Commercial general contractor tradesperson job description
A commercial general contractor tradesperson does the carpentry, block work and steel stud framing a commercial GC keeps in-house on tenant improvements and renovations. They frame walls, hang door frames and patch block, often at night in buildings that stay open by day, and finish the items that fall between subcontractors.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Quality Compliance: Ensure >98% adherence to building codes and industry standards.
Customer Satisfaction: Secure a post-project satisfaction rating of >4.8 stars.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High School Diploma or equivalent required.
Relevant trade certifications in carpentry, masonry, or steel framing strongly preferred.
Minimum of 3 years’ hands-on experience in specialized trades.
Strong ability to read and interpret blueprints and technical documentation.
Excellent problem-solving and independent work skills.
Effective communication and teamwork capabilities in a dynamic environment.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working on large-scale commercial construction projects.
Familiarity with OSHA regulations and industry safety standards.
Proven track record of quality workmanship in carpentry, masonry, and steel framing projects.
Background in commercial general contracting environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds and handle strenuous physical activity.
Work in outdoor and variable weather conditions.
Ability to perform tasks requiring fine motor skills and physical dexterity.
Ability to stand, climb, bend, and work in confined spaces for extended periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard work hours: 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Occasional weekend or evening work may be required based on project needs.
Travel to various commercial job sites within the designated region is expected.
On-call duties for urgent project requirements may apply.
9. Compensation and Benefits
$USD Salary Range: $25 - $35 per hour.
Opportunity for quarterly, performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k retirement plan with company matching contributions available.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company prides itself on fostering a growth-oriented, innovative environment where every team member is valued. We emphasize continuous learning, integrity, and a collaborative spirit to drive success and customer satisfaction. Our culture encourages career development and provides the resources needed to excel in a challenging, ever-evolving industry.
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 when the GC's own crew works in tenant spaces
A commercial general contractor subs out most trades and keeps a small crew for the work between them. On tenant improvements, that crew often works inside a building that is open for business.
Nights in a building that opens at eight
Offices, stores and clinics often stay open while one suite is rebuilt, so the loud and dusty work moves to nights and weekends. Expect the crew to sign in with building security, ride the freight elevator, keep exits clear, and leave the corridor clean before the first tenant arrives. A cord across a hallway or a blocked exit at 8 AM can cost the GC its next job in that building.
Sparks can land on the other side of the wall
Welding a lintel or a door frame, or torch-cutting old steel, puts heat near a wall the crew can't see behind. OSHA's construction fire rule calls for fire extinguishing equipment close at hand and ready to use. When the work is on a wall, floor or ceiling, the same precautions go on the far side too, where the next tenant's files may sit. If normal steps aren't enough, someone is assigned to watch for fire during the work and long enough after it to be sure no fire can start. Source: OSHA: Fire prevention in welding and cutting (29 CFR 1926.352).
Medical build-outs come with dust rules
A build-out in a hospital wing or a medical office often starts with an infection control risk assessment, or ICRA, run by the facility. It sets the dust barriers, air controls and cleanup the crew must follow, often written up as a permit. ASHE, the hospital engineers' society, gives away its ICRA tool, a matrix of precautions with a sample permit. Ask candidates which precautions they have built and kept up. Source: ASHE: ICRA 2.0 toolkit (infection control risk assessment).
The crew fills the gaps between subs
Subcontractors take drywall, ceilings, electrical and plumbing. The GC's own crew picks up what falls between them: blocking for casework and grab bars, hollow metal frames, doors and hardware, block infill where an old opening closes, and the punch list. That mix rewards someone who reads the whole drawing set, not only one trade's sheets.
Rated walls are built to the detail
Corridors and walls between tenants are often fire rated. The drawings point to a tested wall design that sets the studs, the layers of board and the fasteners, and they show how pipes, ducts and the top of the wall get sealed. A framer who swaps a part to save time can fail the inspection and force a tear-out.
How much commercial general contractor tradespeople make
The closest BLS group for commercial general contractor tradespeople is carpenters. Carpenters who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $30.66 an hour ($63,780 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $60,580 median for carpenters in all industries. About 108,660 of the 670,090 carpenters in that survey work for commercial building contractors.
Hourly, plus the quarterly bonus in the template. If tenant work pushes the crew onto nights, decide before you post whether night hours pay a premium, and put the answer in the posting.
