An excavation sales manager heads a small team pricing and signing grading, basement digs and site work for builders, developers and landowners. They set each builder's lot prices for the year, decide how diesel swings pass through, draw the territory around what a lowboy can reach, and keep builder accounts tied to the company rather than to one rep.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, other specialty trade contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $72,150, middle half $82,840 to $163,890, 90th percentile $204,970. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
General Manager
Department
Sales
Schedule
Weekdays 8 to 5, site visits most weeks · Office hours on weekdays, occasional evening or weekend client meetings, regular site trips and on call in peak phases
Also called
Director of sales · Site work sales manager · Builder accounts manager · Business development manager
Excavation sales manager 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.
Lead and drive sales initiatives within the Excavation & Site Work division to achieve company growth objectives. Develop strategic sales targets and implement effective sales strategies to secure new contracts and expand market presence. Mentor and empower sales representatives to ensure high performance and continuous professional development. Serve as a critical link between the sales team and operational staff, ensuring seamless contract execution and client satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Set ambitious sales targets and develop actionable strategies to achieve them.
Mentor and coach sales representatives to improve performance and close deals efficiently.
Negotiate and secure site work contracts with potential and existing clients.
Maintain regular communication with operations to ensure contract requirements are met and delivered successfully.
Analyze market trends and competitor activities to proactively adjust sales strategies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct regular team meetings to review performance metrics and discuss new sales tactics.
Personally engage with high-value customers to build lasting relationships and secure new business.
Oversee the development of tailored proposals and site work estimates based on client requirements.
Monitor daily sales activities and provide real-time feedback to reps for ongoing improvement.
Collaborate with cross-functional departments to ensure a smooth hand-off of signed contracts for execution.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Total Revenue Generated from Site Work Contracts: $250,000 per quarter.
Sales Target Achievement Rate: 95% or above.
New Contracts Closed per Month: At least 5.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Greater than 4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in sales management, preferably within the construction or home services industry.
Exceptional communication and negotiation skills with a proven ability to lead and mentor teams.
Strong analytical and strategic planning capabilities.
Proficiency in CRM software and Microsoft Office Suite.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience managing sales teams in the excavation, construction, or site work industry.
Demonstrated success in securing large-scale contracts and exceeding sales targets.
Experience working with cross-functional teams in a project-based environment.
Familiarity with local market dynamics and regulatory requirements in the construction/home services sector.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally travel to job sites and client meetings.
Capacity to review site plans and construction drawings on-site.
Ability to spend extended periods in office settings while maintaining focus on sales objectives.
Occasional lifting of marketing materials and technical documentation for presentations.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional evening or weekend meetings may be required with clients or team members.
Regular travel to job sites and industry events is expected.
On-call availability may be required during critical project phases or high-demand periods.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Base salary range: $80,000 - $100,000 USD per annum.
Commission structure based on closed contracts and sales performance.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company fosters a culture of growth, collaboration, and innovation where every team member is valued.
We believe in empowering our employees by providing opportunities for professional development and leadership growth.
Our inclusive environment emphasizes integrity, accountability, and customer-centricity in all aspects of our operations.
Join us in a dynamic and supportive workplace where your contribution directly impacts our shared 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
What an excavation sales manager prices and protects
Builders buy dirt work lot after lot at prices set months ahead, while diesel, haul distance and frost move the cost underneath. This manager writes the terms that keep those deals worth doing, and keeps the accounts with the company.
Builder prices get set for the year
Many builders ask for a set price on each house plan that holds for the year, covering the dig, backfill and rough grade on each lot. The sales manager builds that sheet with the estimator. Then they add set prices for what lots often throw in: a walkout, fill brought in by the load, spoils hauled off, frozen ground. Rock and wet soil follow the general manager's bid rules. Reps sell from the sheet, and anything off the list gets priced before the machine shows up.
Diesel needs its own clause
A lot price set in January still has to pay for fuel in October. A fuel clause moves the price when diesel moves. Each week, EIA posts the average retail price of road diesel for the nation and its regions. EIA says many shippers and truckers use those prices in their fuel formulas. It posts no prices for off-road diesel, though. So tie the clause to how far the road price has moved since the sheet was signed, not to the price itself. Source: EIA: Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (weekly on-highway diesel prices by region).
The lowboy draws the map
A one-day basement dig an hour away can spend more on moving the machine and running trucks than it earns. Territory gets set with operations: where a lone lot is worth the trip, where a move charge or a minimum applies, and which towns are too far to serve at all. Reps then price far-off work from that map instead of guessing.
Builder accounts can walk out with a rep
A rep who has served one builder for years may take that builder along when they leave. Some companies ask reps to sign a noncompete or a no-solicit agreement. New Hampshire, for one, makes an employer hand a new hire a copy of any required noncompete before the hire accepts the offer, or the noncompete can't be enforced against them. Have an employment lawyer write it, and keep a second contact on every big account. Source: New Hampshire RSA 275:70: Noncompete agreements (example state).
