A design-build field supervisor oversees every active site for a firm that plans and builds home additions, large renovations and new houses. They compare the work with the firm's own drawings, direct crews and subcontractors, keep the daily log and inspection records, and send field problems back to the design and project teams before they cost money.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $55,190, middle half $64,030 to $99,860, 90th percentile $126,730. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Operations Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
7 to 5 on site, on call for emergencies · The template sets 7 AM to 5 PM; pours, inspections and storms over an open addition bring early starts and late calls
Also called
Site supervisor · Job superintendent · Construction supervisor · Field superintendent
Design-build field supervisor 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.
The Field Supervisor / Foreman plays a critical role in executing high-quality construction projects by enforcing design-build standards, ensuring project quality, and resolving on-site challenges. This position is essential for maintaining safety protocols, coordinating teams, and contributing to the overall success and timely delivery of our projects.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Enforce strict adherence to construction standards and company quality guidelines.
Supervise daily site operations and ensure proper use of available resources.
Resolve on-site challenges promptly and communicate any critical issues to project management.
Monitor compliance with safety protocols to foster a secure work environment.
Provide clear direction and leadership to team members on location.
Coordinate with design and build teams to ensure project specifications are met.
Maintain comprehensive documentation of construction progress and inspections.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily site inspections to verify conformance with design specifications.
Oversee team assignments and coordinate workforce efforts efficiently.
Address and troubleshoot on-site issues as they arise to minimize project delays.
Communicate progress updates and report potential roadblocks to project managers.
Facilitate coordination with subcontractors to ensure seamless project execution.
Document field observations and maintain quality assurance records.
Provide on-the-ground leadership during all construction phases.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project completion rate: 95% on-time completion.
Quality control pass rate: ≥98% first-time pass.
Safety compliance incidents: <2% per quarter.
Employee productivity: 90% adherence to scheduled tasks.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; relevant certifications preferred.
Minimum 5 years of experience in construction supervision or related field.
Strong understanding of construction standards, building codes, and safety regulations.
Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities.
Proficient at interpreting blueprints and technical drawings.
Familiarity with construction management software and modern construction tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience working within design-build firms or residential construction projects.
Previous supervisory role in a fast-paced construction environment.
Hands-on experience with quality control and enforcing safety standards.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs periodically as required.
Frequent standing, walking, and mobility during extended site inspections.
Comfortable working in outdoor environments with varying weather conditions (hot, cold, and wet).
Occasional climbing of ladders and usage of fall protection and safety equipment.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Full-time, onsite role with typical work hours from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional overtime required during peak construction phases.
Minimal travel, with a primary focus on local construction sites.
On-call duties may be necessary for emergency site issues.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 per year.
Performance-based bonus opportunities available.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match.
Paid time off including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
Additional fringe benefits such as professional development and training opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
[INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE] is committed to fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
We emphasize continuous improvement, employee growth, and professional development.
Our culture prioritizes high quality, safety, and customer satisfaction in everything we do.
We value diversity, inclusion, and open communication among all team members.
Join us to be part of a forward-thinking company that supports your career advancement while delivering exceptional construction 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
What's different about supervising design-build work
A supervisor at a builder works from someone else's drawings and waits on an outside architect for answers. Here the designers sit down the hall and the homeowner hired one company for everything, so a site problem is the firm's to solve, and a fast answer is part of the job.
Field questions go to your own designers
The firm drew the plans, so there is no outside architect to wait on or blame. When a wall is out of square or a beam pocket doesn't fit, the supervisor photographs it, writes the question and gets an answer from the design team that day. Then they make sure the drawings get updated so the next crew builds it right.
Changes in writing before the work
Homeowners ask whoever is on site for changes. In California, the contractors board says a change to a home improvement contract's price or scope must be a written change order, signed by the customer and the contractor before the change is made. Check your own state's rules. Either way, the supervisor jots down what the homeowner asked for and passes the note to the PM rather than agreeing on the spot. Source: CSLB: What is a contract? (home improvement contracts).
Every sub's license, checked before day one
Design-build firms lean on subcontracted plumbers, electricians and HVAC installers. California's board tells homeowners that a license number on a card doesn't prove the license is valid, so look up its status, and confirm workers' comp coverage when a contractor has employees. Your supervisor should run the same checks on every sub before they start, since to the family every worker on site is your firm. Source: CSLB: Finding the right contractor.
