An excavation field supervisor runs several site work crews across a subdivision or a spread of builder lots. They walk every open hole and trench on their rounds, decide when the air needs testing or a neighbor's footing needs an engineer, report any buried line a bucket touches, and keep each builder's superintendent posted.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $50,700, middle half $60,680 to $96,420, 90th percentile $114,880. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
Operations Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
7 to 4, some on-call for emergencies · About 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., overtime in peak project stretches, driving between sites, and some on-call for site emergencies
Also called
Site superintendent · Excavation foreman · Grading foreman · General foreman · Site work supervisor
Excavation 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 plays a critical role in overseeing excavation and site work operations, ensuring projects meet safety and quality standards while progressing on schedule. This role is integral to maintaining efficient on-site processes, proactive equipment management, and upholding our company’s commitment to safety and excellence.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Supervise on-site excavation and site work activities to ensure progress aligns with project timelines.
Uphold rigorous safety protocols and monitor compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
Identify and address equipment malfunctions and maintenance needs promptly.
Collaborate with project managers and crew members to resolve technical issues and optimize work efficiency.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily inspections of excavation sites to verify work progress and safety compliance.
Interact with crews to provide guidance, issue resolution, and technical oversight throughout the day.
Maintain accurate records of site activities, equipment status, and safety incidents.
Coordinate with vendors and contractors to manage equipment servicing and supply deliveries.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Job progress rate: 95% or above adherence to project timelines.
Safety compliance: Incident rate below 2% per quarter.
Equipment downtime: Less than 3% of total operational hours.
On-site efficiency: 90% or higher score on daily performance evaluations.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Minimum 3 years of supervisory experience in excavation, construction, or related industrial field.
Associate's or bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or related field preferred.
Strong technical knowledge of excavation equipment and site work procedures.
Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience supervising large-scale excavation projects in the home services or construction industry.
Familiarity with industry-specific safety standards and regulatory compliance.
Proven track record of successfully managing on-site personnel and operations.
Previous experience using project management software and equipment maintenance systems.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds consistently throughout the workday.
Comfortable working outdoors in varying weather conditions including hot, cold, and wet environments.
Frequent standing, walking, climbing, and bending required on job sites.
May need to work in confined or uneven spaces while maintaining safety standards.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM with occasional overtime during peak project periods.
On-call duties may be required for emergency site needs.
Periodic travel to multiple job sites within the project region.
Dynamic work environment that combines office work and field supervision.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate: $30 - $40 per hour, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonus incentives available quarterly.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans provided.
401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits offered.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a culture of continuous improvement and teamwork, where every employee is empowered to grow and contribute to industry-leading projects.
We value open communication, diversity, and inclusion, creating a workplace where innovative ideas are celebrated and success is a shared goal.
Employees are encouraged to pursue professional development opportunities and leadership roles, ensuring a long-term, rewarding career experience.
We believe in creating a supportive environment where work-life balance and excellence in service go hand in hand.
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 an excavation field supervisor watches across the sites
Operators and the lead stay with one dig all day. The field supervisor drives between lots, and the job is spotting trouble that builds slowly, like a hole left open for a week or a basement planned too close to the house next door.
A truck backing toward the edge
Dump trucks back up to a trench to drop stone, and loaders work along the rim of a basement hole. When the driver doesn't have a clear, direct view of the edge, OSHA calls for a warning system. That can be barricades, hand or mechanical signals, or stop logs. Where it can, the ground should also slope away from the hole. The supervisor picks the method for each site and checks that the stop logs are really there. Source: OSHA: Specific excavation requirements (29 CFR 1926.651).
An old dump can change the air in the hole
Most builder lots have clean air below grade. The exceptions are digs in an old landfill or near stored hazardous substances, such as fuel or chemicals. Where low oxygen or a hazardous atmosphere exists or could reasonably be expected, OSHA has the air tested before anyone enters an excavation deeper than 4 feet. Rescue gear, such as a harness and line or a basket stretcher, has to be close at hand. The supervisor decides which jobs get a gas meter. Source: OSHA: Specific excavation requirements (29 CFR 1926.651).
The house next door has a footing too
Infill basements and additions often sit near a neighbor's house or a retaining wall. If digging below that footing could endanger the crew, OSHA allows it in only a few cases. The house or wall is held up, such as by underpinning. The dig is in stable rock. Or a registered engineer has approved a finding that the dig is far enough away or won't put workers at risk. The supervisor flags these lots before booking the machine. Source: OSHA: Specific excavation requirements (29 CFR 1926.651).
Holes that sit open for days
A basement hole or footing trench can sit open for days on a busy subdivision. OSHA requires guardrails, fences or barricades for workers at the edge of an excavation 6 feet or deeper when brush or something else hides it. Pits, shafts and similar holes that deep need guardrails, fences, barricades or covers. A walkway over a trench needs guardrails if it's 6 feet or more above the bottom. The supervisor walks each open hole before leaving a lot. Source: OSHA: Fall protection duties, excavations (29 CFR 1926.501).
