An excavation project manager runs big grading and utility contracts, such as a new subdivision's streets, pipes and lots or a commercial pad, from the developer's plans to the last punch item. They schedule the surveyor, utilities and subcontractors, plan for groundwater and pipelines, and track cost and quantities against the contract.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $63,260, middle half $81,940 to $132,710, 90th percentile $170,780. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
General Manager
Department
Operations
Schedule
40-hour weeks, on call in key phases · About 40 hours a week between the office and active sites, some overtime, on call in critical phases, and some travel
Also called
Site work project manager · Earthwork project manager · Grading and utilities PM · Excavation PM
Responsible for managing large-scale excavation and site work contracts, ensuring projects meet high standards of quality, safety, and regulatory compliance, while effectively coordinating with sub-trades to achieve optimal results.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of excavation and site work projects.
Ensure full compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
Coordinate and manage subcontractor schedules and deliverables.
Monitor project budgets, timelines, and quality standards to minimize cost variances.
Resolve on-site issues and maintain clear communication among all project stakeholders.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review project plans and blueprints with a focus on excavation requirements.
Conduct daily site inspections to ensure adherence to safety and quality protocols.
Serve as the primary liaison between subcontractors, field teams, and management.
Prepare and submit regular progress reports and updates to stakeholders.
Address and troubleshoot any emerging issues to maintain project momentum.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-Time Project Completion Rate: 95% or higher.
Site Safety Compliance: 100% adherence to all relevant regulations.
Cost Control: Maintain project cost variances within 5%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve a rating higher than 4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field.
A minimum of 5 years of project management experience in excavation or site work projects.
In-depth knowledge of construction codes, regulations, and permitting processes.
Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
Proficiency in project management software and Microsoft Office applications.
6. Preferred Experience
Proven experience managing large-scale excavation and site work contracts.
Familiarity with bidding, tendering, and contract negotiation processes.
Background in both commercial and residential construction projects.
Demonstrated ability to effectively manage multiple subcontractors and multidisciplinary teams.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 kg.
Regular exposure to outdoor environments and variable weather conditions.
Frequent walking, standing, and climbing over extended periods.
Comfort with navigating active construction sites.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours totaling 40 hours per week with occasional overtime.
Regular on-site visits to active construction locations.
Availability for on-call duties during critical project phases.
Occasional domestic travel to various project sites as needed.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $85,000 - $110,000 USD.
Performance-based bonus structure.
Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance plans.
401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions.
Generous paid time off and holiday benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
A dynamic and collaborative work environment that champions innovation and continuous improvement.
A strong commitment to professional growth, ongoing training, and career advancement.
An inclusive culture that values diversity, integrity, and mutual respect.
A reputation for excellence through industry-leading projects and an unwavering focus on customer satisfaction.
A passionate team dedicated to embracing sustainable practices and achieving operational success.
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
A developer's grading and utility contract can run for months across streets, pipes and dozens of lots. The PM's job is to see what will stop the machines before it does: water in the hole, a pipeline nearby, a utility that isn't ready, or a quantity nobody agreed how to count.
Pumped water goes through a filter first
Basement holes and sewer trenches fill with groundwater or rain, and that water has to go somewhere. Where EPA's construction permit applies, as it does in New Hampshire, pumped water first runs through a sediment control such as a filter bag or a sediment trap. It can't carry floating solids or foam or leave a sheen on the water it reaches, and filter bags don't go on steep slopes. Someone inspects the discharge each day it runs. The PM prices pumps, bags and that daily check into the job. Source: EPA: 2022 Construction General Permit, as modified (dewatering, Parts 2.4 and 4.3.2).
A gas transmission line brings a visitor
Some developments sit next to a natural gas transmission line. Nebraska adds a step there. Unless the pipeline company agrees otherwise in writing, no one digs within 25 feet of the line without the company's representative on site. If that person doesn't show up on time, the excavator tells the company and may start, taking reasonable precautions. The PM books the visit early and keeps other work ready for the crew in case of a no-show. Source: Nebraska Revised Statutes 76-2331: Digging near a natural gas transmission line.
Count the dirt the way the contract pays
Earthwork can be paid on the plan's numbers, on a survey of what was really cut and filled, or by the truckload. The three rarely match, because dug dirt bulks up in the truck and packs down under the roller. The PM confirms the pay basis before the first load, logs trucks by size and job, and has the surveyor shoot the ground before and after any work paid by volume.
Utilities share the trench and the calendar
In many new subdivisions, power, phone, cable and sometimes gas lines share one trench that the site contractor often digs. Each utility has its own design and its own crew schedule. The PM gets each design and date in writing and lines them up with the paving sub's start. Then they log every day a trench sits open waiting on a utility.
