Commercial general contractor general manager job description
A commercial general contractor general manager runs the company's day-to-day business, from estimating and project management to the office and field teams. They track each department's numbers, keep jobs inside the contract, and answer the owners and tenants who want someone senior.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Serve as the driving force behind the operational excellence of a premier commercial general contractor, ensuring alignment across multiple departments to exceed contractual obligations and achieve key performance targets.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee and manage multiple departments to ensure seamless project delivery and operational efficiency.
Monitor, analyze, and report on departmental KPIs to drive strategic decision-making and performance improvements.
Ensure compliance with contractual obligations and industry regulations across all projects.
Lead cross-functional teams in achieving quality standards, cost efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily review meetings with department heads to assess project status and address operational challenges.
Monitor key performance indicators and adjust operational strategies as needed to meet targets.
Engage with customers and stakeholders to ensure their needs are met while pursuing potential business opportunities.
Oversee the implementation of safety protocols and quality control measures on active sites.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per hour: $150.
Callback Percentage: <5%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Gross Margin: Maintain above 30%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Construction Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years’ experience in management within the home services or commercial contracting industry.
Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency in project management software and KPI tracking systems.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience as a General Manager or in a senior managerial role within commercial general contracting.
Experience in scaling operations and managing cross-functional teams across multiple departments.
Track record of successfully meeting or exceeding contractual obligations and financial targets.
Familiarity with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.
Capacity to work in varied environments including on-site project locations with exposure to outdoor weather conditions.
Must be able to navigate between office settings and project sites.
Prolonged periods of standing and walking on uneven surfaces may be required.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional travel to project sites and client meetings is required.
Some on-call duties may be expected to address urgent operational issues.
A dynamic, fast-paced work environment with a collaborative culture.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Annual salary range: $100,000 to $150,000.
Performance-based bonus structure.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Our team is dedicated to excellence and providing top-tier service to every client.
We invest in our employees’ growth, offering opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
Join us in a supportive, dynamic environment where your ideas and leadership will directly impact our 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].
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What changes for a general manager at a commercial general contractor
A general manager anywhere keeps departments pulling toward the same numbers. At a commercial GC, public jobs bring wage and payroll rules, and every fit-out has more than one customer to keep happy.
Hawaii's wage law reaches small public jobs
Hawaii's prevailing wage law applies to every public works construction contract over 2,000 dollars where a government agency is a party, and purchase orders count as contracts (HRS § 104-2). A small county repair job is covered just like a new school. Before a public bid goes out, the GM checks that the wage rates are in the estimate and that each sub priced them too. Source: Hawaii Revised Statutes § 104-2, wages and hours on public works.
Federal jobs need weekly certified payroll
The Davis-Bacon rules cover federally funded or assisted construction contracts over 2,000 dollars. On those jobs, you and each sub must send certified payrolls every week. The prime contractor also answers for its subs' compliance (29 CFR 5.5). The GM decides who in the office collects and checks those payrolls, because a gap at any tier becomes your problem. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 5.5, contract provisions for Davis-Bacon and related acts.
Callbacks come after the crew has left
For a commercial GC, a callback is a trip back after turnover: a door that won't latch, a ceiling stain, a fixture the tenant flagged. Many contracts carry a correction period after substantial completion, so read yours. Log each callback by job, trade and superintendent. Back-charge a sub's defects to that sub, so warranty cost lands where it started.
Three people judge every fit-out
On a tenant fit-out, the landlord's property manager, the tenant and the architect each judge your work. Any of them can send you the next job or keep you off the list. Make sure every project has a named contact for each one. Complaints from any of them should reach a senior person within a day.
How much commercial general contractor general managers make
The closest BLS group for commercial general contractor general managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $148,700 a year ($71.49 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 32,560 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
Most GMs here get a base salary and a bonus based on department results, as the template describes. Paying the bonus only after jobs close out keeps it from rewarding work that later loses money.
Commercial building contractors
$148,700$148,700 median Middle half $99,830–$207,480 10th–90th $64,930–$300,370
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$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
Commercial building contractors
$64,930
$99,830
$148,700
$207,480
$300,370
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
BLS doesn’t publish pay for commercial general contractors on their own. These figures cover nonresidential building construction, 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 managed project managers and estimators at the same time
Reads job cost reports and asks about the right lines
Handles an angry owner or tenant without giving away margin
Knows public bid rules, bonds and wage requirements
Sets clear weekly priorities for each department
Teach these on the job
Your project platform and the dashboards it produces
Your signing limits for subcontracts and change orders
Your callback log and warranty process
The owners, brokers and architects you work with most
A GM lives in the project platform, whether Procore, Autodesk Build or something similar, and in accounting reports every day. Ask candidates which dashboards they've built from those tools, since the GM's numbers come from them.
Commercial general contractor 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 · Finding lost margin
Gross margin dropped on several projects this year even though the estimates looked right. Walk me through how you find out why.
A strong answer: Compares bid to final by cost code, checks buyout gains and losses, unpaid change work, general conditions overruns from schedule extensions, and productivity, then meets the project managers.
Behavioral · Adding overhead ahead of backlog
Tell me about a time you decided whether to add overhead, such as a new estimator, project manager or software, before the backlog clearly needed it.
A strong answer: Tied the cost to backlog, gross profit and overhead forecasts, set what result would justify it, timed the hire or purchase, and later checked whether it paid off.
Does Delaware's public works law cover school renovations?
Often, yes. Delaware's prevailing wage law covers state-funded public works over 500,000 dollars for new construction, and over 45,000 dollars for alteration, repair, renovation or demolition. The Delaware Department of Labor sets the rates by county, so a job in Sussex County can carry different rates than one in New Castle County. Check the bid documents for the rates and price every trade with them (29 Del. C. § 6960).
How much does a commercial general contractor general manager make?
General and operations managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $148,700 a year ($71.49 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $99,830 and $207,480 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Who should sign subcontracts, the GM or the project manager?
Set a signing limit. Many GCs let project managers issue subcontracts on the standard form up to a set value. The GM signs anything above it, and any sub that changes the standard terms. That keeps the GM reading the risky ones, such as a sub that won't accept your insurance or indemnity terms.
What should a GM review every week?
Keep it short: each job's cost-to-finish forecast against budget, change orders waiting on owner approval, RFIs open more than a week, sub pay applications due, any safety incidents, and bids due soon. Each item should have a name and a date beside it. If the list keeps growing, a department needs help, and that is the GM's call to make.
What will a general manager do on a site walk?
The GM's lines on lifting up to 25 pounds, outdoor conditions and long stretches on foot over uneven ground describe site walks. Those include going through unfinished floors and outdoor areas with the job's superintendent and the client's team, and carrying sample boards, a drawing set or a box of closeout binders. The GM wears the site's protective gear and signs in like everyone else.