Commercial building contractors
$63,780$63,780 median Middle half $52,760–$81,820 10th–90th $47,080–$108,500
All industries
$60,580$60,580 median Middle half $48,510–$76,830 10th–90th $40,410–$99,910
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k
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
$47,080
$52,760
$63,780
$81,820
$108,500
All industries
$40,410
$48,510
$60,580
$76,830
$99,910
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
Lays out and frames metal stud partitions from the floor plan and wall-type schedule
Hangs hollow metal frames, doors and hardware plumb and square
Patches and infills concrete block neatly where openings change
Works a night shift without a boss on site and leaves the space clean
Reads every trade's sheets in the drawing set to catch conflicts early
Teach these on the job
The building rules at each property you work in
Your hot work permit and fire watch steps
Dust barriers and cleanup for medical build-outs
Your punch list app and photo logging
Powder-actuated tools, after the training your company provides
Expect a framer's kit: a laser, snips, a screw gun, a stud crimper and levels, plus trowels and a jointer for block. The company usually supplies chop saws, powder-actuated tools, lifts and dust controls. In the ad, say whether night shifts are regular and which app the crew logs work in.
Commercial general contractor tradesperson 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 · Structural openings
You're told to cut an opening in a masonry wall, but you don't see a lintel on the drawings. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops and asks the foreman for the lintel detail, and doesn't cut until support is planned.
Behavioral · Judgment with little supervision
Tell me about a time you were working without a foreman nearby and had to make a judgment call about layout or a field condition.
A strong answer: Explains the situation, how they decided what was safe and within the plans, who they told, and how it turned out.
Score each project on its own, since a night-shift suite and a daytime shell job won't compare. Check the template's targets against your crew's recent suites and keep only the ones they support.
Job Efficiency
Hours spent on each task against the hours the estimate gave it, from timesheets coded by task. Leave out time lost waiting on a sub or a late delivery.
Task Completion Rate
Tasks from the shift plan finished that shift, checked against the field supervisor's notes. On night work, count a task done only if the area was also cleaned up before opening.
Quality Compliance
First-visit passes on wall and above-ceiling inspections for the framing, frames and block this person built, plus any punch items the architect or owner wrote on that work.
Customer Satisfaction
The owner's or tenant's rating at closeout. Trace any complaint about noise, dust or a mess left behind to the shift that caused it.
Career path
Laborer / helperStocks studs and track, protects floors and cleans up after night shifts.
Commercial general contractor tradespersonFrames, hangs frames and patches block on tenant work.
Field supervisorRuns the crew and the subs on a tenant build-out.
Project managerOwns budgets, schedules and owner meetings for several jobs.
Other roles in a commercial general contractor business
Can one tradesperson cover carpentry, masonry and steel framing?
On tenant work, usually yes, because the masonry is small: closing an old opening, cutting in a new one, setting a lintel. Full block walls tend to go to a masonry sub. Hire for metal framing and door work, then have candidates lay a short block patch before you count on that skill.
How much does a commercial general contractor tradesperson make?
Carpenters who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $30.66 an hour ($63,780 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $52,760 and $81,820 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What does a night shift in an occupied building look like?
Check in with security, bring material up the freight elevator and set dust walls and floor protection. Do the loudest work first. Save the last hour for cleanup: vacuum, lock tools away, check exits and take photos of the space. The field supervisor reviews those photos before tenants arrive and fixes anything left behind.
What training does a tradesperson need to work in a clinic?
Ask the facility to brief your crew on its infection control rules before they start, and ask whether it also wants a course or a badge. ASHE offers ICRA training, including an online course at your own pace. Rules differ by owner, so confirm what each facility requires before you schedule the crew.
Should I require an OSHA 10 card?
Federal OSHA doesn't. Its Outreach program is optional, and finishing a course doesn't count toward training that OSHA's own rules demand. A state, a city or a building owner may still ask for the card, so read your contracts and check each job's location. If no rule on your jobs needs the card up front and a strong candidate lacks it, hire them and send them to the class in their first month.
What should a tradesperson know about fire-rated walls?
That the wall is only as good as its weakest spot. Build it to the tested design the drawings name, and never leave an open hole after another trade passes through. Report any gap above the ceiling to the field supervisor, even when someone else made it, before the ceiling grid closes it off.
