An excavation general manager runs both the office and the field: bids, crews, the shop and the books. They set the budget, decide which builder and developer jobs to take, and answer to the owner or CEO for jobs finishing on schedule and within budget.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Oversee and lead multiple departments within the excavation and site work division to ensure operational excellence and timely project delivery. Drive strategic initiatives to improve process efficiency and achieve business growth. Serve as a key decision-maker in resource allocation, budgeting, and department coordination. Represent the company in client meetings, industry events, and stakeholder communications.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement strategic plans to optimize site work operations and meet project deadlines.
Direct multiple departments, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives.
Monitor and track departmental performance to drive continuous improvement.
Manage budgeting, cost control, and operational reporting to ensure financial targets are met.
Collaborate with senior leadership to determine business growth strategies and project priorities.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily production reports and performance metrics to ensure project timelines are achieved.
Coordinate with department heads and project managers on resource allocation and scheduling.
Address and resolve operational challenges and client inquiries promptly.
Maintain quality control standards and ensure compliance with safety regulations.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Project Completion Rate: ≥95% of projects completed on time.
Safety Compliance: 100% adherence to OSHA standards.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars on post-project surveys.
Budget Variance: Maintain cost variance under 5%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years of experience in operations or general management within the home services or construction industry.
Strong leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.
Proficient in project management software, budgeting, and performance tracking tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience managing excavation, site work, or similar construction-related projects.
Familiarity with local, state, and federal regulations relevant to site operations.
Demonstrated track record of increasing operational efficiency and meeting growth targets.
Experience in multi-departmental coordination in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs as needed.
Frequent visits to construction sites with exposure to outdoor weather conditions.
Capacity to stand or walk for extended periods during site inspections.
Visual and auditory acuity to accurately assess on-site work environments.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours as project demands require.
Regular travel between office and construction sites.
On-call availability for urgent operational issues during off-hours.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $90,000 - $120,000 USD, commensurate with experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision insurance plans.
Participation in a 401(k) plan with company matching and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We foster a growth-oriented culture where every team member is empowered to contribute to our success.
We value collaboration, transparency, and continuous professional development.
Our commitment to customer satisfaction drives our operational excellence and innovative approach.
Join us for a rewarding career experience where your leadership makes a tangible impact on both our team and our clients.
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
In site work, a job's profit is often decided underground and by the truck count. The GM sets the rules that keep both from surprising the company.
The ground can eat the margin
Rock, groundwater and soft clay don't show on a site plan. The GM decides how bids deal with them. Read the soil report, price rock and unsuitable soil as unit prices or leave them out, and get the builder's signature before the extra digging starts. A company that quietly absorbs these costs sees it in every job's margin.
Every job has a dirt balance
A site that needs more fill than it cuts, or has extra dirt to haul away, can swing a job's cost more than its machine time. The GM makes sure each bid counts truck loads, haul distance and where spoils can go, and keeps track of nearby sites that need fill or will take it.
Someone senior signs the injury summary
Each year a company executive certifies the OSHA injury summary: an officer, the highest-ranking company official working at that location, or that person's boss. It stays posted from February 1 through April 30. A construction establishment with 20 to 249 employees also submits it to OSHA online by March 2. When the GM is the top person at the yard, the signature is often theirs. They should know how a cut hand on a far-off lot reaches the log. Source: eCFR: OSHA annual summary, who certifies and when to post (29 CFR 1904.32).
Builders' lots set the pace
Home builders release lots in batches and want basements dug and backfilled on their own schedule. When two builders want crews the same week, the GM decides who goes first, weighing contract terms, payment record and which builder will send more lots. Writing that rule down keeps sales from promising the same crew twice.
How much excavation general managers make
The closest BLS group for excavation general managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $102,680 a year ($49.36 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 26,090 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for other specialty trade contractors.
Base part of the template's performance bonus on budget variance across all closed jobs, so one big winner can't hide several losers.
Other specialty trade contractors
$102,680$102,680 median Middle half $75,710–$147,200 10th–90th $51,310–$203,280
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
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
$51,310
$75,710
$102,680
$147,200
$203,280
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
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 owned the budget and results of a site work or utility operation
Can read a soil report and grading plan and spot what a bid missed
Has priced rock, wet soil and import fill without losing the job or the margin
Keeps estimating, the field, the shop and the office on one schedule
Holds builders and developers to contract terms and keeps their trust
Teach these on the job
Your takeoff software and past job costs
Your builder agreements and change order forms
Local fill sites, dump sites and haulers
Your OSHA log and injury reporting steps
Which builders pay on time and which need watching
Expect the GM's week to run through the estimate, the job cost report and the two-week crew and fleet schedule. Candidates who have built takeoffs from an engineer's grading plan get up to speed fastest.
Excavation general 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 · Closing the bid-to-field gap
Your estimators keep winning jobs that the field loses money on. What do you do?
A strong answer: Compares bid against actual by cost code, finds where it breaks, such as production rates or trucking, and sets up post-job reviews between estimating and the field.
Behavioral · Saying no to bad work
Tell me about a time you turned down work that looked profitable on paper.
A strong answer: Explains the risk they saw, such as contract terms, payment history or crew capacity, and what happened as a result.
Read these with the owner each month, but judge the trend over a season, since one wet month can drag every number down at once.
Project Completion Rate
Of the lots and phases closed, how many went back to the builder or developer by the agreed date. For each late one, note whether rain, the builder or the company caused it.
Safety Compliance
Score each site audit item as met or missed, such as trench protection, locate tickets and machine checks, and list any OSHA citations and recordable injuries beside it each month.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
A short closeout survey for each builder or developer phase, read beside that customer's payment record, since a happy customer who pays late still costs money.
Budget Variance
Open jobs reviewed weekly against their estimate, split into machine hours, labor, trucking and materials, so the GM can move a crew or call a change order while there's still time.
Career path
Project managerTakes a subdivision or commercial pad from takeoff to the last lot.
How should the ad treat the template's acuity and walking lines?
Leave the lines in place and show what they mean on site: walking a subdivision's lots or a long sewer run, reading grade stakes and plan sheets, seeing a machine swing nearby, and catching a backup alarm or radio call over engine noise. Under the ADA, a standard that screens out people with disabilities must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. Judge candidates on those tasks, with reasonable accommodation where it applies.
How much does an excavation general manager make?
General and operations managers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $102,680 a year ($49.36 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $75,710 and $147,200 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Who should do the estimating at a site work company this size?
Someone close to the field. Takeoffs come from the engineer's grading and utility plans, often as digital surfaces, and a missed cut or fill quantity can sink a job. One setup that works: project managers build the estimates, and the GM reviews every bid above a set size. Any job big enough to hurt gets its quantities checked by a second person.
What should we charge when a builder's lot isn't ready?
Put it in the builder agreement before it happens. Charge for each extra trip to bring a machine back, and set a standby rate for when a crew waits on the builder's surveyor, a late permit or another trade. The GM decides when to waive it for a good customer, and the field logs every wasted trip so that choice rests on facts.
Is it safe to take fill dirt from someone else's site?
Only when you know where it came from. Fill from an old industrial lot, a gas station or a demolition job can carry fuel, debris or worse. Once it's buried under a building pad, it can become your problem to dig back out. Ask for the source, look at it before the first load, and have it tested when anything seems off.