An open addition can't be left to the weather
Additions and whole-home remodels open roofs and walls on houses where families still live. The supervisor watches the forecast, plans tear-offs for dry days, and checks that every opening is dried in or tarped before crews leave. Rain that gets into a finished room overnight turns a good job into an insurance claim.
Inspections happen in someone's home
The inspector comes to an occupied house, often with a narrow time window. The supervisor books each inspection, makes sure the work is still open to view and the approved plans are on hand, and tells the family when to expect a visitor. A failed inspection costs a second trip and a day on the schedule for every trade waiting behind it.
How much design-build field supervisors make
The closest BLS group for design-build field supervisors is First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers. First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for building contractors earned a median of $38.25 an hour ($79,560 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $79,920 median for First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in all industries. About 178,260 of the 812,210 First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in that survey work for building contractors.
A yearly salary and a results bonus, per the template. Base that bonus on first-visit inspection passes and on rework, which this person controls, more than on speed.
Building contractors
$79,560$79,560 median Middle half $64,030–$99,860 10th–90th $55,190–$126,730
All industries
$79,920$79,920 median Middle half $63,400–$101,460 10th–90th $53,280–$128,260
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building contractors
$55,190
$64,030
$79,560
$99,860
$126,730
All industries
$53,280
$63,400
$79,920
$101,460
$128,260
BLS doesn’t publish pay for design-build firms on their own. These figures cover construction of buildings, 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 residential remodels or additions with several subs on site
Reads architectural and structural sheets and spots where they disagree
Writes a clear daily log with dated photos
Holds trades to a standard without driving them off the job
Explains a delay to a homeowner calmly and in plain words
Teach these on the job
Your change order form and who signs it
The construction app your office uses, and its photo rules
The quality checks you've written for framing, drywall and final
How each local building department books inspections
The design team's standard details
The supervisor's office is a tablet holding plans, daily logs, photos, punch lists and the schedule in a construction app such as Buildertrend or Procore. Put the app's name in the posting, along with whether a company truck and phone are included.
Design-build field supervisor 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 · Drawings versus site conditions
The drawings show a new window where you've just found a hidden plumbing stack. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops that work, photographs it, calls the designer and project manager, waits for a revised detail, and documents the change.
Behavioral · Leading through design changes
Tell me about a time you led a crew through a design change in the middle of construction.
A strong answer: Got the revised drawing before building, walked the crew through what changed and why, resequenced the work, ordered new materials, marked up the field set, and confirmed the change order was signed.
Track these for each job the supervisor runs and roll them up every quarter. Use your own closed jobs to choose the bar before judging anyone against the template's figures.
Project completion rate
Share of the quarter's closed jobs that met the contract completion date, counting only extensions granted by signed change orders.
Quality control pass rate
City inspections and internal quality checks passed on the first visit, out of all that were booked. Record the cause of each failure so patterns show up.
Safety compliance incidents
Injuries and near misses reported on this supervisor's sites, plus findings from unannounced safety walks by the operations manager, counted per quarter.
Employee productivity
Tasks crews finished in the week the look-ahead schedule planned them, out of all planned tasks. Mark tasks lost to weather, late material or design changes.
That turns on how big the jobs are and how strong each crew lead is. A supervisor with good leads can cover several remodels at once, but an addition in framing needs a visit nearly every day. Count site visits a week rather than jobs, and watch what slips first when the load gets too high: logs, inspections or homeowner updates.
How much does a design-build field supervisor make?
First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for building contractors earned a median of $38.25 an hour ($79,560 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $64,030 and $99,860 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Who talks to the homeowner during construction?
Decide before the job starts. Many design-build firms make the project manager the homeowner's main contact and let the supervisor handle site matters such as access, noise, pets, parking and tomorrow's work. Anything about money, scope or a change goes to the project manager in writing. Homeowners lose trust fast when two people give two answers.
What belongs in a field supervisor's daily log?
Who was on site, what got done, deliveries, inspections and their results, the weather, and photos of anything about to be covered. Add every question sent to the designers and every homeowner request. When a dispute comes up months later, a log written that same day is the record everyone trusts.
Should the field supervisor sit in on design meetings?
On larger jobs, yes, near the end of design. A supervisor who reads the drawings before they go to permit can flag details that are hard to build, missing dimensions and problems getting material into the house. That early look is the edge a design-build firm has over a builder who first sees the plans at bid time.
How do you test a field supervisor before hiring?
Hand over the drawings from one of your past jobs and ask what they would check before framing, before drywall and before final. Then show photos of real problems from your sites and ask what they would do next and who they would call. Strong answers name the people and the order, not just the fix.