How much excavation project managers make
The closest BLS group for excavation project managers is construction managers. Construction managers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $103,680 a year ($49.85 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $114,990 median for construction managers in all industries. About 21,060 of the 380,360 construction managers in that survey work for other specialty trade contractors.
This template lays out a salary for the year with a bonus for results. The salary starts a little above where the bottom quarter of BLS construction managers at these contractors ends, and its top is a few thousand dollars over their median. That fits a PM carrying a handful of developer phases, not the head of a large firm's project group.
Other specialty trade contractors
$103,680$103,680 median Middle half $81,940–$132,710 10th–90th $63,260–$170,780
All industries
$114,990$114,990 median Middle half $88,550–$151,640 10th–90th $69,690–$189,440
$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
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
$63,260
$81,940
$103,680
$132,710
$170,780
All industries
$69,690
$88,550
$114,990
$151,640
$189,440
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 grading and utility contracts for developers or builders from start to closeout
Reads grading, utility and erosion control plans and spots conflicts before the crew does
Tracks earthwork and pipe quantities against the contract every week
Lines up surveyors, utilities, testers and paving subs on one schedule
Keeps crews digging somewhere else when a utility, an inspector or a storm holds up a street
Teach these on the job
Your estimating and job cost codes
Each developer's pay request and change forms
Your surveyor's staking request process
Which towns inspect what, and how far ahead to book them
Dewatering setups that have passed on your sites
Expect a takeoff and job cost program, a phase schedule the developer can read, the plan set and surface files on a tablet, and the field app where foremen log loads hauled and feet of pipe laid.
Excavation project 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 · Unforeseen conditions
Your crew hits a lot of unsuitable soil that the geotechnical report didn't show. What do you do?
A strong answer: Documents it with photos and quantities, gives written notice under the contract, gets the engineer's direction, and agrees on pricing or signed daily time-and-material tickets before doing the extra work.
Behavioral · Schedule recovery
Tell me about a site work job that fell behind from weather, rock or late utility work, and how you got it back on schedule.
A strong answer: Names the cause, the recovery plan, such as resequencing, added machines or a second shift, how they told the general contractor, and the finish date against the original.
A subdivision can run two seasons, so score the PM on each phase as it closes instead of waiting for the whole contract to finish.
On-Time Project Completion Rate
Phases and whole contracts done by the developer's schedule dates, plus approved extensions. Tag every late finish with its cause: weather, utilities, owner changes or the company.
Site Safety Compliance
Findings from monthly audits of the PM's jobs: protection in trenches, permits on hand, dewatering and erosion controls working, plus any notice from OSHA, the state or the town.
Cost Control
Job cost against budget by phase every two weeks, with trucking, imported fill and rental machines broken out, since they swing the most. Each variance gets a written reason and a fix.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
At each phase handoff, ask the developer's or builder's project lead the same three questions: were dates kept, were changes priced before the work, and was the punch list closed?
Career path
Field supervisorBrings years of reading lots, crews and builder superintendents.
Excavation project managerCarries a few developer phases at once, from first stakes to last pay request.
General managerMoves from a few big contracts to the whole company's results.
What should an excavation PM have in hand before the machines arrive?
A signed contract and the latest plans. The soils report. Survey control and the first stakes. Copies of the permits that apply, such as stormwater or a road opening. Each utility's design, a place to stage machines, and a place for spoil and stumps. If any one is missing, a crew can end up on the clock with nothing to dig.
How much does an excavation project manager make?
Construction managers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $103,680 a year ($49.85 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $81,940 and $132,710 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Who works with the town's inspector on new subdivision streets?
Usually the PM, even when the developer holds the approvals. Towns that will take over the streets and pipes often want to see the subgrade, the base and the pipe before each is covered. Book those visits ahead, keep a log of what each inspector signed off, and close punch items fast. The developer's bond release or final approval can hang on that list, and so can your last payment.
What does closeout look like on a site work contract?
Get the surveyor's final grades and pipe locations, and close the town's punch list. Leave silt fence and other controls in place until whoever holds the stormwater permit agrees the ground is stable. Collect lien waivers from every sub and supplier, then send the final pay request with the retainage. A phase that sits half closed for months ties up cash the company has already earned.
What does a 25 kg lift look like for an excavation PM?
The lines stay in the template. For an excavation PM they mean walking a subdivision's streets and lots, climbing a bank or spoil pile to see a cut, and carrying a laser, a rod or a box of plan sets. They also mean standing through a town inspection in cold or rain. The template's 25 kg is about 55 pounds. Name each task in the ad. Applicants should also know who answers accommodation requests.
