality. Reward what the lead controls: jobs that pass your walk the first time, few repairs in the first season, crew members moving up a skill level, and clean safety checks. A bonus for speed alone can push a crew to finish slabs too early.