A nicked line gets reported, not patched
A scraped coating on a gas service or a cracked water line can look too small to mention. Nebraska's one-call law is one example of why it isn't. The excavator calls the center right away when a buried line is damaged, moved or disturbed, can't hide it, and can't repair it unless the line's owner says so. A wrong mark is reported as soon as practical, and within 72 hours at most. The supervisor makes those calls and backs any operator who owns up to a strike. Source: Nebraska Revised Statutes 76-2326: Damage; duty of excavator.
How much excavation field supervisors make
The closest BLS group for excavation field supervisors is First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers. First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $36.78 an hour ($76,510 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $79,920 median for First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in all industries. About 62,160 of the 812,210 First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in that survey work for other specialty trade contractors.
The template pays this supervisor by the hour and adds a quarterly bonus. Its hourly range starts just above the line for the bottom quarter of construction supervisors at these contractors and passes their median before it tops out. A supervisor who has kept three or four crews moving at once will ask for the upper end. Pay the bonus on audit walks and on lot stages ready for the builder on the day promised.
Other specialty trade contractors
$76,510$76,510 median Middle half $60,680–$96,420 10th–90th $50,700–$114,880
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
Other specialty trade contractors
$50,700
$60,680
$76,510
$96,420
$114,880
All industries
$53,280
$63,400
$79,920
$101,460
$128,260
BLS doesn’t publish pay for excavation contractors on their own. These figures cover other specialty trade 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
Has run two or more excavation, grading or utility crews at the same time
Spots an unprotected trench or an unmarked edge from across the lot
Knows when a dig beside a neighbor's footing needs an engineer before it starts
Calls in a damaged line or a wrong mark the same hour and expects crews to do the same
Keeps builder superintendents informed before they have to ask
Finds a grade or cut sheet error before the footing crew does
Teach these on the job
Your gas meter, its bump test and its log
Which photos each builder wants in the daily report
Each builder's site rules and contacts
Your one-call center's damage and remark steps
Your audit checklist for trenches and open holes
The supervisor's truck carries a laser and grade rod, a gas meter for digs near old fill or tanks, stop logs, cones and spare safety fence. Locate tickets get checked on a phone at each lot, and a handheld radio lets the supervisor stop a machine from across the site.
Excavation 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 · Locate marks
The crew is ready to dig, but traffic has torn up most of the utility marks. What do you do?
A strong answer: Doesn't dig on missing marks, requests a re-mark through the one-call center, moves the crew to other work in the meantime, and notes it in the daily report.
Behavioral · Stopping work for safety
Tell me about a time you stopped work for a safety problem when the schedule was tight.
A strong answer: Explains the hazard, how they stopped the work, how they fixed it, and how they told the project manager and customer.
Go over these each month with the supervisor, misses first and totals second. A run of late lots usually traces back to one builder, one machine or one crew.
Job progress rate
Stages done on schedule, read per lot or per subdivision phase. Count a stage as done only when the next trade or the tester can start on it.
Safety compliance
Each quarter, count injuries from the supervisor's sites that went on the OSHA log. Set them beside surprise audit results: protection in every trench that needs it, edges marked, air tested where called for, and every strike reported.
Equipment downtime
Hours a machine on the supervisor's sites sat broken while a crew needed it, from the shop's repair log. Track how fast the breakdown was called in and the crew moved to other work.
On-site efficiency
A short daily sheet for each site: crews working at start time, the right machine on each task, no trucks waiting in line, and each lot safe and on grade at day's end. Review it weekly with the supervisor.
Career path
Lead equipment operatorEarns the crew's trust on the hardest cuts before taking on more sites.
Excavation field supervisorCovers several crews' lots, the builder superintendents and the open holes between visits.
Project managerTakes on whole developer phases, from quantities to the last pay request.
Operations managerDecides which builder gets which crew and machine each day.
What should the supervisor check before a crew starts a new lot?
Walk it before the machine comes off the trailer. Check that the locate ticket is live and the marks are visible, that the surveyor's stakes are there, and that silt fence and the stone entrance are in. Look up for wires and next door for footings, and pick where spoil goes and where trucks turn around. Anything missing goes to the builder's superintendent that morning, not after the crew has started.
How much does an excavation field supervisor make?
First-Line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $36.78 an hour ($76,510 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $60,680 and $96,420 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Who keeps mud off the street outside a builder's lot?
Usually the excavation crew, since its trucks and machines carry the dirt out. Where EPA's construction permit covers the site, mud tracked onto paved roads or sidewalks has to be swept, shoveled or vacuumed by the end of that business day, or the next business day if it happened on a day off. Hosing it into a storm drain is not allowed. The supervisor checks the street before the last truck leaves and keeps the stone entrance topped up.
What should go in an excavation field supervisor's daily report?
For each lot or station: the crew, the machines and their hours, loads hauled in and out, the locate ticket checked, trench inspections done, and any tests with their results. Then any extra work, with who on the builder's side approved it, weather stops, and visitors. Add a photo of every open trench with its protection in place. The office bills from this report and pulls it out when a builder questions a charge.
What does the 50-pound, weather and climbing wording mean on an excavation site?
The wording ships as written. On this job it means hauling a gas meter, a bundle of fence posts or a box of stakes from the truck, and climbing a spoil pile to look down into a basement hole. It also means stepping down a trench ladder to see a box in place, crouching at a neighbor's footing, and long days between lots in summer heat, winter cold and spring mud. Each one can go in the ad, next to the name of whoever takes accommodation calls.