How much excavation sales managers make
Sales managers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $118,560 a year ($57.00 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $148,270 median for sales managers in all industries. About 940 of the 637,080 sales managers in that survey work for other specialty trade contractors.
The template's base runs from just under this chart's lower quarter to well short of its median, so its commission has to carry the rest. Pay that commission on gross profit as each lot or phase bills, so a price cut that wins volume also shows up in the manager's own check.
Other specialty trade contractors
$118,560$118,560 median Middle half $82,840–$163,890 10th–90th $72,150–$204,970
All industries
$148,270$148,270 median Middle half $100,360–$207,340 10th–90th $73,170–$290,540
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k$350k
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
$72,150
$82,840
$118,560
$163,890
$204,970
All industries
$73,170
$100,360
$148,270
$207,340
$290,540
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 led reps selling site work, utilities or paving to builders and developers
Builds a builder's yearly price sheet and extras list with the estimator
Writes fuel terms both sides can check against a published weekly price
Knows what moving a machine and hauling dirt cost, and prices distance in
Spreads the backlog so no single builder controls the crews' calendar
Teach these on the job
Your fleet, move costs and the lowboy's schedule
Each builder's house plans, lot releases and purchase order steps
Your estimating program and past job costs by type of work
Your past price sheets, and why each builder renewed or left
Your CRM and commission reports
Day to day, this manager lives in the CRM's builder and landowner pipelines, the estimating system and its job cost history, each builder's price sheet and purchase orders, and EIA's weekly diesel table for the fuel clause. Have finalists walk you through a price sheet of their own making, and one extra they had to add partway through a year.
Excavation sales 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 · Pricing discipline
One of your reps wins a large grading job at a price your estimator says is below cost. What do you do?
A strong answer: Reviews the numbers before signing if possible, looks for scope changes, renegotiates or walks away, and coaches the rep on pricing rules.
Behavioral · Coaching reps
Tell me about a sales rep you coached to win more bids from general contractors without cutting price.
A strong answer: Reviewed lost bids with them, found the gap (late bids, unclear exclusions, no follow-up with the contractor's estimator), set specific changes, reviewed their next bids, and tracked hit rate and margin.
One developer phase can make a quarter, and a slow spring for home sales can thin the next one. Read the team's numbers over two seasons, split by builders, developers and landowners, before fixing targets.
Total Revenue Generated from Site Work Contracts
Billed revenue each quarter from the team's contracts, broken out by builder lots, developer phases and landowner jobs, with the gross margin each was sold at beside it.
Sales Target Achievement Rate
Each rep's signed work against the target set when the quarter began. When a builder slows lot releases, note it beside the number, but leave the miss on the record.
New Contracts Closed per Month
Signed contracts each month, tagged as new customer or repeat. Show dollars next to the count, because five driveways and one subdivision phase make very different months.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Sort every builder and landowner score by rep. Low scores bunched on one rep's accounts often mean extras priced late or start dates nobody checked with operations.
Career path
EstimatorPrices lots and phases from plans and learns where jobs lose money.
Sales representativeLearns which lots hide extras and which builders pay for them.
Excavation sales managerSets builder price sheets, the fuel clause and the territory.
General managerAnswers for the crews, the yard and the money, not just sales.
There's no set number, so agree on a ceiling with the CEO and CFO. If one builder's lots fill most of the crews' weeks, a slowdown in that builder's home sales parks machines that are still on loan. Track each builder's share of the next three months of booked work, and start courting new accounts before it reaches the ceiling, not after the pause.
How much does an excavation sales manager make?
Sales managers who work for other specialty trade contractors earned a median of $118,560 a year ($57.00 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $82,840 and $163,890 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What changes when builders want basements dug in winter?
The price, and sometimes the method. Frozen ground digs slower and may need a ripper or a bigger machine. Snow has to come off the lot first, and frozen chunks of spoil don't compact well as backfill, so drier fill may have to come in. Put frost digging, snow clearing and imported backfill on the extras list before the first cold snap, so reps don't price each one at the curb.
A builder wants the price sheet cut mid-year. How should that go?
Ask what changed: a lower bid from another excavator, slower home sales, or a new house plan. Before cutting, offer trades that lower your cost too, such as lots released in groups on one street so machines move less, or spoils left on another lot the builder owns. Put any cut in writing with its reason, and look at it again at renewal.
Should the sales team chase landowner jobs at all?
Usually, within limits. Driveways, house pads and clearing fill the gaps between builder lots and tend to pay when the work is done. But each one takes a site walk, a written proposal and more explaining. Set a minimum size and a territory for them, and give them to one rep, so builder accounts don't wait while a driveway gets priced.
